Measurement of the probability for gluon splitting into b anti-b in Z0 decays
We present a preliminary measurement of the rate of gluon splitting into bottom quarks, g -> b bbar, in hadronic Z0 decays collected by SLD between 1996 and 1998. The analysis was performed by looking for secondary bottom production in 4-jet events of any primary flavour. 4-jet events were identified, and a topological vertex-mass technique was applied to each jet in order to identify b or bbar jets. The upgraded CCD based vertex detector gives very high B-tagging efficiency, especially for B hadrons of the low energies typical of this process. The two most nearly collinear b/bbar jets were tagged as originating from g -> b bbar. We measured the rate of secondary b/bbar production per hadronic event, g_bb, to be (3.07+-0.71(stat.)+-0.66(syst.)) * 10**-3.

title: Beam Position Monitoring Using the Hom-Signals from a Damped and Detuned Accelerating Structure
abstract: The Next and Global Linear Collider (NLC/GLC) designs require precision alignment of the beam in the accelerator structures to reduce short range wakefields. The moderately damped and detuned structures themselves provide suitable higher order mode (HOM) signals to measure this alignment. The modes in the lowest dipole band, whose frequencies range from 14-16 GHz, provide the strongest signals. To determine the position resolution they provide, an NLC/GLC prototype structure that was installed in the ASSET facility of the SLAC Linac was instrumented to downmix and digitize these signals. The beam position within the structure was determined by simultaneously measuring the signals at three frequencies (14.3, 15, 15.7 GHz) corresponding to modes localized at the beginning, the middle and the end of the 60 cm long structure. A resolution of 1 micron was achieved even with 28 dB signal attenuation, which is better than the 5 micron resolution required for the NLC/GLC.

title: Alignment of the CMS Silicon Tracker during Commissioning with Cosmic Rays
abstract: This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOP

title: CMS Data Processing Workflows during an Extended Cosmic Ray Run
abstract: The CMS Collaboration conducted a month-long data taking exercise, the Cosmic Run At Four Tesla, during October-November 2008, with the goal of commissioning the experiment for extended operation. With all installed detector systems participating, CMS recorded 270 million cosmic ray events with the solenoid at a magnetic field strength of 3.8 T. This paper describes the data flow from the detector through the various online and offline computing systems, as well as the workflows used for recording the data, for aligning and calibrating the detector, and for analysis of the data.

title: T2K neutrino flux prediction
abstract: The Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) experiment studies neutrino oscillations using an off-axis muon neutrino beam with a peak energy of about 0.6 GeV that originates at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex accelerator facility. Interactions of the neutrinos are observed at near detectors placed at 280 m from the production target and at the far detector—Super-Kamiokande—located 295 km away. The flux prediction is an essential part of the successful prediction of neutrino interaction rates at the T2K detectors and is an important input to T2K neutrino oscillation and cross section measurements. A FLUKA and GEANT3-based simulation models the physical processes involved in the neutrino production, from the interaction of primary beam protons in the T2K target, to the decay of hadrons and muons that produce neutrinos. The simulation uses proton beam monitor measurements as inputs. The modeling of hadronic interactions is reweighted using thin target hadron production data, including recent charged pion and kaon measurements from the NA61/SHINE experiment. For the first T2K analyses the uncertainties on the flux prediction are evaluated to be below 15% near the flux peak. The uncertainty on the ratio of the flux predictions at the far and near detectors is less than 2% near the flux peak.

title: A multi-moded rf delay line distribution system for the next linear collider
abstract: The Delay Line Distribution System (DLDS) is an alternative to conventional pulse compression, which enhances the peak power of rf sources while matching the long pulse of those sources to the shorter filling time of accelerator structures. We present an implementation of this scheme that combines pairs of parallel delay lines of the system into single lines. The power of several sources is combined into a single waveguide delay line using a multi-mode launcher. The output mode of the launcher is determined by the phase coding of the input signals. The combined power is extracted from the delay line using mode-selective extractors, each of which extracts a single mode. Hence, the phase coding of the sources controls the output port of the combined power. The power is then fed to the local accelerator structures. We present a detailed design of such a system, including several implementation methods for the launchers, extractors, and ancillary high power rf components. The system is designed so that it can handle the 600 MW peak power required by the NLC design while maintaining high efficiency.

