Direct evidence for neutrino flavor transformation from neutral-current interactions in SNO
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a 1,000 tonne heavy water Cerenkov‐based neutrino detector situated 2,000 meters underground in INCO’s Creighton Mine near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. For the neutrinos from 8B decay in the Sun SNO observes the Charged Current neutrino reaction sensitive only to electron neutrinos and others (Neutral Current and Elastic Scattering) sensitive to all active neutrino types and thereby can search for direct evidence of neutrino flavor change. Using these reactions and assuming the standard 8B shape, the ve component of the 8B solar flux is φe = 1.76−0.05+0.05(stat.)−0.09+0.09 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1 for a kinetic energy threshold of 5 MeV. The non‐ve component is φμτ = 3.41−0.45+0.45(stat.)−0.45+0.48 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1, 5.3σ greater than zero, providing strong evidence for solar ve flavor transformation. The total flux measured with the NC reaction is φNC = 5.09−0.43+0.44(stat.)−0.43+0.46 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1, consistent with solar models. For charged current events, ...

title: Two-Current-Sheet Reconnection Model of Interdependent Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection
abstract: Time-dependent resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations are carried out to study a flux rope eruption caused by magnetic reconnection with implication in coexistent flare-CME (coronal mass ejection) events. An early result obtained in a recent analysis of double catastrophe of a flux rope system is used as the initial condition, in which an isolated flux rope coexists with two current sheets: a vertical one below and a transverse one above the flux rope. The flux rope erupts when reconnection takes place in the current sheets, and the flux rope dynamics depends on the reconnection sequence in the two current sheets. Three cases are discussed: reconnection occurs (1) simultaneously in the two current sheets, (2) first in the transverse one and then in the vertical one, and (3) in an order opposite that of case 2. Such a two-current-sheet reconnection exhibits characteristics of both magnetic breakout for CME initiation and the standard flare model. We argue that both breakout-like and tether-cutting reconnections could be important for CME eruptions and associated surface activities.

title: Measurement of CC interactions produced by ${}^8$B solar neutrinos at SNO

title: The X-Ray Absorber in Broad Absorption Line Quasars
abstract: Recent observations of Broad Absorption Line (BAL) quasars demonstrated that the soft X-ray emission of these objects is extremely weak, and convincing evidence for very strong absorption by a high column density (~1023.5 cm-2) was obtained for PG 1411+442, even though it is one of the few BAL QSOs strongly detected in soft X-rays. This paper examines the ionization status and geometry of the X-ray absorber by combining the properties of the UV lines with the X-ray continuum absorption. We show that the gas has to have large column densities in ions of major UV absorption lines, such as C IV, N V, O VI, and Ne VIII, in order to have sufficient opacity around 0.2-0.35 keV. The UV absorption lines have to be saturated if the X-ray absorber intersects the line of sight to the UV continuum emission region. A uniformly covering UV and X-ray absorption model can be constructed for PG 1411+442, but in some other soft X-ray-detected BAL QSOs, such as PG 1001+054, the observed line optical depth is much lower than expected from the X-ray-absorbing material. We propose a scheme in which a substantial fraction of the line of sight to the continuum source may be covered by either an optically thick flow or clouds in a narrow velocity range, but in which the total covering factor of either the whole flow or all clouds is close to unity. The absorber can contribute significantly to the extremely highly ionized emission lines, such as O VI λλ1032/1037 and Ne VIII λλ770/780, if it covers a substantial fraction of solid angle and if the density is higher than 108 cm-3. However, it has very little impact on the medium- and low-ionization UV lines such as N V and C IV. The profiles of Ne VIII and O VI lines may be indicators for the kinematics of the X-ray absorber in QSOs. The observed Ne VIII line profiles in QSOs suggest that the velocity of the gas projected onto our line of sight is similar to that seen in the outflows of the UV BALs.

title: How Saturated Are Absorption Lines in the Broad Absorption Line Quasar PG 1411+442?
abstract: Recently, convincing evidence was found for extremely large X-ray absorption by column densities greater than 1023 cm-2 in broad absorption line quasars. One consequence of this is that any soft X-ray emission from these QSOs would be the scattered light or leaked light from partially covering absorbing material. A detection of the unabsorbed soft X-ray and absorbed hard X-ray component will allow us to determine the total column density as well as the effective covering factor of the absorbing material, which are difficult to obtain from the UV absorption lines. Brinkmann et al. recently showed that both the unabsorbed and absorbed components are detected in the nearby very bright broad absorption line quasar PG 1411+442. In this Letter, we make a further analysis of the broadband X-ray spectrum and the UV spectrum from the Hubble Space Telescope and demonstrate that broad absorption lines are completely saturated at the bottom of absorption troughs.

title: Ionized ultraviolet and soft X-ray absorption in the low-redshift active galactic nucleus PG 1126−041
abstract: We present here the analysis of ultraviolet spectra from IUE and an X-ray spectrum from ROSAT PSPC observations of the X-ray-weak, far-infrared-loud AGN, PG 1126−041 (Mrk 1298). The first UV spectra taken in 1992 June, simultaneously with ROSAT, show strong absorption lines of N v, C iv and Si iv, extending over a velocity range from −1000 to −5000 km s−1 with respect to the corresponding line centre. Our analysis shows that the broad emission-line region (BELR) is, at least partially, covered by the material causing these absorption lines. In the IUE spectrum taken in 1995 January, the continuum was a factor of 2 brighter and the UV absorption lines are found to be considerably weaker than in 1992, but little variation in the emission-line fluxes is found. With UV spectral indices of αUV≃1.82 and 1.46 for the 1992 and 1995 data, the far-UV spectrum is steep. Based on the emission-line ratios and the broad-band spectral energy distribution, we argue that the steepness of the UV spectrum is unlikely to be caused by reddening. 
 
