Overview of the status and strangeness capabilities of STAR
STAR is a large-acceptance spectrometer capable of precision measurements of a wide variety of strange particles. We discuss the STAR detector, its configuration during the first two years of RHIC operation, and its initial performance for Au + Au collisions. The expected performance for strangeness physics and initial data on strange particle reconstruction in Au + Au collisions are presented.

title: Transverse-momentum and collision-energy dependence of high-pT hadron suppression in Au+Au collisions at ultrarelativistic energies.
abstract: We report high statistics measurements of inclusive charged hadron production in Au+Au and p+p collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV. A large, approximately constant hadron suppression is observed in central Au+Au collisions for 5<p(T)<12 GeV/c. The collision energy dependence of the yields and the centrality and p(T) dependence of the suppression provide stringent constraints on theoretical models of suppression. Models incorporating initial-state gluon saturation or partonic energy loss in dense matter are largely consistent with observations. We observe no evidence of p(T)-dependent suppression, which may be expected from models incorporating jet attenuation in cold nuclear matter or scattering of fragmentation hadrons.

title: K/pi Fluctuations at relativistic energies.
abstract: We report K/pi fluctuations from Au + Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]= 19.6, 62.4, 130, and 200 GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. K/pi fluctuations in central collisions show little dependence on incident energy and are on the same order as those from NA49 at the Super Proton Synchrotron in central Pb + Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=12.3 and 17.3 GeV. We report results for the collision centrality dependence of K/pi fluctuations and results for charge-separated fluctuations. We observe that the K/pi fluctuations scale with the charged particle multiplicity density.

title: Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in the hard scattering regime at RHIC.
abstract: Azimuthal anisotropy (v(2)) and two-particle angular correlations of high p(T) charged hadrons have been measured in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=130 GeV for transverse momenta up to 6 GeV/c, where hard processes are expected to contribute significantly. The two-particle angular correlations exhibit elliptic flow and a structure suggestive of fragmentation of high p(T) partons. The monotonic rise of v(2)(p(T)) for p(T)<2 GeV/c is consistent with collective hydrodynamical flow calculations. At p(T)>3 GeV/c, a saturation of v(2) is observed which persists up to p(T)=6 GeV/c.

title: Alignment of the ALICE inner tracking system with cosmic-ray tracks
abstract: ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 mu m in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10(5) charged tracks from cosmic rays that have been collected during summer 2008, with the ALICE solenoidal magnet switched off.

title: Measurement of inelastic, single- and double-diffraction cross sections in proton–proton collisions at the LHC with ALICE
abstract: Measurements of cross sections of inelastic and diffractive processes in proton–proton collisions at LHC energies were carried out with the ALICE detector. The fractions of diffractive processes in inelastic collisions were determined from a study of gaps in charged particle pseudorapidity distributions: for single diffraction (diffractive mass MX<200 GeV/c2) $\sigma_{\mathrm{SD}}/\sigma_{\mathrm {INEL}} = 0.21 \pm 0.03, 0.20^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$, and $0.20^{+0.04}_{-0.07}$, respectively at centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76\mbox{, and }7~\mbox{TeV}$; for double diffraction (for a pseudorapidity gap Δη>3) σDD/σINEL=0.11±0.03,0.12±0.05, and $0.12^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$, respectively at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9, 2.76\mbox{, and }7~\mbox{TeV}$. To measure the inelastic cross section, beam properties were determined with van der Meer scans, and, using a simulation of diffraction adjusted to data, the following values were obtained: $\sigma_{\mathrm{INEL}} = 62.8^{+2.4}_{-4.0} (\mathrm{model}) \pm1.2 (\mathrm{lumi})$ mb at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76\ \mbox{TeV}$ and $73.2^{+2.0}_{-4.6} (\mathrm{model}) \pm2.6 (\mathrm{lumi})~\mbox{mb}$ at $\sqrt{s} = 7\ \mbox{TeV}$. The single- and double-diffractive cross sections were calculated combining relative rates of diffraction with inelastic cross sections. The results are compared to previous measurements at proton–antiproton and proton–proton colliders at lower energies, to measurements by other experiments at the LHC, and to theoretical models.