title: Type-I bursts within outbursts of IGR J17473-2721
abstract: Two outbursts were observed by RXTE in the history of the atoll source IGR J17473-2721. During the most recent outburst in 2008, the source showed a complete series of spectral states/transitions. The neutron star system was prolific in type-I X-ray bursts, and we investigate them in the context of complete outbursts evolution.  A total exposure of similar to 309 ks was collected by RXTE during the two outbursts of IGR J17473-2721. We carried out a systematic search for type-I bursts in this data set. For each burst found, we investigated the burst profile, the peak flux, and their dependence on the accretion rate along the evolution of the outbursts.  Eighteen type-I X-ray bursts were found from IGR J17473-2721: two from the outburst in 2005 and the other 16 from the recent outburst in 2008. Among them, 3 bursts show photospheric radius expansion ( PRE). The distance to the source is estimated as 6.4 kpc with a 15% uncertainty based on the three bursts that show PRE. In the recent outburst, there are 6 bursts showing up in the low/hard state prior to the state transition to a high/soft state, 3 bursts at the end phase of the high/soft state, and 7 in the following low/hard state. The blackbody radius of these bursts presents a variety of interesting features. We find that, at the end of the recent outburst, the profile of the blackbody radius is anti-correlated with the blackbody temperature and the burst flux. The durations of the type-I burst are found to correlate with the Eddington ratio and to have two parallel evolution groups. Along the decreasing Eddington ratio, the burst duration decreases and ends in each group the PRE bursts occurred. This provides new clues to the type-I bursts in the context of outbursts for atoll XRBs.

title: Measurement of the Decay $K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^- \gamma$
abstract: We report on a new measurement of the branching ratio B(KL -> pi0 e+ e- gamma) using the KTeV detector. This analysis uses the full KTeV data set collected from 1997 to 2000. We reconstruct 139 events over a background of 14, which results in B(KL -> pi0 e+ e- gamma) = (1.62 +/- 0.14 (stat) +/- 0.09 (syst)) x 10^{-8}. This result supersedes the earlier KTeV measurement of this branching ratio.

title: ESTIMATING BLACK HOLE MASSES IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI USING THE Mg II λ2800 EMISSION LINE
abstract: We investigate the relationship between the linewidths of broad Mg II lambda 2800 and H beta in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to refine them as tools to estimate black hole (BH) masses. We perform a detailed spectral analysis of a large sample of AGNs at intermediate redshifts selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, along with a smaller sample of archival ultraviolet spectra for nearby sources monitored with reverberation mapping (RM). Careful attention is devoted to accurate spectral decomposition, especially in the treatment of narrow-line blending and Fe II contamination. We show that, contrary to popular belief, the velocity width of Mg II tends to be smaller than that of H beta, suggesting that the two species are not cospatial in the broad-line region. Using these findings and recently updated BH mass measurements from RM, we present a new calibration of the empirical prescriptions for estimating virial BH masses for AGNs using the broad Mg II and H beta lines. We show that the BH masses derived from our new formalisms show subtle but important differences compared to some of the mass estimators currently used in the literature.

title: The $J/\psi$ production associated with a hard photon and the color octet signature in $e^{+} e^{-}$ annihilation
abstract: $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production associated with a hard photon in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation, being of a QED nature, is investigated thoroughly in this paper. To show its influence on the observation of the color-octet signature in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation via $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ inclusive production, the cross sections of $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ production through different mechanisms at various energies are compared quantitatively by presenting them in figures together. The contribution from the production associated with a hard photon to the inclusive production of $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ is pointed out to be significant at the concerned energies; thus, the influence of it on the observation of the color-octet signature should be dealt with carefully.

title: Measurement of charge asymmetries in charmless hadronic B meson decays.
abstract: We search for CP-violating charge asymmetries (alpha(CP)) in the B meson decays to K(+/-)pi(-/+), K(+/-)pi(0), K(0)(S)pi(+/-), K(+/-)eta('), and omega pi(+/-). Using 9.66 million upsilon(4S) decays collected with the CLEO detector, the statistical precision on alpha(CP) is in the range of +/-0.12 to +/-0.25 depending on decay mode. While CP-violating asymmetries of up to +/-0.5 are possible within the standard model, the measured asymmetries are consistent with zero in all five decay modes studied.