The RAP experiment: Acoustic Detection of Particles
The RAP experiment is based on the acoustic detection of high energy particles by cylindrical bars. In fact, the interacting particles warm up the material around their track causing a local thermal expansion that, being prevented by the rest of the material, causes a local impulse of pressure. Consequently the bar starts to vibrate and the amplitude of the oscillation is proportional to the energy released. The RAP experiment has the aim to investigate the mechanical excitation of cylindrical bars caused by impinging particles depending on the conducting status of the material of which the detector is made. In particular physical phenomena related to the superconductivity state could be involved in such a way to enhance the conversion efficiency of the particle energy into mechanical vibrations. Essentially, two materials have been tested: aluminum alloy (Al5056) and niobium. In this report we report the measurements obtained for a niobium bar from room temperature down to 4K, below the transition temperature, and those obtained for an Al5056 bar above the transition (from 4 to 293 K).

title: Muon tracking underground
abstract: SummaryWe present a new design of plastic streamer tubes, optimized to match the experimental requirements of large-area under-ground detectors, where muon identification is needed with good angular resolution.RiassuntoSi descrive un nuovo disegno di tubi a streamer in plastica, ottimizzati per le esigenze sperimentali di apparati sotterranei di grande area, dove si richiede l'identificazione di muoni con buona risoluzione angolare.РзюмеПредлагается новый проект пластических стримерных трубок, оптимально согласованный с эксперименталыми требованиями подэемных детекторов на большой площади, когда небходима идентификция мюоноб с высокими угловым разрешением.

title: Comparison of muon and neutrino times from decays of mesons in the atmosphere
abstract: We propose a test to compare the speed of muons and muon neutrinos produced in the same bundles in the atmosphere. By comparing the arrival times of primary muons and muons induced by neutrinos, experiments such as Super-Kamiokande, IceCube and ANTARES could verify recent hints on the possibility that neutrinos have a velocity larger than the speed of light. For smaller detectors such as MINOS and OPERA, where it may be challenging to recognize downgoing muons induced by neutrinos inside the active volume, another measurement may be possible thanks to the ns-time resolution. The arrival times of muons in a bundle produced by one cosmic ray interaction in the atmosphere should return a value compatible with the time resolution, while if neutrinos have larger velocity than muons some of the muons may arrive slightly earlier in a bundle of particles than others.

title: RAP: thermoacoustic detection at the DAΦNE beam test facility
abstract: In order to investigate the anomalous response at ultra-low temperatures of the resonant-mass gravitational wave detector NAUTILUS, the RAP experiment has been planned to measure the vibrations in a small cylindrical aluminium bar when hit by 105 510 MeV electrons from the DAΦNE beam test facility, corresponding to the energies released by typical extensive air showers. The results of the measurement at low temperature and in the superconducting regime are crucial to understand the interaction of ionizing particles with bulk superconductors and to confirm the results on the thermoacoustic model of the past experiments. The first run of RAP experiment is scheduled for the end of June. The scheme of operation and the preliminary results at room temperature will be presented.

title: EXPLORER and NAUTILUS gravitational wave detectors: a status report
abstract: The two cryogenic resonant bar detectors of the ROG Collaboration, EXPLORER and NAUTILUS, have been taking data continuously with a high duty cycle for several years. We report here on the status of recent analysis of the data and in particular on the results of the burst searches in the year 2004.

title: Cosmic rays observed by the resonant gravitational wave detector NAUTILUS
abstract: The passage of cosmic rays has been observed to excite mechanical vibrations in the resonant gravitational wave detector NAUTILUS operating at temperature of 100 mK. A very significant correlation (more than 10 standard deviations) is found.

title: Tracking and Alignment in the CMS Detector
abstract: This Report summarises the alignment strategy of the CMS detector. Track reconstruction in the silicon tracker and muon chambers is briefly described. We then present the different sources of alignment information, in particular alignment algorithms using reconstructed tracks.

title: Multiplicity and transverse momentum dependence of two- and four-particle correlations in pPb and PbPb collisions
abstract: Measurements of two- and four-particle angular correlations for charged particles emitted in pPb collisions are presented over a wide range in pseudorapidity and full azimuth. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 31 nb^(−1), were collected during the 2013 LHC pPb run at a nucleon–nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV by the CMS experiment. The results are compared to 2.76 TeV semi-peripheral PbPb collision data, collected during the 2011 PbPb run, covering a similar range of particle multiplicities. The observed correlations are characterized by the near-side (|Δϕ|≈0) associated pair yields and the azimuthal anisotropy Fourier harmonics (v_n). The second-order (v_2) and third-order (v_3) anisotropy harmonics are extracted using the two-particle azimuthal correlation technique. A four-particle correlation method is also applied to obtain the value of v_2 and further explore the multi-particle nature of the correlations. Both associated pair yields and anisotropy harmonics are studied as a function of particle multiplicity and transverse momentum. The associated pair yields, the four-particle v_2, and the v_3 become apparent at about the same multiplicity. A remarkable similarity in the v_3 signal as a function of multiplicity is observed between the pPb and PbPb systems. Predictions based on the color glass condensate and hydrodynamic models are compared to the experimental results.

title: Predictions for supersymmetric particle masses using indirect experimental and cosmological constraints
abstract: In view of the imminent start of the LHC experimental programme, we use the available indirect experimental and cosmological information to estimate the likely range of parameters of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), using a Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique to sample the parameter space. The 95% confidence-level area in the (m0, m1/2) plane of the CMSSM lies largely within the region that could be explored with 1 fb−1 of integrated luminosity at 14 TeV, and much of the 68% confidence-level area lies within the region that could be explored with 50 pb−1 of integrated luminosity at 10 TeV. A same-sign dilepton signal could well be visible in most of the 68% confidence-level area with 1 fb−1 of integrated luminosity at 14 TeV. We discuss the sensitivities of the preferred ranges to variations in the most relevant indirect experimental and cosmological constraints and also to deviations from the universality of the supersymmetry-breaking contributions to the masses of the Higgs bosons.

title: Search for lepton and baryon number violating tau- decays into anti-p gamma, anti-p pi0, anti-Lambda pi-, and Lambda pi-

title: Measurement of branching fractions for B-->eta(c)K(*) decays.
abstract: We report measurements of branching fractions for charged and neutral B-->eta(c)K decays where the eta(c) meson is reconstructed in the K(0)(S)K+/-pi(-/+), K+K-pi(0), K(*0)K-pi(+), and pp; decay channels. The neutral B0 channel is a CP eigenstate and can be used to measure the CP violation parameter sin(2phi(1). We also report the first observation of the B0-->eta(c)K(*0) mode. The results are based on an analysis of 29.1 fb(-1) of data collected by the Belle detector at KEKB.