Abstract: Semiclassical gravity is investigated in a large class of asymptotically flat, static, spherically symmetric spacetimes including those containing static stars, black holes, and wormholes. Specifically the stress-energy tensors of massless free spin 0 and spin 1/2 fields are computed to leading order in the asymptotic regions of these spacetimes. This is done for spin 0 fields in Schwarzschild spacetime using a WKB approximation. It is done numerically for the spin 1/2 field in Schwarzschild, extreme Reissner-Nordstrom, and various wormhole spacetimes. And it is done by finding analytic solutions to the leading order mode equations in a large class of asymptotically flat static spherically symmetric spacetimes. Agreement is shown between these various computational methods. It is found that, for all of the spacetimes considered, the energy density and pressure in the asymptotic region are proportional to r(-5) to leading order. Furthermore, for the spin 1/2 field and the conformally coupled scalar field, the stress-energy tensor depends only on the leading order geometry in the far field limit. This is also true for the minimally coupled scalar field for spacetimes containing either a static star or a black hole, but not for spacetimes containing a wormhole.

Abstract: The absolute branching fractions for the decays D-s(-) -> l(-) (nu) over bar (l) (l = e, mu, or tau) are measured using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 521 fb(-1) collected at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC. The number of D-s(-) mesons is determined by reconstructing the recoiling system DKX gamma in events of the type e(+)e(-) -> DKXDs*(-), where D-s*(-) -> D-s(-) gamma and X represents additional pions from fragmentation. The D-s(-) -> l(-) nu(l) events are detected by full or partial reconstruction of the recoiling system DKX gamma l. The branching fraction measurements are combined to determine the D-s(-) decay constant f(Ds) (258.6 +/- 6.4 +/- 7:5) MeV, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.

Abstract: We report on a search for the flavor-changing neutral-current decay D-0 -> mu(+)mu(-) in p (p) over bar collisions at root s = 1.96 TeV using 360 pb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. A displaced vertex trigger selects long-lived D-0 candidates in the mu(+)mu(-), pi(+)pi(-), and K-pi(+) decay modes. We use the Cabibbo-favored D-0 -> K-pi(+) channel to optimize the selection criteria in an unbiased manner, and the kinematically similar D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-) channel for normalization. We set an upper limit on the branching fraction B(D-0 -> mu(+)mu(-)) < 2.1 X 10(-7) (3.0 X 10(-7)) at the 90% (95%) confidence level.

Abstract: We present a search for the lightest supersymmetric partner of the top quark in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy root s = 1: 96 TeV. This search was conducted within the framework of the R parity conserving minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model, assuming the stop decays dominantly to a lepton, a sneutrino, and a bottom quark. We searched for events with two oppositely-charged leptons, at least one jet, and missing transverse energy in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 fb(-1) collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab experiment. No significant evidence of a stop quark signal was found. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level in the stop quark versus sneutrino mass plane are set. Stop quark masses up to 180 GeV/c(2) are excluded for sneutrino masses around 45 GeV/c(2), and sneutrino masses up to 116 GeV/c(2) are excluded for stop quark masses around 150 GeV/c(2).

Abstract: We present a study of the D+pi(-), D-0 pi(+), and D*(+)pi(-) systems in inclusive e(+)e(-)-> c (c) over bar interactions in a search for new excited D meson states. We use a data set, consisting of similar to 454 fb(-1), collected at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy collider. We observe, for the first time, candidates for the radial excitations of the D-0, D*(0), and D*(+), as well as the L = 2 excited states of the D-0 and D+, where L is the orbital angular momentum of the quarks.