QUANTUM FLUCTUATIONS WITH STRONG CURVATURE COUPLING
We compute the quantum fluctuations of a non-minimally coupled self-interacting scalar field around a classical self-consistent inflationary solution; this system is free of the instability usually associated with negative curvature couplings. By conformally transforming the original system it is possible to eliminate the direct coupling of the field to the curvature. Investigating the quantum fluctuations in this "conformal frame," where it is possible to do a more complete calculation, and using the same criteria for selecting the quantum state in both frames, we find the results in the two frames to be incompatible with each other. This illustrates, in a specific example, the inherent ambiguity in relating the quantum behavior of two systems that are connected by a field-dependent conformal transformation at the classical level if one follows the usual naive approach. for estimating density perturbations in inflation. Possible ways to get around this problem are discussed.

title: COMPUTATIONAL CHALLENGES IN HIGH INTENSITY ION BEAM PHYSICS

title: CHAOS IN TIME-DEPENDENT VARIATIONAL APPROXIMATIONS TO QUANTUM DYNAMICS
abstract: Dynamical chaos has recently been shown to exist in the Gaussian approximation in quan-tum mechanics and in the self-consistent mean ﬁeld approach to studying the dynamics ofquantum ﬁelds. In this study, we ﬁrst show that any variationalapproximationto the dynam-ics of a quantum system based on the Dirac action principle leads to a classical Hamiltoniandynamics for the variational parameters. Since this Hamiltonian is generically nonlinearand nonintegrable, the dynamics thus generated can be chaotic, in distinction to the exactquantum evolution. We then restrict attention to a system of two biquadratically coupledquantum oscillators and study two variational schemes, the leading order large N (fourcanonical variables) and Hartree (six canonical variables) approximations. The chaos seenin the approximate dynamics is an artifact of the approximations: this is demonstrated bythe fact that its onset occurs on the same characteristic time scale as the breakdown of theapproximations when compared to numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schr¨odingerequation.PACS numbers: 05.45. +b, 03.65. Sq, 2.30 Wd,

title: DARK MATTER HALO PROFILES OF MASSIVE CLUSTERS: THEORY VERSUS OBSERVATIONS
abstract: Dark-matter-dominated cluster-scale halos act as an important cosmological probe and provide a key testing ground for structure formation theory. Focusing on their mass profiles, we have carried out (gravity-only) simulations of the concordance ΛCDM cosmology, covering a mass range of 2 × 1012 to 2 × 1015 h –1 M ☉ and a redshift range of z = 0-2, while satisfying the associated requirements of resolution and statistical control. When fitting to the Navarro-Frenk-White profile, our concentration-mass (c-M) relation differs in normalization and shape in comparison to previous studies that have limited statistics in the upper end of the mass range. We show that the flattening of the c-M relation with redshift is naturally expressed if c is viewed as a function of the peak height parameter, ν. Unlike the c-M relation, the slope of the c-ν relation is effectively constant over the redshift range z = 0-2, while the amplitude varies by ~30% for massive clusters. This relation is, however, not universal: using a simulation suite covering the allowed wCDM parameter space, we show that the c-ν relation varies by about ±20% as cosmological parameters are varied. At fixed mass, the c(M) distribution is well fit by a Gaussian with σ c /c 1/3, independent of the radius at which the concentration is defined, the halo dynamical state, and the underlying cosmology. We compare the ΛCDM predictions with observations of halo concentrations from strong lensing, weak lensing, galaxy kinematics, and X-ray data, finding good agreement for massive clusters (M vir > 4 × 1014 h –1 M ☉), but with some disagreements at lower masses. Because of uncertainty in observational systematics and modeling of baryonic physics, the significance of these discrepancies remains unclear.

title: COSMIC EMULATION: THE CONCENTRATION-MASS RELATION FOR wCDM UNIVERSES
abstract: The concentration-mass relation for dark matter-dominated halos is one of the essential results expected from a theory of structure formation. We present a simple prediction scheme, a cosmic emulator, for the concentration-mass (c-M) relation as a function of cosmological parameters for wCDM models. The emulator is constructed from 37 individual models, with three nested N-body gravity-only simulations carried out for each model. The mass range covered by the emulator is 2 × 1012 M ☉ < M < 1015 M ☉ with a corresponding redshift range of z = 0-1. Over this range of mass and redshift, as well as the variation of cosmological parameters studied, the mean halo concentration varies from c ~ 2 to c ~ 8. The distribution of the concentration at fixed mass is Gaussian with a standard deviation of one-third of the mean value, almost independent of cosmology, mass, and redshift over the ranges probed by the simulations. We compare results from the emulator with previously derived heuristic analytic fits for the c-M relation, finding that they underestimate the halo concentration at high masses. Using the emulator to investigate the cosmology dependence of the c-M relation over the currently allowable range of values, we find—not surprisingly—that σ8 and ω m influence it considerably, but also that the dark energy equation-of-state parameter w has a substantial effect. In general, the concentration of lower-mass halos is more sensitive to changes in cosmological parameters as compared to cluster mass halos. The c-M emulator is publicly available from http://www.hep.anl.gov/cosmology/CosmicEmu.

