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Oliver, J. F., & Rafecas, M. (2010). Improving the singles rate method for modeling accidental coincidences in high-resolution PET. Phys. Med. Biol., 55(22), 6951–6971.
Abstract: Random coincidences ('randoms') are one of the main sources of image degradation in PET imaging. In order to correct for this effect, an accurate method to estimate the contribution of random events is necessary. This aspect becomes especially relevant for high-resolution PET scanners where the highest image quality is sought and accurate quantitative analysis is undertaken. One common approach to estimate randoms is the so-called singles rate method (SR) widely used because of its good statistical properties. SR is based on the measurement of the singles rate in each detector element. However, recent studies suggest that SR systematically overestimates the correct random rate. This overestimation can be particularly marked for low energy thresholds, below 250 keV used in some applications and could entail a significant image degradation. In this work, we investigate the performance of SR as a function of the activity, geometry of the source and energy acceptance window used. We also investigate the performance of an alternative method, which we call 'singles trues' (ST) that improves SR by properly modeling the presence of true coincidences in the sample. Nevertheless, in any real data acquisition the knowledge of which singles are members of a true coincidence is lost. Therefore, we propose an iterative method, STi, that provides an estimation based on ST but which only requires the knowledge of measurable quantities: prompts and singles. Due to inter-crystal scatter, for wide energy windows ST only partially corrects SR overestimations. While SR deviations are in the range 86-300% (depending on the source geometry), the ST deviations are systematically smaller and contained in the range 4-60%. STi fails to reproduce the ST results, although for not too high activities the deviation with respect to ST is only a few percent. For conventional energy windows, i.e. those without inter-crystal scatter, the ST method corrects the SR overestimations, and deviations from the true random rate are of the order of 1% or less. In addition, in the case of conventional energy window STi results reproduce ST results and therefore the former can be used to obtain the true random rate.
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Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A., & Bernabeu, J. (2010). W polarisation beyond helicity fractions in top quark decays. Nucl. Phys. B, 840(1-2), 349–378.
Abstract: We calculate the density matrix for the decay of a polarised top quark into a polarised W boson and a massive 17 quark, for the most general Wth vertex arising from dimension-six gauge-invariant effective operators. We show that, in addition to the well-known W helicity fractions, for polarised top decays it is worth defining and studying the transverse and normal W polarisation fractions, that is, the W polarisation alone two directions orthogonal to its momentum. In particular, a rather simple forward-backward asymmetry in the normal direction is found to be very sensitive to complex phases in one of the Wth anomalous couplings. This asymmetry, which indicates a normal W polarisation, can be generated for example by a P-odd. T-odd transition electric dipole moment. We also investigate the angular distribution of decay products in the top quark rest frame, calculating the spin analysing powers for a general Wth vertex. Finally we show that, using a combined fit to top decay observables and the t W cross section, at LHC it will be possible to obtain model-independent measurements of all the (complex) Wth couplings as well as the single top polarisation. Implications for spin correlations in top pair production are also discussed.
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Balbinot, R., Carusotto, I., Fabbri, A., & Recati, A. (2010). Testing Hawking Particle Creation By Black Holes Through Correlation Measurements. Int. J. Mod. Phys. D, 19(14), 2371–2377.
Abstract: Hawking's prediction of thermal radiation by black holes has been shown by Unruh to be expected also in condensed matter systems. We show here that in a black hole-like configuration realized in a BEC this particle-creation does indeed take place and can be unambiguously identified via a characteristic pattern in the density-density correlations. This opens the concrete possibility of the experimental verification of this effect.
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de Azcarraga, J. A., & Izquierdo, J. M. (2010). n-ary algebras: a review with applications. J. Phys. A, 43(29), 293001–117pp.
Abstract: This paper reviews the properties and applications of certain n-ary generalizations of Lie algebras in a self-contained and unified way. These generalizations are algebraic structures in which the two-entry Lie bracket has been replaced by a bracket with n entries. Each type of n-ary bracket satisfies a specific characteristic identity which plays the role of the Jacobi identity for Lie algebras. Particular attention will be paid to generalized Lie algebras, which are defined by even multibrackets obtained by antisymmetrizing the associative products of its n components and that satisfy the generalized Jacobi identity, and to Filippov (or n-Lie) algebras, which are defined by fully antisymmetric n-brackets that satisfy the Filippov identity. 3-Lie algebras have surfaced recently in multi-brane theory in the context of the Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson model. As a result, Filippov algebras will be discussed at length, including the cohomology complexes that govern their central extensions and their deformations ( it turns out that Whitehead's lemma extends to all semisimple n-Lie algebras). When the skewsymmetry of the Lie or n-Lie algebra bracket is relaxed, one is led to a more general type of n-algebras, the n-Leibniz algebras. These will be discussed as well, since they underlie the cohomological properties of n-Lie algebras. The standard Poisson structure may also be extended to the n-ary case. We shall review here the even generalized Poisson structures, whose generalized Jacobi identity reproduces the pattern of the generalized Lie algebras, and the Nambu-Poisson structures, which satisfy the Filippov identity and determine Filippov algebras. Finally, the recent work of Bagger-Lambert and Gustavsson on superconformal Chern-Simons theory will be briefly discussed. Emphasis will be made on the appearance of the 3-Lie algebra structure and on why the A(4) model may be formulated in terms of an ordinary Lie algebra, and on its Nambu bracket generalization.
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Mayoral, C., Recati, A., Fabbri, A., Parentani, R., Balbinot, R., & Carusotto, I. (2011). Acoustic white holes in flowing atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. New J. Phys., 13, 025007–29pp.
