Working group report: Collider Physics

This is summary of the activities of the working group on collider physics in the IXth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP-9) held at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India in January 2006. Some of the work subsequently done on these problems by the subgroups formed during the workshop is included in this report.     

Assessment of the quality of reedbeds using holomicroscopic moiré

Holographic interferometry is proposed to detect the change in the mechanical responses of reed stems growing in eutrophic, as compared with those in healthy, water bodies. The detection of the difference in behaviour could be a sensitive way to index the degree of eutrophication. An interferometric method based on holomicroscopic moiré is developed and preliminary results obtained are presented.     

Analysis of Corrugated Long-Period Gratings in Planar Waveguides and Their Polarization Dependence

We present a theoretical analysis of corrugated long-period gratings in planar waveguides. In particular, we calculate the transmission spectra for both the TE and TM polarizations and highlight the polarization-independence conditions.     

Study on the extraction of U(IV) relevant to PUREX process

The paper presents a radiokinetic study on the appearance and growth of^*Fe₂S₃,^*Fe(OH)₃,^*Fe₂(C₂O₄)₃,^*Fe(IO₃)₃ crystals in a colloidal medium of agar and gelatine. The values of the diffusion constants through gels of⁵⁵⁺⁵⁹Fe³⁺ radioactive cations and of the rate of global growth process of these crystals in agar or gelatine were calculated using the experimental data. A new method for the determination of the starting time for the complex nucleation process was proposed. The formation rate of crystals under study decreases in the order:^*Fe(OH)₃>^*Fe(IO₃)₃>^*Fe₂S₃>^*Fe₂(C₂O₄)₃, in agar medium and^*Fe(OH)₃>^*Fe(IO₃)₃>^*FeC₂O₄)₃>^*FeS₃, in gelatine medium.     

Optimization of culture parameters for production of podophyllotoxin in suspension culture of Podophyllum hexandrum

The root explants of the germinated seedlings of Podophyllum hexandrum were grown in MS medium supplemented with indole acetic acid (IAA) (2 mg/L) and activated charcoal (0.5%), and healthy callus culture was obtained after incubation for 3 wk at 20°C. The cultivation of plant cells in shake flask was associated with problems such as clumping of cells and browning of media, which were solved by the addition of pectinase and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The effect of major media components and carbon source was studied on the growth and podophyllotoxin production in suspension culture. It was found that glucose was a better carbon source than sucrose and that NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ⁻ ratio (total nitrogen concentration of 60 mM) and PO₄ ³⁻ did not have much effect on the growth and product formation. The relative effect of culture parameters (inoculum level, pH, IAA, glucose, NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ⁻ ratio, and PO₄ ³⁻) on the overall growth and product response of the plant cell suspension culture was further investigated by Plackett-Burman design. This indicated that inoculum level, glucose, IAA, and pH had significant effects on growth and production of podophyllotoxin. To identify the exact optimum concentrations of these parameters on culture growth and podophyllotoxin production, central composite design experiments were formulated. The overall response equations with respect to growth and podophyllotoxin production as a function of these culture parameters were developed and used to determine the optimum concentrations of these parameters, which were pH 6.0, 1.25 mg/L of IAA, 72 g/L of glucose, and inoculum level of 8 g/L.     

Studies on electroosmotic and electrophoretic behavior of cholesterol in aqueous solutions

Electrical properties of cholesterol interfaces have been investigated. For this purpose electroosmotic and hydrodynamic permeation of water, sodium chloride, barium chloride, aluminum chloride, and urea solutions across a cholesterol plug have been investigated. Dependence of electroosmotic permeability on concentration of electrolytes has also been studied. Electrophoretic mobility of cholesterol particles of known size distribution and dispersed in solutions of varying concentrations of electrolytes and urea has also been studied. The data have been used to estimate ζ potentials in order to have a plausible picture of the electrical double layer at the cholesterol/ solution interfaces.     

Interaction between organophosphorous hydrolase and paraoxon studied by surface chemistry in situ at air-water interface

Subphase conditions have been optimized to obtain stable organophosphorous hydrolase (OPH-EC 3.1.8.1) as Langmuir films. The Langmuir film was characterized by surface pressure and surface potential-area isotherms and UV-Vis spectroscopy in situ. The interaction of an organophosphorous compound, namely Paraoxon, with the OPH film was investigated for various surface pressures. The stability of the monolayer and the evidence of the enzyme activity at air-water interface support the use of enzyme LB films as biosensor.     

CP violation at colliders

The prospects of experimental detection ofCP violation ate ⁺ e ⁻ and colliders are reviewed. After a general discussion on the quantities which can measureCP violation and on the implications of theCPT theorem, various possibilities of measuringCP violation arising outside the standard model are taken up.CP violation in leptonic processes, especially polarization effects ine ⁺ e ⁻→l ⁺ l ⁻ are discussed next.CP violation in andW ⁺ W ⁻ production and decay is also described.     

Dispersion characteristics of broadside coupled dielectric image guide at millimeter wave frequencies

Dispersion characteristics and wave impedance for the even and odd modes of the broad side coupled dielectric image guides are computed by using mode matching techniques. Dispersion curves for broadside image guide are plotted for various dielectric materials and dimensional parameters as a function of frequency. Normalized electric field for dominant electric field component E of TM even and odd modes for various half spacings between two dielectric slabs of broadside coupled image guide have been plotted. Polysterene ( r=2.56) and Stycast ( r=3.4) have been used as dielectric materials in fabricating broadside coupled image guide. This broadside coupled dielectric guide is very convenient as compared to the other dielectric guides. Since in case of broadside coupled image guide the dielectric slab can be bonded to the side metallic walls using some low loss adhesive material, while in other coupled dielectric guides the dielectric slab have to be supported by some low dielectric constant material (Eccofoam with r=1.02) to maintain the proper distance of side metallic walls from the dielectric slab. Since this structure is symmetrical, this configuration can be analysed in terms of even and odd mode phase velocities. The difference in these even and off mode phase velocities can be used to determine the coupling between coupled dielectric slab. Various couplers in this configuration can be realised.     

The molecular structure of 4a, 5, 8, 8a-tetrahydro-11, 14-dimethoxy-7-methyl-4a-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-5, 8a-o-benzeno-1, 4-naphthoquinone

A novel natural product, microphyllone, has been isolated from Ehretia microphylla² together with baurenol and ursolic acid. Spectroscopic techniques, derivative formation and finally X-ray diffraction have been utilized in the structure elucidation of microphyllone. The structure appears to be 4a, 5, 8,8a - tetrahydro -11,14- dihydroxy-7-methyl-4a-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-5, 8a-o-benzeno-1, 4-naphthoquinone.