Modelling and resonance of a flexible rod using a floating reference frame

A direct variational approach with a floating frame is presented to derive the ordinary differential equations of motion of a flexible rod, constant crank speed slider-crank mechanism. Potential energy terms contained in the derivation include beam-bending energy and energy in foreshortening of the rod tip (which were selected because of the importance of these terms in a pinned-pinned rod parametric resonance). A symbolic manipulator code is used to reduce the constrained equations of motion to unconstrained nonlinear equations. A linearized version of these equations is used to explore parametric resonance stability-instability zones by a monodromy matrix technique.     

Measurement of spin correlation in tt production using a matrix element approach

We determine the fraction of tt events with spin correlation, assuming that the spin of the top quark is either correlated with the spin of the top antiquark as predicted by the standard model or is uncorrelated. For the first time we use a matrix-element-based approach to study tt spin correlation. We use tt → W+ b W- b → ?+ νb?- ν b final states produced in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV, where ? denotes an electron or a muon. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb(-1) and were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The result agrees with the standard model prediction. We exclude the hypothesis that the spins of the tt are uncorrelated at the 97.7% C.L.     

Search for single vectorlike quarks in pp ̄ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

We present a search for hypothetical vectorlike quarks in pp ? collisions at √s=1.96 TeV. The data were collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb(-1). We select events with a final state composed of a W or Z boson and a jet consistent with a heavy object decay. We observe no significant excess in comparison to the background prediction and set limits on production cross sections for vectorlike quarks decaying to W+jet and Z+jet. These are the most stringent limits to date for electroweak single vectorlike quark production at hadron colliders.     

Precise study of the Z/γ* boson transverse momentum distribution in pp collisions using a novel technique

Using 7.3 fb?1 of pp collisions collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we measure the distribution of the variable φ(η)*, which probes the same physical effects as the Z/γ* boson transverse momentum, but is less susceptible to the effects of experimental resolution and efficiency. A QCD prediction is found to describe the general features of the φ(η)* distribution, but is unable to describe its detailed shape or dependence on boson rapidity. A prediction that includes a broadening of transverse momentum for small values of the parton momentum fraction is strongly disfavored.     

Measurement of the inclusive jet cross section in pp[over] collisions at square root [s]=1.96 TeV

We report on a measurement of the inclusive jet cross section in pp[over ] collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=1.96 TeV using data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.70 fb;{-1}. The data cover jet transverse momenta from 50 to 600 GeV and jet rapidities in the range -2.4 to 2.4. Detailed studies of correlations between systematic uncertainties in transverse momentum and rapidity are presented, and the cross section measurements are found to be in good agreement with next-to-leading order QCD calculations.     

Locally corrected semi-Lagrangian methods for Stokes flow with moving elastic interfaces

We present a new method for computing two-dimensional Stokes flow with moving interfaces that respond elastically to stretching. The interface is moved by semi-Lagrangian contouring: a distance function is introduced on a tree of cells near the interface, transported by a semi-Lagrangian time step and then used to contour the new interface. The velocity field in a periodic box is calculated as a potential integral resulting from interfacial and body forces, using a technique based on Ewald summation with analytically derived local corrections. The interfacial stretching is found from a surprisingly natural formula. A test problem with an exact solution is constructed and used to verify the speed, accuracy and robustness of the approach.     

Search for flavor-changing-neutral-current d meson decays

We study the flavor-changing-neutral-current process c-->u micro(+) micro(-) using 1.3 fb(-1) of pp[over ] collisions at square root s = 1.96 TeV recorded by the D0 detector operating at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We see clear indications of the charged-current mediated D(s)(+) and D(+)-->phipi(+) --> micro(+)micro(-)pi(+) final states with significance greater than 4 standard deviations above background for the D(+) state. We search for the continuum neutral-current decay of D(+)-->pi(+) micro(+) micro(-) in the dimuon invariant mass spectrum away from the phi resonance. We see no evidence of signal above background and set a limit of B(D(+) --> pi(+) micro(+) micro(-))<3.9 x 10(-6) at the 90% C.L. This limit places the most stringent constraint on new phenomena in the c--> u micro(+) micro(-) transition.     

Measurement of the shape of the boson-transverse momentum distribution in pp --> Z/gamma* --> e+e- + X events produced at square root s = 1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the shape of the Z/gamma* boson transverse momentum (q(T)) distribution in pp --> Z/gamma* --> e(+)e(-) + X events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 0.98 fb(-1) of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The data are found to be consistent with the resummation prediction at low q(T), but above the perturbative QCD calculation in the region of q(T)>30 GeV/c. Using events with q(T)<30 GeV/c, we extract the value of g(2), one of the nonperturbative parameters for the resummation calculation. Data at large boson rapidity y are compared with the prediction of resummation and with alternative models that employ a resummed form factor with modifications in the small Bjorken x region of the proton wave function.