Performance of a low noise front-end ASIC for Si/CdTe detectors in Compton gamma-ray telescope
Compton telescopes based on semiconductor technologies are being developed to explore the gamma-ray universe in an energy band 0.1-20 MeV, which is not well covered by the present or near-future gamma-ray telescopes. The key feature of such Compton telescopes is the high energy resolution that is crucial for high angular resolution and high background rejection capability. The energy resolution around 1 keV is required to approach physical limit of the angular resolution due to Doppler broadening. We have developed a low noise front-end ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), VA32TA, to realize this goal for the readout of double-sided silicon strip detector (DSSD) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixel detector which are essential elements of the semiconductor Compton telescope. We report on the design and test results of the VA32TA. We have reached an energy resolution of 1.3 keV [full-width at half-maximum (FWHM)] for 60 and 122 keV at 0/spl deg/ C with a DSSD and 1.7 keV (FWHM) with a CdTe detector.

title: A SILICON TRACKER FOR TRACK EXTRAPOLATION INTO NUCLEAR EMULSIONS
abstract: This paper describes the construction of a silicon tracker built to investigate how well silicon detectors can predict the position of particles in nuclear emulsions over a large area. The tracker consists of 72 single-sided silicon microstrip detectors with a total surface of 0.13 m2 distributed over four layers, providing two x and two y coordinate measurements. The set-up was installed in a CERN PS pion beam in September 1997. ( 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

title: Search for massive, unstable photinos that violate R parity
abstract: A search for unstable, massive photinos pair produced in e + e − collisions has been performed using the OPAL detector at LEP. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 21 pb −1 collected at center-of-mass energies near the Z 0 resonance. The unstable photino is assumed to decay into τ ± / gn l ( l = e or μ ) final states, thereby violating individual lepton numbers and R parity. This search is inspired by a particular model of supersymmetry which is of interest within the context of solar neutrino experiments because it allows for a large neutrino magnetic moment. The present search excludes a large portion of the parameter space allowed by the model.

title: The OPAL silicon strip microvertex detector with two coordinate readout
abstract: The OPAL experiment at the CERN LEP collider recently upgraded its silicon strip microvertex detector from one coordinate readout (φ only) to two coordinate readout (φ and z). This allows three dimensional vertex reconstruction and should improve lifetime measurements as well as b quark jet identification. This paper describes the new microvertex detector system with emphasis on the novel techniques and new components used to obtain the second coordinate information. These include the use of back-to-back single-sided detectors with orthogonally oriented readout strips, a gold printed circuit on a thin glass substrate to route the z strip signals to the electronics at the end of the detector, and the use of MX7 readout chips. Results on the performance of the new detector are presented.

title: A measurement of strange baryon production in hadronic Z0 decays
abstract: The production of the octet and decuplet baryons Λ, Ξ − , Σ (1385) ± , Ξ(1530) 0 and Ω − and the corresponding antibaryons has been measured in a sample of 485 000 hadronic Z 0 decays. Results on differential and integrated cross sections are presented. The differential cross section of Λ baryons is found to be softer than the one predicted by the Jetset and Herwig Monte Carlo generators. The measured decuplet yields are found to disagree with the simple diquark picture where only one tuning parameter for spin 1 diquarks is used. Comparisons of the momentum spectra for Λ and Ξ − with the predictions of an analytical QCD formula are also presented.

title: Measurement of the $B^0$ - $\bar{B}^0$ mixing, Gamma (Z0 $\to b \bar{b}$) / Gamma (Z0 $\to$ hadrons) and semileptonic branching ratios for $b$ flavored hadrons in hadronic z0 decays
abstract: From a sample of about 450 000 hadronicZ 0 decays, measurements of the average\(B^0 - \bar B^0 \) mixing parameter, χ, the branching fraction ofZ 0 bosons into hadrons containing bottom quarks,\({{\Gamma (Z^0 \to b\bar b)} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\Gamma (Z^0 \to b\bar b)} {\Gamma (Z^0 \to hadrons)}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\Gamma (Z^0 \to hadrons)}}\), the average semileptonic branching ratios for such hadrons,B(b→l) andB(b→c→l), and the mean scaled energy of these hadrons, 〈xE〉, are presented. The measurements were obtained using a simultaneous fit to single-lepton and dilepton events collected with the OPAL detector at LEP, including both electrons and muons. The results are 
 
where the errors are statistical and systematic, respectively, in each case. The result forB)b→c→l) excludes decays of the typeb→→l.

title: On the spin- 1/2 Aharonov-Bohm problem in conical space: Bound states, scattering and helicity nonconservation
abstract: In this work the bound state and scattering problems for a spin-1/2 particle undergone to an Aharonov-Bohm potential in a conical space in the nonrelativistic limit are consider ed. The presence of a �-function singularity, which comes from the Zeeman spin interaction with the magnetic flux tube, is addressed by the self-adjoint extension method. One of the advantages of the present approach is the determination of the self-adjoint extension parameter in terms of physics of the problem. Expressions for the energy bound states, phase-shift and S matrix are determined in terms of the self-adjoint extension parameter, which is explicitly determined in terms of the parameters of the problem. The relation between the bound state and zero modes and the failure of helicity conservation in the scattering problem and its relation with the gyromagnetic ratio g are discussed. Also, as an application, we consider the spin-1/2 AharonovBohm problem in conical space plus a two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator.

title: New $CPT$-even and Lorentz-violating nonminimal coupling in the Dirac equation
abstract: In this work, we propose a CPT-even and Lorentz-violating dimension-five nonminimal coupling between fermionic and gauge fields, involving the CTP-even and Lorentz-violating gauge tensor of the SME. This nonminimal coupling modifies the Dirac equation, whose nonrelativistic regime is governed by a Hamiltonian which induces new effects, such as an electric-Zeeman-like spectrum splitting and an anomalous-like contribution to the electron magnetic moment, between others. Some of these new effects allows to constrain the magnitude of this nonminimal coupling in 1 part in 10^16.

title: Relativistic Landau-Aharonov-Casher quantization based on the Lorentz symmetry violation background
abstract: Based on the discussions about the Aharonov-Casher effect in the Lorentz symmetry violation background, we show that the analogue of the relativistic Landau quantization in the Aharonov-Casher setup can be achieved in the Lorentz-symmetry violation background.

title: Remarks on the Aharonov-Casher dynamics in a CPT-odd Lorentz-violating background
abstract: The Aharonov-Casher problem in the presence of a Lorentz-violating background nonminimally coupled to a spinor and a gauge field is examined. Using an approach based on the self-adjoint extension method, an expression for the bound-state energies is obtained in terms of the physics of the problem by determining the self-adjoint extension parameter.

title: On Aharonov–Casher scattering in a CPT-odd Lorentz-violating background
abstract: The effects of a Lorentz symmetry-violating background vector on Aharonov?Casher scattering in the nonrelativistic limit are considered. Using the self-adjoint extension method, we find that there is additional scattering for any value of the self-adjoint extension parameter and non-zero energy bound states for negative values of this parameter. Expressions for the energy bound states, phase-shift and scattering matrix are explicitly determined in terms of the self-adjoint extension parameter. The expression obtained for the scattering amplitude reveals that the helicity is not conserved in this scenario.