Studen, A., Burdette, D., Chesi, E., Cindro, V., Clinthorne, N. H., Cochran, E., et al. (2010). Timing performance of the silicon PET insert probe. Radiat. Prot. Dosim., 139(1-3), 199–203.
Abstract: Simulation indicates that PET image could be improved by upgrading a conventional ring with a probe placed close to the imaged object. In this paper, timing issues related to a PET probe using high-resistivity silicon as a detector material are addressed. The final probe will consist of several (four to eight) 1-mm thick layers of silicon detectors, segmented into 1 x 1 mm(2) pads, each pad equivalent to an independent p + nn+ diode. A proper matching of events in silicon with events of the external ring can be achieved with a good timing resolution. To estimate the timing performance, measurements were performed on a simplified model probe, consisting of a single 1-mm thick detector with 256 square pads (1.4 mm side), coupled with two VATAGP7s, application-specific integrated circuits. The detector material and electronics are the same that will be used for the final probe. The model was exposed to 511 keV annihilation photons from an Na-22 source, and a scintillator (LYSO)-PMT assembly was used as a timing reference. Results were compared with the simulation, consisting of four parts: (i) GEANT4 implemented realistic tracking of electrons excited by annihilation photon interactions in silicon, (ii) calculation of propagation of secondary ionisation (electron-hole pairs) in the sensor, (iii) estimation of the shape of the current pulse induced on surface electrodes and (iv) simulation of the first electronics stage. A very good agreement between the simulation and the measurements were found. Both indicate reliable performance of the final probe at timing windows down to 20 ns.
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Hoeschen, C., Mattsson, S., Cantone, M. C., Mikuz, M., Lacasta, C., Ebel, G., et al. (2010). Minimising activity and dose with enhanced image quality by radiopharmaceutical administrations. Radiat. Prot. Dosim., 139(1-3), 250–253.
Abstract: Owing to the introduction of new diagnostic procedures, such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the individual dose caused by medical exposures has grown rapidly in the last years. This is especially a subject to radiation protection for nuclear medical diagnosis, since in this case radiopharmaceuticals are administered to the patient, meaning not only a radiation exposure to the diseased tissue but also to the healthy tissues of large parts of the body. 'Minimizing Activity and Dose with Enhanced Image quality by Radiopharmaceutical Administrations' (MADEIRA) is a project cofunded by the European Commission within the Seventh Euratom Framework Programme that aims to improve three-dimensional (3D) nuclear medical imaging technologies significantly. MADEIRA is aiming to improve the efficacy and safety of 3D PET and SPECT functional imaging by optimising the spatial resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio, improving the knowledge of the temporal variation of the radiopharmaceuticals' uptake in and clearance from tumourous and healthy tissues, and evaluation of the corresponding patient dose. Using an optimised imaging procedure that improves the information gained per unit administered dose, MADEIRA aims especially to reduce the dose to healthy tissues of the patient. In this paper, an overall summary of the current achievements will be presented.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Azzolini, V., Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Test of Lepton Universality in Y(1S) Decays at BABAR. Phys. Rev. Lett., 104(19), 191801–7pp.
Abstract: The ratio R-tau mu(Y(1S)) = Gamma Y(1S)->tau(+)tau(-)/Gamma(+)(-)(Y(1S)->mu)(mu) is measured using a sample of (121.8 +/- 1.2) x 10(6)Y(3S) events recorded by the BABAR detector. This measurement is intended as a test of lepton universality and as a search for a possible light pseudoscalar Higgs boson. In the standard model (SM) this ratio is expected to be close to 1. Any significant deviations would violate lepton universality and could be introduced by the coupling to a light pseudoscalar Higgs boson. The analysis studies the decays Y(3S) -> Y(1S)pi(+)pi(-), Y(1S) -> l(+)l(-), where l = mu, tau. The result, R-tau μ(Y(1S)) = 1.005 +/- 0.013(stat) +/- 0.022(syst), shows no deviation from the expected SM value, while improving the precision with respect to previous measurements.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Dalitz plot analysis of D-s(+) -> K+ K- pi(+). Phys. Rev. D, 83(5), 052001–20pp.
Abstract: We perform a Dalitz plot analysis of about 100 000 D-s(+) decays to K+ K- pi(+) and measure the complex amplitudes of the intermediate resonances which contribute to this decay mode. We also measure the relative branching fractions of D-s(+) -> K+ K+ pi(-) and D-s(+) -> K+ K+ K-. For this analysis we use a 384 fb(-1) data sample, recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider running at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV.
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Catford, W. N. et al, Caballero, L., & Rubio, B. (2010). Migration of Nuclear Shell Gaps Studied in the d(Ne-24, p gamma)Ne-25 Reaction. Phys. Rev. Lett., 104(19), 192501–4pp.
Abstract: The transfer of neutrons onto Ne-24 has been measured using a reaccelerated radioactive beam of Ne-24 to study the (d, p) reaction in inverse kinematics. The unusual raising of the first 3/2(+) level in Ne-25 and its significance in terms of the migration of the neutron magic number from N = 20 to N = 16 is put on a firm footing by confirmation of this state's identity. The raised 3/2(+) level is observed simultaneously with the intruder negative parity 7/2(-) and 3/2(-) levels, providing evidence for the reduction in the N = 20 gap. The coincident gamma-ray decays allowed the assignment of spins as well as the transferred orbital angular momentum. The excitation energy of the 3/2(+) state shows that the established USD shell model breaks down well within the sd model space and requires a revised treatment of the proton-neutron monopole interaction.
