Piersanti, L., Bellini, F., Bini, F., Collamati, F., De Lucia, E., Durante, M., et al. (2014). Measurement of charged particle yields from PMMA irradiated by a 220 MeV/u C-12 beam. Phys. Med. Biol., 59(7), 1857–1872.
Abstract: The radiation used in hadrontherapy treatments interacts with the patient body producing secondary particles, either neutral or charged, that can be used for dose and Bragg peak monitoring and to provide a fast feedback on the treatment plans. Recent results obtained from the authors on simplified setups (mono-energetic primary beams interacting with homogeneous tissue like target) have already indicated the correlation that exists between the flux of these secondaries coming from the target (e.g. protons and photons) and the position of the primary beam Bragg peak. In this paper, the measurements of charged particle fluxes produced by the interaction of a 220 MeV/u carbon ion beam at GSI, Darmstadt, with a polymethyl methacrylate target are reported. The emission region of protons (p), deuterons (d) and tritons (t) has been characterized using a drift chamber while the particle time-of-flight, used to compute the kinetic energy spectra, was measured with a LYSO scintillator.The energy released in the LYSO crystal was used for particle identification purposes. The measurements were repeated with the setup at 60 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the primary beam direction. The accuracy on the fragments emission profile reconstruction and its relationship with the Bragg peak position have been studied. Based on the acquired experimental evidence, a method to monitor the dose profile and the position of the Bragg peak inside the target is proposed.
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Pierre Auger Collaboration(Aab, A. et al), & Pastor, S. (2014). Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using studies of air mass trajectories in South America. Atmos. Res., 149, 120–135.
Abstract: The Pierre Auger Observatory is making significant contributions towards understanding the nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. One of its main challenges is the monitoring of the atmosphere, both in terms of its state variables and its optical properties. The aim of this work is to analyse aerosol optical depth tau(a)(z) values measured from 2004 to 2012 at the observatory, which is located in a remote and relatively unstudied area of Pampa Amarilla, Argentina. The aerosol optical depth is in average quite low – annual mean tau(a)(3.5 km) similar to 0.04 – and shows a seasonal trend with a winter minimum – tau(a)(3.5 km) – 0.03 -, and a summer maximum – tau(a)(3.5 km) similar to 0.06 -, and an unexpected increase from August to September tau(a)(35 km) similar to 0.055. We computed backward trajectories for the years 2005 to 2012 to interpret the air mass origin. Winter nights with low aerosol concentrations show air masses originating from the Pacific Ocean. Average concentrations are affected by continental sources (wind-blown dust and urban pollution), whilst the peak observed in September and October could be linked to biomass burning in the northern part of Argentina or air pollution coming from surrounding urban areas.
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Pich, A., Rosell, I., & Sanz-Cillero, J. J. (2014). Oblique S and T constraints on electroweak strongly-coupled models with a light Higgs. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 157–35pp.
Abstract: Using a general effective Lagrangian implementing the chiral symmetry breaking SU(2)(L) circle times SU(2)(R) -> SU(2)(L+R), we present a one-loop calculation of the oblique S and T parameters within electroweak strongly-coupled models with a light scalar. Imposing a proper ultraviolet behaviour, we determine S and T at next-to-leading order in terms of a few resonance parameters. The constraints from the global fit to electroweak precision data force the massive vector and axial-vector states to be heavy, with masses above the TeV scale, and suggest that the W+W- and and ZZ couplings of the Higgs-like scalar should be close to the Standard Model value. Our findings are generic, since they only rely on soft requirements on the short-distance properties of the underlying strongly-coupled theory, which are widely satisfied in more specific scenarios.
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AGATA Collaboration(Pellegri, L. et al), & Gadea, A. (2014). Pygmy dipole resonance in Sn-124 populated by inelastic scattering of O-17. Phys. Lett. B, 738, 519–523.
Abstract: The gamma decay from the high-lying states of Sn-124 was measured using the inelastic scattering of O-17 at 340 MeV. The emitted gamma rays were detected with high resolution with the AGATA demonstrator array and the scattered ions were detected in two segmented Delta E-E silicon telescopes. The angular distribution was measured both for the gamma rays and the scattered O-17 ions. An accumulation of E1 strength below the particle threshold was found and compared with previous data obtained with (gamma,gamma') and (alpha,alpha'gamma) reactions. The present results of elastic scattering, and excitation of E2 and E1 states were analysed using the DWBA approach. From this comprehensive description the isoscalar component of the 1-excited states was extracted. The obtained values are based on the comparison of the data with DWBA calculations including a form factor deduced using a microscopic transition density.
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Pastore, A., Davesne, D., & Navarro, J. (2014). Nuclear matter response function with a central plus tensor Landau interaction. J. Phys. G, 41(5), 055103–17pp.
Abstract: We present a method to obtain response functions in the random phase approximation (RPA) based on a residual interaction described in terms of Landau parameters with central plus tensor contributions. The response functions keep the explicit momentum dependence of the RPA, in contrast with the traditional Landau approximation. Results for symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter are presented using Landau parameters derived from finite-range interactions, both phenomenological and microscopic. We study the convergence of response functions as the number of Landau parameters is increased.
