A Search for B ---> lepton anti-lepton-neutrino

title: Observation of radiative leptonic decay of the tau lepton
abstract: Using 4.68 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data collected with the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have studied tau radiative decays tau(-)-->nu(tau)&mgr;(-)nu;(&mgr;)gamma and tau(-)-->nu(tau)e(-)nu;(e)gamma. For a 10 MeV minimum photon energy in the tau rest frame, the branching fraction for radiative tau decay to a muon or electron is measured to be (3.61+/-0.16+/-0. 35)x10(-3) or (1.75+/-0.06+/-0.17)x10(-2), respectively. The branching fractions are in agreement with standard model theoretical predictions.

title: Study of charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar-vector final states.
abstract: We report results of searches for charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar( pi(+/-), K+/-, pi(0), or K(0)(S))-vector( rho, K(*), or omega) final states. By using 9.7x10(6) BB pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we report the first observation of B(-)--->pi(-)rho(0), B(0)-->pi(+/-)rho(-/+), and B(-)-->pi(-)omega, which are expected to be dominated by hadronic b-->u transitions. The measured branching fractions are (10.4(+3.3)(-3.4)+/-2.1)x10(-6), (27.6(+8.4)(-7.4)+/-4.2)x10(-6), and (11.3(+3.3)(-2.9)+/-1. 4)x10(-6), respectively. Branching fraction upper limits are set for all of the other decay modes investigated.

title: Measurement of Cabibbo-suppressed decays of the tau lepton.
abstract: Branching ratios for the dominant Cabibbo-suppressed decays of the [tau] lepton have been measured by CLEO II in [ital e][sup +][ital e][sup [minus]] annihilation at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring ([radical][ital s] [similar to]10.6 GeV) using kaons with momenta below 0.7 GeV/[ital c]. The inclusive branching ratio into one charged kaon is (1.60[plus minus]0.12[plus minus]0.19)%. For the exclusive decays, [ital B]([tau][sup [minus]][r arrow][ital K][sup [minus]][nu][sub [tau]])=(0.66[plus minus]0.07[plus minus]0.09)%, [ital B]([tau][sup [minus]][r arrow][ital K][sup [minus]][pi][sup 0][nu][sub [tau]])=(0.51 [plus minus]0.10[plus minus]0.07)%, and, based on three events, [ital B]([tau][sup [minus]][r arrow][ital K][sup [minus]]2[pi][sup 0][nu][sub [tau]])[lt]0.3% at the 90% confidence level. These represent significant improvements over previous results. ) is measured for the first time with exclusive [pi][sup 0] reconstruction.

title: Search for B ---> K lepton+ lepton- and B ---> K* lepton+ lepton- decays

title: Measurement of B (tau- ---> tau-neutrino K- K0) and b (tau- ---> tau-neutrino K- K0 pi0)

title: Discovery of Variability in the Very High Energy γ-Ray Emission of 1ES 1218+304 with VERITAS
abstract: We present results from an intensive VERITAS monitoring campaign of the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1218+304 in 2008/2009. Although 1ES 1218+304 was detected previously by MAGIC and VERITAS at a persistent level of ~6% of the Crab Nebula flux, the new VERITAS data reveal a prominent flare reaching ~20% of the Crab. While very high energy (VHE) flares are quite common in many nearby blazars, the case of 1ES 1218+304 (redshift z = 0.182) is particularly interesting since it belongs to a group of blazars that exhibit unusually hard VHE spectra considering their redshifts. When correcting the measured spectra for absorption by the extragalactic background light, 1ES 1218+304 and a number of other blazars are found to have differential photon indices Γ≤ 1.5. The difficulty in modeling these hard spectral energy distributions in blazar jets has led to a range of theoretical γ-ray emission scenarios, one of which is strongly constrained by these new VERITAS observations. We consider the implications of the observed light curve of 1ES 1218+304, which shows day scale flux variations, for shock acceleration scenarios in relativistic jets, and in particular for the viability of kiloparsec-scale jet emission scenarios.

title: The search for millicharged particles at SLAC
abstract: Quantization of electric charge has been probed to a high degree of precision using a variety of experimental techniques. However, the theoretical underpinning of charge quantization has yet to be determined, leaving open the possibility that quantization is not a fundamental law of nature, and that free particles with fractional electric charge may one day be encountered. This dissertation describes a search for particles with very small (10{sup -3}e or below) electric charge, carried out at an electron accelerator (SLAC). The particles sought were assumed to be long lived or stable and to participate primarily in electromagnetic interactions. The search relied upon a large (1.3-meter) scintillation counter to detect low levels of ionization generated by relativistic fractionally charged particles produced in the collision of a 29.5-GeV electron beam with a six radiation length tungsten target. The data reveal no evidence of fractional charge, and allow for the exclusion of a portion of charge-mass parameter space spanning roughly 10{sup -7} to 10{sup 2} MeV/c{sup 2} and 10{sup -2} to 10{sup -5} e.

title: Results from the first two years of VERITAS observations
abstract: The VERITAS observatory is an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array located in southern Arizona and covers an energy range between 100 GeV and 30 TeV. The VERITAS collaboration pursues a rigorous observing program that targets a range of key science objectives in astrophysics and particle physics; the understanding of the origin of cosmic rays, the search for supersymmetric dark matter self-annihilation, illuminating the connection between black holes and relativistic jets and constraints to the cosmological diffuse infrared background. We provide a summary of results from the first two years of observations with the full 4-telecope array reported at RICAP09.

title: Poisson geometry with a 3 form background
abstract: We study a modification of Poisson geometry by a closed 3-form. Just as for ordinary Poisson structures, these "twisted" Poisson structures are conveniently described as Dirac structures in suitable Courant algebroids. The additive group of 2-forms acts on twisted Poisson structures and permits them to be seen as glued from ordinary Poisson structures defined on local patches. We conclude with remarks on deformation quantization and twisted symplectic groupoids.

title: Recent Observations of Supernova Remnants with VERITAS
abstract: Supernova remnants (SNRs) are widely considered the most likely source of cosmic rays below the knee (10 15 eV). Studies of GeV and TeV gamma-ray emission in the vicinity of SNRs, in combination with multi-wavelength observations, can trace and constrain the nature of the charged particle population believed to be accelerated within SNR shocks. They may also speak to the diffusion and propagation of these energetic particles and to the nature of the acceler- ation mechanisms involved. We report here on recent observations of SNRs with VERITAS, including the discoveries of VHE gamma-ray emission from from G120.1+1.4 (Tycho's SNR) and from the northwest shell of G78.2+2.1 (gamma-ray source VER J2019+407, which was discovered as a consequence of the VERITAS Cygnus region survey).