Abstract: We present measurements of Collins asymmetries in the inclusive process e(+)e(-) -> h(1)h(2)X, h(1)h(2) = KK, K pi, pi pi, at the center-of-mass energy of 10.6 GeV, using a data sample of 468 fb(-1) collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II B factory at SLAC National Accelerator Center. Considering hadrons in opposite thrust hemispheres of hadronic events, we observe clear azimuthal asymmetries in the ratio of unlike sign to like sign, and unlike sign to all charged h(1)h(2) pairs, which increase with hadron energies. The K pi asymmetries are similar to those measured for the pi pi pairs, whereas those measured for high-energy KK pairs are, in general, larger.

Abstract: A search for the rare flavor-changing neutral current process B- -> Lambda(p) over bar nu(nu) over bar using data from the BABAR experiment has been performed. A total of 424 fb(-1) of e(+) e(-) collision data collected at the center-of-mass energy of the Upsilon(4S) resonance is used in this study, corresponding to a sample of (471 +/- 3) x 10(6) B (B) over bar pairs. Signal B- -> Lambda(p) over bar nu(nu) over bar candidates arc identified by fast fully reconstructing a B+ decay in one of many possible exclusive decays to hadronic final states, then examining detector activity that is not associated with this reconstructed B+ decay for evidence of a signal B- -> Lambda(p) over bar nu(nu) over bar decay. The data yield is found to be consistent with the expected background contribution under a null signal hypothesis, resulting in an upper limit of B(B- -> Lambda(p) over bar nu(nu) over bar) < 3.0 x 10(-5) at the 90% confidence level.

Abstract: We briefly review the need to perform renormalization of inflationary perturbations to properly work out the physical power spectra. We also summarize the basis of (momentum-space) renormalization in curved spacetime and address several misconceptions found in recent literature on this subject.

Abstract: We explore quantum corrections of electrically charged black holes subject to vacuum polarization effects of fermion fields in QED. Solving this problem exactly is challenging so we restrict to perturbative corrections that one can obtain using the heat kernel expansion in the one -loop effective action for electrons. Starting from the corrections originally computed by Drummond and Hathrell, we solve the full semiclassical Einstein -Maxwell system of coupled equations to leading order in Planck 's constant and find a new electrically charged, static black hole solution. To probe these quantum corrections, we study electromagnetic and gravitational (axial) perturbations on this background and derive the coupled system of Regge-Wheeler master equations that govern the propagation of these waves. In the classical limit, our results agree with previous findings in the literature. We finally compare these results with those that one can obtain by working out the Euler-Heisenberg effective action. We find again a new electrically charged static black hole spacetime and derive the coupled system of Regge-Wheeler equations governing the propagation of axial electromagnetic and gravitational perturbations. Results are qualitatively similar in both cases. We briefly discuss some challenges found in the numerical computation of the quasinormal mode frequency spectra when quantum corrections are included.

Abstract: The adiabatic regularization method was originally proposed by Parker and Fulling to renormalize the energy-momentum tensor of scalar fields in expanding universes. It can be extended to renormalize the electric current induced by quantized scalar fields in a time-varying electric background. This can be done in a way consistent with gravity if the vector potential is considered as a variable of adiabatic order one. Assuming this, we further extend the method to deal with Dirac fields in four space-time dimensions. This requires a self-consistent ansatz for the adiabatic expansion, in presence of a prescribed time-dependent electric field, which is different from the conventional expansion used for scalar fields. Our proposal is consistent, in the massless limit, with the conformal anomaly. We also provide evidence that our proposed adiabatic expansion for the fermionic modes parallels the Schwinger-DeWitt adiabatic expansion of the two-point function. We give the renormalized expression of the electric current and analyze, using numerical and analytical tools, the pair production induced by a Sauter-type electric pulse. We also analyze the scaling properties of the current for a large field strength.