Freeze-out conditions in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

We present recent results on single particle transverse momentum distributions of pions, kaons and protons, measured in CERN Experiment NA44, of 200 AGeV/c S+S and 158 AGeV/c Pb+Pb central collisions. By comparing these data with thermal and transport models, freeze-out parameters like the temperatureT _fo and the chemical potentials (μ _q ,μ _s ) are extracted and discussed.     

Robustness of fat quantification using chemical shift imaging

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of parameter changes that can potentially lead to unreliable measurements in fat quantification. Chemical shift imaging was performed using spoiled gradient echo sequences with systematic variations in the following: two-dimensional/three-dimensional sequence, number of echoes, delta echo time, fractional echo factor, slice thickness, repetition time, flip angle, bandwidth, matrix size, flow compensation and field strength. Results indicated no significant (or significant but small) changes in fat fraction with parameter. The significant changes can be attributed to the known effects of T1 bias and two forms of noise bias.     

Determination of the K-shell internal conversion coefficient for the 37.2 keV transition in the decay of121mSn

TheK-shell internal conversion coefficientα _K for the 37.2 keV transition (7/2⁺→5/2⁺) occuring in¹²¹Sb afterβ ^? decay of¹²¹ mSn has been redetermined applying theX- toγ-peak method (XPG). Measurements of photon spectra from thin sources have been performed at various source-detector distances with a high resolution, efficiency calibrated Si(Li) detector. Values ofα _K have been deduced from the number of emittedKX rays compared to that of the emittedγ rays. TheK-shell fluorescence yield for antimony has been taken from the literature. From in total 14 experimental runs a mean result ofα _K =9.52±0.27 has been obtained. The quoted uncertainty comprising statistical and systematic parts is discussed in detail. The present result is compared with the few existing earlier experimental values and with the theoretical value interpolated from the most recent tabulations.     

Statistical mechanics of warm and cold unfolding in proteins

We present a statistical mechanics treatment of the stability of globular proteins which takes explicitly into account the coupling between the protein and water degrees of freedom. This allows us to describe both the cold and the warm unfolding, thus qualitatively reproducing the known thermodynamics of proteins. Received: 19 March 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 25 May 1998     

Calcul d'un Invariant de Star-Produit Fermé sur une Variété Symplectique

Let M be a symplectic manifold over $ℝ. In [CFS] the authors construct an invariant ϕ in the cyclic cohomology of M for any closed star-product. They compute this invariant in the de Rham complex of M when M=T ^* V. We generalize this result by computing the image of ϕ in the de Rham complex for any symplectic manifold and any star-product and we show how this invariant is related to the general classification of Kontsevich. The proof uses the Riemann–Roch theorem for periodic cyclic chains of Nest–Tsygan.

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Calcul d'un Invariant de Star-Produit Fermé sur une Variété Symplectique

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Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted: 15 February 1999     

Single spin asymmetries in charged pion production from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering on a transversely polarized 3He Target at Q2 = 1.4-2.7 GeV2

We report the first measurement of target single spin asymmetries in the semi-inclusive (3)He(e,e'π(±))X reaction on a transversely polarized target. The experiment, conducted at Jefferson Lab using a 5.9 GeV electron beam, covers a range of 0.16 < x < 0.35 with 1.4 < Q(2) < 2.7 GeV(2). The Collins and Sivers moments were extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence of the measured asymmetries. The π(±) Collins moments for (3)He are consistent with zero, except for the π(+) moment at x = 0.35, which deviates from zero by 2.3σ. While the π(-) Sivers moments are consistent with zero, the π(+) Sivers moments favor negative values. The neutron results were extracted using the nucleon effective polarization and measured cross section ratios of proton to (3)He, and are largely consistent with the predictions of phenomenological fits and quark model calculations.     

High pressure neutron diffraction to beyond 20 GPa and below 1.8 K using Paris-Edinburgh load frames

We describe a method for collecting neutron diffraction patterns simultaneously at high pressure (>22?GPa) and low temperature (<1.8?K). The system uses ～5–10?mm³ samples compressed by double-toroidal sintered diamond anvils, with the required forces generated by a Paris-Edinburgh press of 30?kg mass. Technical details are given and diffraction data of ε-iron at 22.6?GPa and 1.79?K are presented.     

Bootstrap Percolation and Kinetically Constrained Models on Hyperbolic Lattices

We study bootstrap percolation (BP) on hyperbolic lattices obtained by regular tilings of the hyperbolic plane. Our work is motivated by the connection between the BP transition and the dynamical transition of kinetically constrained models, which are in turn relevant for the study of glass and jamming transitions. We show that for generic tilings there exists a BP transition at a nontrivial critical density, 0<ρ _c <1. Thus, despite the presence of loops on all length scales in hyperbolic lattices, the behavior is very different from that on Euclidean lattices where the critical density is either zero or one. Furthermore, we show that the transition has a mixed character since it is discontinuous but characterized by a diverging correlation length, similarly to what happens on Bethe lattices and random graphs of constant connectivity.     

Dissociative and molecular oxygen chemisorption channels on reduced rutile TiO2(110): An STM and TPD study

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to study the interaction of O₂ with reduced TiO₂(110)–(1 × 1) crystals. STM is the technique of choice to unravel the relation between vacancy and non-vacancy assisted O₂ dissociation channels as a function of temperature. It is revealed that the vacancy-assisted, first O₂ dissociation channel is preferred at low temperature (~ 120 K), whereas the non-vacancy assisted, second O₂ dissociation channel operates at temperatures higher than 150 K–180 K. Based on the STM results on the two dissociative O₂ interaction channels and the TPD data, a new comprehensive model of the O₂ chemisorption on reduced TiO₂(110) is proposed. The model explains the relations between the two dissociative and the molecular O₂ interaction channels. The experimental data are interpreted by considering the available charge in the near-surface region of reduced TiO₂(110) crystals, the kinetics of the two O₂ dissociation channels as well as the kinetics of the diffusion and reaction of Ti interstitials.