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Fernandez-Martinez, E., Li, T., Pascoli, S., & Mena, O. (2010). Improvement of the low energy neutrino factory. Phys. Rev. D, 81(7), 073010–13pp.
Abstract: The low energy neutrino factory has been proposed as a very sensitive setup for future searches for CP violation and matter effects. Here we study how its performance is affected when the experimental specifications of the setup are varied. Most notably, we have considered the addition of the “platinum'' nu(mu) -> nu(e) channel. We find that, while theoretically the extra channel provides very useful complementary information and helps to lift degeneracies, its practical usefulness is lost when considering realistic background levels. Conversely, an increase in statistics in the ”golden'' nu(mu) -> nu(e) channel and, to some extent, an improvement in the energy resolution, lead to an important increase in the performance of the facility, given the rich energy dependence of the "golden'' channel at these energies. We show that a low energy neutrino factory with a baseline of 1300 km, muon energy of 4.5 GeV, and either a 20 kton totally active scintillating detector or 100 kton liquid argon detector, can have outstanding sensitivity to the neutrino oscillation parameters theta(13), delta, and the mass hierarchy. For our estimated exposure of 2: 8 x 10(23) kton x decays per muon polarity, the low energy neutrino factory has sensitivity to theta(13) and delta for sin(2)(2 theta(13)) > 10(-4) and to the mass hierarchy for sin(2)(2 theta(13)) > 10(-3)
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Gonzalez-Alonso, M., Pich, A., & Prades, J. (2010). Violation of quark-hadron duality and spectral chiral moments in QCD. Phys. Rev. D, 81(7), 074007–10pp.
Abstract: We analyze the spectral moments of the V – A two-point correlation function. Using all known short-distance constraints and the most recent experimental data from tau decays, we determine the lowest spectral moments, trying to assess the uncertainties associated with the so-called violations of quark-hadron duality. We have generated a large number of acceptable spectral functions, satisfying all conditions, and have used them to extract the wanted hadronic parameters through a careful statistical analysis. We obtain accurate values for the chi PT couplings L-10 and C-87, and a realistic determination of the dimension six and eight contributions in the operator product expansion, O-6 = (-5.4(-1.6)(+3.6)) . 10(-3) GeV6 and O-8 = d(-8.9-(12.6)(7.4+)) 10(-3) GeV8, showing that the duality-violation effects have been underestimated in previous literature.
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Bernabeu, J., Espinoza, C., & Mavromatos, N. E. (2010). Cosmological constant and local gravity. Phys. Rev. D, 81(8), 084002–7pp.
Abstract: We discuss the linearization of Einstein equations in the presence of a cosmological constant, by expanding the solution for the metric around a flat Minkowski space-time. We demonstrate that one can find consistent solutions to the linearized set of equations for the metric perturbations, in the Lorentz gauge, which are not spherically symmetric, but they rather exhibit a cylindrical symmetry. We find that the components of the gravitational field satisfying the appropriate Poisson equations have the property of ensuring that a scalar potential can be constructed, in which both contributions, from ordinary matter and Lambda > 0, are attractive. In addition, there is a novel tensor potential, induced by the pressure density, in which the effect of the cosmological constant is repulsive. We also linearize the Schwarzschild-de Sitter exact solution of Einstein's equations ( due to a generalization of Birkhoff's theorem) in the domain between the two horizons. We manage to transform it first to a gauge in which the 3-space metric is conformally flat and, then, make an additional coordinate transformation leading to the Lorentz gauge conditions. We compare our non-spherically symmetric solution with the linearized Schwarzschild-de Sitter metric, when the latter is transformed to the Lorentz gauge, and we find agreement. The resulting metric, however, does not acquire a proper Newtonian form in terms of the unique scalar potential that solves the corresponding Poisson equation. Nevertheless, our solution is stable, in the sense that the physical energy density is positive.
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Morisi, S., & Peinado, E. (2010). S-4 model for quarks and leptons with maximal atmospheric angle. Phys. Rev. D, 81(8), 085015–8pp.
Abstract: We consider a model for quark and lepton masses and mixings based on S-4 flavor symmetry. The model contains six Higgs doublets where three of them give mass to the leptons, and the other three gives mass to the quarks. Charged fermion and quark masses arise from renormalizable interactions while neutrino Majorana masses are generated through effective dimension five Weinberg operator. From the study of the minimization of the scalar potential we found a residual μ<-> tau symmetry in the neutrino sector predicting zero reactor angle and maximal atmospheric angle and for the quark sector we found a four-zero texture. We give a fit of the mass hierarchies and mixing angles in the quark sector.
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Hernandez, E., Nieves, J., Valverde, M., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2010). N-Delta(1232) axial form factors from weak pion production. Phys. Rev. D, 81(8), 085046–5pp.
Abstract: The N Delta axial form factors are determined from neutrino induced pion production ANL and BNL data by using a theoretical model that accounts both for background mechanisms and deuteron effects. We find violations of the off-diagonal Goldberger-Treiman relation at the level of 2 sigma which might have an impact in background calculations for T2K and MiniBooNE low energy neutrino oscillation precision experiments.
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