title: Joint Efficient Dark-energy Investigation (JEDI): a Candidate Implementation of the NASA-DOE Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM)
abstract: JEDI will probe dark energy in three independent ways by measuring the expansion history of the universe: (1) using type Ia supernovae as cosmological standard candles over a range of distances, (2) using baryon oscillations as a cosmological standard ruler over a range of cosmic epochs, (3) mapping the weak gravitational lensing distortion by foreground galaxies of the images of background galaxies at different distances. JEDI will unravel the nature of dark energy with accuracy and precision. 
JEDI is a 2m-class space telescope with the unique ability of simultaneous wide-field imaging (0.8-4.2 micron in five bands) and multi-slit spectroscopy (0.8-3.2 micron) with a field of view of 1 square degree. What makes JEDI efficient is its ability to simultaneously obtain high signal-to-noise ratio, moderate resolution slit spectra for all supernovae and ~ 5000 galaxies in its wide field of view, and to combine imaging and spectroscopy so that the appropriate balance of time is devoted to each. 
JEDI will measure the cosmic expansion history H(z) as a free function to 10^9 galaxies to H \~ 25.

title: Measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel cross section in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV
abstract: A bstractA measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel production cross section in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC is presented. Two different and complementary approaches have been followed. The first approach exploits the distributions of the pseudorapidity of the recoil jet and reconstructed top-quark mass using background estimates determined from control samples in data. The second approach is based on multivariate analysis techniques that probe the compatibility of the candidate events with the signal. Data have been collected for the muon and electron final states, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 and 1.56 fb−1, respectively. The single-top-quark production cross section in the t-channel is measured to be 67.2±6.1 pb, in agreement with the approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order standard model prediction. Using the standard model electroweak couplings, the CKM matrix element |Vtb| is measured to be 1.020 ± 0.046 (meas.) ± 0.017 (theor.).

title: Deeply virtual Compton scattering and its beam charge asymmetry in e±p collisions at HERA
abstract: A measurement of elastic deeply virtual Compton scattering gamma*p --> gamma p using e(+) p and e(-) p collision data recorded with the HI detector at HERA is presented. The analysed data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 306 pb(-1), almost equally shared between both beam charges. The cross section is measured as a function of the virtuality Q(2) of the exchanged photon and the centre-of-mass energy W of the gamma*p system in the kinematic domain 6.5 < Q(2) < 80 GeV2, 30 < W < 140 GeV and |t| < 1 GeV2, where t denotes the squared momentum transfer at the proton vertex. The cross section is determined differentially in t for different Q(2) and W values and exponential t-slope parameters are derived. Using e(+) p and e(-) p data samples, a beam charge asymmetry is extracted for the first time in the low Biorken x kinematic domain. The observed asymmetry is attributed to the interference between Bethe-Heitler and deeply virtual Compton scattering processes. Experimental results are discussed in the context of two different models, one based on generalised parton distributions and one based on the dipole approach.

title: Measurement of the charm and beauty structure functions using the H1 vertex detector at HERA
abstract: Inclusive charm and beauty cross sections are measured in  and e+p neutral current collisions at HERA in the kinematic region of photon virtuality 5≤Q2≤2000 GeV2 and Bjorken scaling variable 0.0002≤x≤0.05. The data were collected with the H1 detector in the years 2006 and 2007 corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 189 pb−1. The numbers of charm and beauty events are determined using variables reconstructed by the H1 vertex detector including the impact parameter of tracks to the primary vertex and the position of the secondary vertex. The measurements are combined with previous data and compared to QCD predictions.

title: Search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with W and Z bosons in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $TeV
abstract: A bstractA search for the Higgs boson produced in association with a W or Z boson in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is performed with the CMS detector at the LHC using the full 2011 data sample, from an integrated luminosity of 5 fb−1. Higgs boson decay modes to ττ and WW are explored by selecting events with three or four leptons in the final state. No excess above background expectations is observed, resulting in exclusion limits on the product of Higgs associated production cross section and decay branching fraction for Higgs boson masses between 110 and 200 GeV in these channels. Combining these results with other CMS associated production searches using the same dataset in the H→ γγ and H→ b$ \overline{\mathrm{b}} $ decay modes, the cross section for associated Higgs boson production 3.3 times the standard model expectation or larger is ruled out at the 95% confidence level for a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV.

title: Search for pair production of first- and second-generation scalar leptoquarks in pp collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV
abstract: Results are presented from a search for the pair production of first- and second-generation scalar leptoquarks in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns, collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. The search signatures involve either two charged leptons of the same-flavour (electrons or muons) and at least two jets, or a single charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse energy, and at least two jets. If the branching fraction of the leptoquark decay into a charged lepton and a quark is assumed to be beta=1, leptoquark pair production is excluded at the 95% confidence level for masses below 830 GeV and 840 GeV for the first and second generations, respectively. For beta = 0.5, masses below 640 GeV and 650 GeV are excluded. These limits are the most stringent to date.