 
 
The soft X-ray emission in the ROSAT band is weak. A simple power-law model yields a very poor fit with a UV-to-X-ray spectral index αUVX=2.3. Highly ionized (warm) absorption is suggested by the ROSAT data. After correcting for a warm absorber, the optical to X-ray spectral slope is close to the average of αUVX≃1.67 for radio-quiet quasars. 
 
 
 
From photoionization calculations we find the following results. (1) A single-zone absorption model cannot explain simultaneously the UV absorption lines and the ionized X-ray absorption if metal abundances are solar. Furthermore, in order to be consistent with the equivalent width of the observed Lyα absorption line, the turbulent velocity of the warm absorber must be less than 190 km s−1, which imposes serious constraints on a disc wind model. (2) The UV absorption lines and their variability cannot be explained by a single-zone model with solar abundances and the large variability in the absorption lines suggests that C iv and N v absorption lines are not severely saturated. (3) The absorption of the ionizing continuum by warm material strongly affects the emission-line spectrum.

title: Evidence for direct CP violation in B0-->K+pi- decays.
abstract: We report evidence for direct CP violation in the decay B0-->K+pi(-) with 253 fb(-1) of data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e(+)e(-) collider. Using 275x10(6) BB pairs we observe a B-->K+/-pi(-/+) signal with 2140+/-53 events. The measured CP violating asymmetry is A(CP)(K+pi(-))=-0.101+/-0.025(stat)+/-0.005(syst), corresponding to a significance of 3.9sigma including systematics. We also search for CP violation in the decays B+-->K+pi(0) and B+-->pi(+)pi(0). The measured CP violating asymmetries are A(CP)(K+pi(0))=0.04+/-0.05(stat)+/-0.02(syst) and A(CP)(pi(+)pi(0))=-0.02+/-0.10(stat)+/-0.01(syst), corresponding to the intervals -0.05

title: A Close Binary Star Resolved from Occultation by 87 Sylvia
abstract: The star BD +29 1748 was resolved to be a close binary from its occultation by the asteroid 87 Sylvia on 2006 December 18 UT. Four telescopes were used to observe this event at two sites separated by some 80 km. Two flux drops were observed at one site, whereas only one flux drop was detected at the other. From the long-term variation of Sylvia, we inferred the probable shape of the shadow during the occultation, and this in turn constrains the binary parameters: the two components of BD +29 1748 have a projected separation of 0:097-0:140 on the sky with a position angle 104°-110°. The asteroid was clearly resolved, with a size scale ranging from 130 to 290 km as projected onto the occultation direction, consistent with the size dimensions 385 × 265 × 230 km, mea- sured by direct adaptive optics imaging. No occultation was detected for either of the two known moonlets of 87 Sylvia.

title: Determination of the number of light neutrino species from single photon production at LEP
abstract: A determination of the number of light neutrino families performed by measuring the cross section of single photon production in \ee\ collision near the \Zo\ resonance is reported. From an integrated luminosity of $100~\mathrm{pb^{-1}}$, collected during the years 1991--94, we have observed 2091 single photon candidates with an energy above 1~\GeV\ in the polar angular region $45^\circ \theta_\gamma 135^\circ$. From a maximum likelihood fit to the single photon cross section, the \Zo\ decay width into invisible particles is measured to be $\Ginv = 498 \pm 12 \mathrm{(stat)} \pm 12 \mathrm{(sys)~MeV}$. Using the Standard Model couplings of neutrinos to the \Zo, the number of light neutrino species is determined to be $N_\nu = 2.98 \pm 0.07 (\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.07 (\mathrm{sys}).$

title: Accurate Group Delay Measurement for Radial Velocity Instruments Using the Dispersed Fixed Delay Interferometer Method. II. Application of Heterodyne Combs Using an External Interferometer Filter
abstract: A fixed delay interferometer is the key component in a DFDI (dispersed fixed delay interferometer) instrument for an exoplanet search using the radial velocity (RV) technique. Although the group delay (GD) of the interferometer can be measured with white light combs (WLCs), the measurement precision is limited by the comb visibility, and the wavelength coverage is constrained by the comb sampling. For instance, this method can calibrate only half of the SDSS-III MARVELS spectra and reach a precision of 2.2 m s-1. This article introduces an innovative method using a sine source for precision delay calibration over very broad wavelengths. The sine source is made of a monolithic Michelson interferometer fed with white light. The interferometer modulated white light (in a sinusoidal form) is fed into a DFDI instrument for calibration. Due to an optimal GD of the sine source, Fourier components from the DFDI interferometer, the sine source, and their frequency beating can be clearly separated and effectively extracted with a chirped Fourier transform to allow precision measurements of the interferometer GD over the entire range of operation wavelengths. The measurements of the MARVELS interferometer with a sine source show that this new calibration method has improved the wavelength coverage by a factor of 2 and the precision by a factor of 3. The RV measurement error induced by GD measurement uncertainties is controlled to be less than 1 m s-1, which has met the requirements for MARVELS moderate-to-high Doppler precision (~5-30 m s-1) for exoplanet search around V ~ 8-12 solar-type stars. Heterodyne combs using an external interferometer source can be applied in other areas of optics measurement and calibration.

title: Observation of large CP violation in the neutral B meson system.
abstract: We present a measurement of the standard model CP violation parameter sin2 phi(1) based on a 29.1 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. One neutral B meson is fully reconstructed as a J/psi K(S), psi(2S)K(S), chi(c1)K(S), eta(c)K(S), J/psi K(L), or J/psi K(*0) decay and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time intervals between the two B meson decay points, we determine sin2 phi(1) = 0.99+/-0.14(stat)+/-0.06(syst). We conclude that we have observed CP violation in the neutral B meson system.