Lifetimes of odd-spin yrast states in Hg-182
Lifetimes of excited states in $^{182}\mathrm{Hg}$ were extracted from recoil-gated $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectra and recoil-gated $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$-coincidence matrices using the recoil distance Doppler-shift method. States were populated using the $^{96}\mathrm{Mo}$($^{88}\mathrm{Sr}$,$2n$)$^{182}\mathrm{Hg}$ fusion-evaporation reaction. Measured lifetimes allowed transition probabilities, transition quadrupole moments, quadrupole deformation parameters, and transition dipole moments to be deduced for the band formed by the odd-spin yrast states. The experimental results confirm the low degree of octupole collectivity in this mass region.

title: Spectroscopy of Ho-144 using recoil-isomer tagging
abstract: Excited states in the proton-unbound odd-odd nucleus {sup 144}Ho have been populated using the {sup 92}Mo({sup 54}Fe,pn){sup 144}Ho reaction and studied using the recoil-isomer-tagging technique. The alignment properties and signature splitting of the rotational band above the I{sup p}i=(8{sup +}){sup 144m}Ho isomer have been analyzed and the isomer confirmed to have a pih{sub 11/2} x nuh{sub 11/2} two-quasiparticle configuration. The configuration-constrained blocking method has been used to calculate the shapes of the ground and isomeric states, which are both predicted to have triaxial nuclear shapes with |gamma|approx =24 deg.

title: Gamma-ray spectroscopy at the limits: first observation of rotational bands in 255Lr.
abstract: The rotational band structure of 255Lr has been investigated using advanced in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopic techniques. To date, 255Lr is the heaviest nucleus to be studied in this manner. One rotational band has been unambiguously observed and strong evidence for a second rotational structure was found. The structures are tentatively assigned to be based on the 1/2-[521] and 7/2-[514] Nilsson states, consistent with assignments from recently obtained alpha decay data. The experimental rotational band dynamic moment of inertia is used to test self-consistent mean-field calculations using the Skyrme SLy4 interaction and a density-dependent pairing force.

title: High-K four-quasiparticle states in Gd-138
abstract: States above the known K(pi) = 8(-) 6 mu s isomer in (138)Gd have been populated with the (106)Cd((36)Ar,2p2n) reaction at a beam energy of 180 MeV at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. The recoil-isomer tagging technique was utilized to correlate delayed gamma-ray decays, detected in the GREAT focal plane spectrometer, with prompt decays measured in the JUROGAM II spectrometer at the target position. The lifetime of the K(pi) = 8(-) isomeric state has been remeasured as 6.2(2) mu s. Two high-lying strongly coupled bands have been established with K(pi) >= 12(-). Potential-energy surface calculations, in conjunction with g factor measurements, reveal that they are built upon four-quasiparticle structures comprising two-quasineutron plus two-quasiproton configurations. The short half-life or lack of hindrance for the decays from these four-quasiparticle band-head states is reasoned to be a consequence of increased triaxial deformation and mixing due to the high density of states relative to the lower two-quasiparticle 6-mu s isomeric state.

title: Identification of the Kpi=8- rotational band in 138Gd

title: alpha decay of Re159 and proton emission from Ta155

title: Recent developments on the STARS detector system at RHIC
abstract: A progress report is given for the various components of the STAR detector system. We report on the recent developments in the detector proto-typing and construction, with an emphasis on the main TPC, recent TPC cosmic ray testing and shipping to Brookhaven National Laboratory

title: Star detector overview
abstract: An introduction to the STAR detector and a brief overview of the physics goals of the experiment are presented.

title: Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 900 GeV with ALICE at the LHC
abstract: The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 900$~GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region $(|\eta|_{\rm INEL}=0.483\pm0.001$~(stat.)~$\pm0.007$~(syst.)~GeV/$c$ and $\left_{\rm NSD}=0.489\pm0.001$~(stat.)~$\pm0.007$~(syst.)~GeV/$c$, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger $\left$ than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET

title: Measurement of the cross section for electromagnetic dissociation with neutron emission in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV.
abstract: The first measurement of neutron emission in electromagnetic dissociation of ^{208}Pb nuclei at the LHC is presented. The measurement is performed using the neutron zero degree calorimeters of the ALICE experiment, which detect neutral particles close to beam rapidity. The measured cross sections of single and mutual electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV with neutron emission are σ(singleEMD)=187.4 ± 0.2(stat)(-11.2)(+13.2) (syst) b and σ(mutualEMD) = 5.7 ± 0.1(stat) ± 0.4(syst) b, respectively. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from a relativistic electromagnetic dissociation model.

title: Higher moments of net proton multiplicity distributions at RHIC.
abstract: We report the first measurements of the kurtosis (κ), skewness (S), and variance (σ2) of net-proton multiplicity (Np-Np) distributions at midrapidity for Au+Au collisions at square root of s(NN)=19.6, 62.4, and 200 GeV corresponding to baryon chemical potentials (μB) between 200 and 20 MeV. Our measurements of the products κσ2 and Sσ, which can be related to theoretical calculations sensitive to baryon number susceptibilities and long-range correlations, are constant as functions of collision centrality. We compare these products with results from lattice QCD and various models without a critical point and study the square root of s(NN) dependence of κσ2. From the measurements at the three beam energies, we find no evidence for a critical point in the QCD phase diagram for μB below 200 MeV.