Abstract: We study acoustic white holes in a steadily flowing atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. A white hole configuration is obtained when the flow velocity goes from a super-sonic value in the upstream region to a sub-sonic one in the downstream region. The scattering of phonon wavepackets on a white hole horizon is numerically studied in terms of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation of mean-field theory: dynamical stability of the acoustic white hole is found, as well as a signature of a nonlinear back-action of the incident phonon wavepacket onto the horizon. The correlation pattern of density fluctuations is numerically studied by means of the truncated-Wigner method, which includes quantum fluctuations. Signatures of the white hole radiation of correlated phonon pairs by the horizon are characterized; analogies and differences with Hawking radiation from acoustic black holes are discussed. In particular, a short wavelength feature is identified in the density correlation function, whose amplitude steadily grows in time since the formation of the horizon. The numerical observations are quantitatively interpreted by means of an analytical Bogoliubov theory of quantum fluctuations for a white hole configuration within the step-like horizon approximation.
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Aparici, A., Santamaria, A., & Wudka, J. (2010). A model for right-handed neutrino magnetic moments. J. Phys. G, 37(7), 075012–12pp.
Abstract: A simple extension of the standard model providing Majorana magnetic moments to right-handed neutrinos is presented. The model contains, in addition to the standard model particles and right-handed neutrinos, just a singly charged scalar and a vector-like charged fermion. The phenomenology of the model is analysed and its implications in cosmology, astrophysics and lepton flavour violating processes are extracted. If light enough, the charged particles responsible for the right-handed neutrino magnetic moments could copiously be produced at the Large Hadron Collider.
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de Azcarraga, J. A., & Izquierdo, J. M. (2011). On a class of n-Leibniz deformations of the simple Filippov algebras. J. Math. Phys., 52(2), 023521–13pp.
Abstract: We study the problem of infinitesimal deformations of all real, simple, finite-dimensional Filippov (or n-Lie) algebras, considered as a class of n-Leibniz algebras characterized by having an n-bracket skewsymmetric in its n-1 first arguments. We prove that all n > 3 simple finite-dimensional Filippov algebras (FAs) are rigid as n-Leibniz algebras of this class. This rigidity also holds for the Leibniz deformations of the semisimple n = 2 Filippov (i.e., Lie) algebras. The n = 3 simple FAs, however, admit a nontrivial one-parameter infinitesimal 3-Leibniz algebra deformation. We also show that the n >= 3 simple Filippov algebras do not admit nontrivial central extensions as n-Leibniz algebras of the above class.
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Cabello, J., & Wells, K. (2010). The spatial resolution of silicon-based electron detectors in beta-autoradiography. Phys. Med. Biol., 55(6), 1677–1699.
Abstract: Thin tissue autoradiography is an imaging modality where ex-vivo tissue sections are placed in direct contact with autoradiographic film. These tissue sections contain a radiolabelled ligand bound to a specific biomolecule under study. This radioligand emits beta- or beta+ particles ionizing silver halide crystals in the film. High spatial resolution autoradiograms are obtained using low energy radioisotopes, such as H-3 where an intrinsic 0.1-1 μm spatial resolution can be achieved. Several digital alternatives have been presented over the past few years to replace conventional film but their spatial resolution has yet to equal film, although silicon-based imaging technologies have demonstrated higher sensitivity compared to conventional film. It will be shown in this work how pixel size is a critical parameter for achieving high spatial resolution for low energy uncollimated beta imaging. In this work we also examine the confounding factors impeding silicon-based technologies with respect to spatial resolution. The study considers charge diffusion in silicon and detector noise, and this is applied to a range of radioisotopes typically used in autoradiography. Finally an optimal detector geometry to obtain the best possible spatial resolution for a specific technology and a specific radioisotope is suggested.
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Albertus, C., Hernandez, E., & Nieves, J. (2010). Hyperfine mixing in b -> c semileptonic decay of doubly heavy baryons. Phys. Lett. B, 683(1), 21–25.
Abstract: We qualitatively corroborate the results of [W. Roberts, M. Pervin, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 24 (2009) 2401] according to which hyperfine mixing greatly affects the decay widths of b -> c semileptonic decays involving doubly heavy bc baryons. However, our predictions for the decay widths of the unmixed states differ from those reported in the work of Roberts and Pervin by a factor of 2, and this discrepancy translates to the mixed case. We further show that the predictions of heavy quark spin symmetry, might be used in the future to experimentally extract information on the admixtures in the actual physical bc baryons, in a model independent manner.
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Aristizabal Sierra, D., Bazzocchi, F., de Medeiros Varzielas, I., Merlo, L., & Morisi, S. (2010). Tri/Bi-maximal lepton mixing and leptogenesis. Nucl. Phys. B, 827(1-2), 34–58.
Abstract: In models with flavour symmetries added to the gauge group of the Standard Model the CP-violating asymmetry necessary for leptogenesis may be related with low-energy parameters. A particular case of interest is when the flavour symmetry produces exact Tri/Bi-maximal lepton mixing leading to a vanishing CP-violating asymmetry. In this paper we present a model-independent discussion that confirms this always occurs for unflavoured leptogenesis in type I see-saw scenarios, noting however that Tri/Bi-maximal mixing does not imply a vanishing asymmetry in general scenarios where there is interplay between type I and other see-saws. We also consider a specific model where the exact Tri/Bi-maximal mixing is lifted by corrections that can be parametrised by a small number of degrees of freedom and analyse in detail the existing link between low and high-energy parameters – focusing on how the deviations from Tri/Bi-maximal are connected to the parameters governing leptogenesis.
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