title: Conceptual design and infrastructure for the installation of the first AGATA sub-array at LNL
abstract: The first implementation of the AGATA spectrometer consisting of five triple germanium detector clusters has been installed at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, INFN. This setup has two major goals, the first one is to validate the g-tracking concept and the second is to perform an experimental physics program using the stable beams delivered by the Tandem–PIAVE-ALPI accelerator complex. A large Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

title: Prompt and delayed spectroscopy of 142Tb using recoil-isomer tagging
abstract: Recoil-isomer tagging has been used to characterize the states built upon an I{sup {pi}}=8{sup +} isomer in {sup 142}Tb. High-spin states of the neutron-deficient nucleus {sup 142}Tb were populated using an {sup 54}Fe beam, accelerated onto a {sup 92}Mo target of thickness {approx}500 {mu}g/cm{sup 2} at energies of 245, 252, and 265 MeV using the K130 cyclotron at the University of Jyvaeskylae, Finland. Use of the JUROGAM target-position Ge-detector array coupled with the GREAT focal-plane spectrometer at the RITU gas-filled recoil separator has significantly increased the efficiency of the isomer-tagging technique. The rotational band built upon the I{sup {pi}}=8{sup +} isomeric state was established with isomer-tagged {gamma}-{gamma} coincidence data and angular distributions were measured for some of the more intensely populated states. Two previously unobserved bands that bypass the isomer were also established. The new data have been interpreted within the framework of the cranked-shell model. The data show good agreement with the calculated triaxial nuclear shape with {gamma}=-30 deg. for the {sup 142m2}Tb isomeric state. The B(M1)/B(E2) branching ratios, nuclear alignment, signature splitting, and reduced transition probability, B(E1), of the isomeric state have been systematically compared with those of the neighboring nuclei. These comparisons give further evidence for themore » {pi}h{sub 11/2} x {nu}h{sub 11/2} configuration of the isomer.« less

title: Yrast states and band crossings in the neutron-deficient platinum isotopes 169-173 Pt
abstract: The yrast states in the light platinum isotopes Pt169-173 have been investigated in a recoil-decay tagging experiment using the JUROGAM gamma-ray spectrometer in conjunction with the RITU gas-filled recoil separator and the GREAT tagging spectrometer. Gamma-ray transitions have been established for the first time in the odd-N isotopes, Pt-169 and Pt-173, and the yrast sequences in Pt-170 and Pt-172 have been extended. We discuss the possibility that the weakly deformed yrast structures of Pt-170, Pt-172, and Pt-173 are crossed by a deformed intruder configuration at spin similar to 8h.

title: A new plunger device to measure lifetimes of unbound states in tagged exotic nuclei
abstract: A new plunger device has been designed and is being built at the University of Manchester to measure lifetimes of unbound states in exotic nuclei approaching the proton drip-line. The device is designed to work in both vacuum and gas environments and will be used in conjunction with the gas filled separator RITU and the vacuum-mode separator MARA at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. This will enable the accurate measurement of excited state lifetimes identified via isomer and charged-particle tagging. The plunger will be used to address many key facets of nuclear structure physics with particular emphasis on the effect of deformation on proton emission rates.

title: Precision measurements of proton emission from the ground states of Ta-156 and Re-160
abstract: The decays of the pi d(3/2) ground states of Ta-156 and Re-160 have been studied in detail using the GREAT spectrometer. More than 7000 Re-160 nuclei were produced in reactions of 290- and 300-MeV Ni-58 ions with an isotopically enriched Cd-106 target and separated in flight using the RITU separator. The proton and alpha decays of the pi d(3/2) level were confirmed and the half-life and branching ratios of this state were determined with improved precision to be t(1/2) = 611 +/- 7 mu s and b(p) = 89 +/- 1% and b(alpha) = 11 +/- 1%, respectively. The alpha-decay branch populated the ground state of Ta-156, allowing improved values for the proton-decay energy and half-life to be obtained (E-p = 1011 +/- 5 keV; t(1/2) = 106 +/- 4 ms). The beta decay of this level was identified for the first time and a branching ratio of b(beta) = 29 +/- 3% was deduced. The spectroscopic factors deduced from these measurements are compared with predictions.