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Pastore, A., Martini, M., Davesne, D., Navarro, J., Goriely, S., & Chamel, N. (2014). Linear response theory and neutrino mean free path using Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals. Phys. Rev. C, 90(2), 025804–11pp.
Abstract: The Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals have been successful in describing properties of both finite nuclei and infinite homogeneous nuclear matter. In their latest version, these functionals have been equipped with two extra density-dependent terms in order to reproduce simultaneously ground state properties of nuclei and infinite nuclear matter properties while avoiding at the same time the arising of ferromagnetic instabilities. In the present article, we extend our previous results of the linear response theory to include such extra terms at both zero and finite temperature in pure neutron matter. The resulting formalism is then applied to derive the neutrino mean free path. The predictions from the Brussels-Montreal Skyrme functionals are compared with ab initio methods.
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Park, J. H. (2014). Lepton flavor violation from right-handed neutrino thresholds. Phys. Rev. D, 89(9), 095005–6pp.
Abstract: Charged lepton flavor violation is reappraised in the context of a supersymmetric seesaw mechanism. It is pointed out that a nontrivial flavor structure of right-handed neutrinos, whose effect has been thus far less studied, can give rise to significant slepton flavor transitions. Under the premise that the neutrino Yukawa couplings are of O(1), the right-handed neutrino mixing contribution could form a basis of the μ-> e gamma amplitude, which by itself might lead to an experimentally accessible rate, given a typical low-energy sparticle spectrum. Emphasis is placed on the crucial role of the recently measured lepton mixing angle theta(13) as well as the leptonic CP-violating phases.
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Pallis, C., & Shafi, Q. (2014). From hybrid to quadratic inflation with high-scale supersymmetry breaking. Phys. Lett. B, 736, 261–266.
Abstract: Motivated by the reported discovery of inflationary gravity waves by the BICEP2 experiment, we propose an inflationary scenario in supergravity, based on the standard superpotential used in hybrid inflation. The new model yields a tensor-to-scalar ratio r similar or equal to 0.14 and scalar spectral index n(s) similar or equal to 0.964, corresponding to quadratic (chaotic) inflation. The important new ingredients are the high-scale, (1.6-10) . 10(13) GeV, soft supersymmetry breaking mass for the gauge singlet inflaton field and a shift symmetry imposed on the Kahler potential. The end of inflation is accompanied, as in the earlier hybrid inflation models, by the breaking of a gauge symmetry at (1.2-7.1) . 10(16) GeV, comparable to the grand-unification scale.
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Pallis, C. (2014). Induced-gravity in inflation no-scale supergravity and beyond. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 08(8), 057–20pp.
Abstract: Supersymmetric versions of induced-gravity inflation are formulated within Supergravity (SUGRA) employing two gauge singlet chiral super fields. The proposed super-potential is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a discrete Z(n) symmetry. We select two types of logarithmic Kahler potentials, one associated with a no-scale-type SU(2, 1)/SU(2) x U(1)(R) x Z(n) Kahler manifold and one more generic. In both cases, imposing a lower bound on the parameter c R involved in the coupling between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature – e.g. c(R) greater than or similar to 76, 105, 310 for n – 2, 3 and 6 respectively -, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton while the corresponding effective theory respects the perturbative unitarity. In the case of no-scale SUGRA we show that, for every n, the inflationary observables remain unchanged and in agreement with the current data while the inflaton mass is predicted to be 3 . 10(13) GeV. Beyond no-scale SUGRA the inflationary observables depend mildly on n and crucially on the coefficient involved in the fourth order term of the Kahler potential which mixes the inflaton with the accompanying non-inflaton field.
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Pallis, C. (2014). Linking Starobinsky-type inflation in no-scale supergravity to MSSM. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 04(4), 024–31pp.
Abstract: A novel realization of the Starobinsky inflationary model within a moderate extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is presented. The proposed superpotential is uniquely determined by applying a continuous R and a Z2 discrete symmetry, whereas the Kahler potential is associated with a no-scale-type SU(54, 1)/ SU(54) x U(1) R X Z2 Kahler manifold. The inflaton is identified with a Higgs-like modulus whose the vacuum expectation value controls the gravitational strength. Thanks to a strong enough coupling (with a parameter CT involved) between the inflaton and the Ricci scalar curvature, inflation can be attained even for subplanckian values of the inflaton with CT >= 76 and the corresponding effective theory being valid up to the Planck scale. The inflationary observables turn out to be in agreement with the current data and the inflaton mass is predicted to be 3 10(3) GeV. At the cost of a relatively small superpotential coupling constant, the model offers also a resolution of the f,t problem of MSSM for CT <= 4500 and gravitino heavier than about 10(4) GeV. Supplementing MSSM by three right-handed neutrinos we show that spontaneously arising couplings between the inflaton and the particle content of MSSM not only ensure a sufficiently low reheating temperature but also support a scenario of non-thermal leptogenesis consistently with the neutrino oscillation parameters.
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