Studies of D^+ -> {eta', eta, phi} e^+ nu_e
We report the first observation of the decay D^+ -> eta' e^+ nu_e in two analyses, which combined provide a branching fraction of B(D+ -> eta' e nu) = (2.16 +/- 0.53 +/- 0.07) x 10^{-4}. We also provide an improved measurement of B(D+ -> eta e nu) = (11.4 +/- 0.9 +/- 0.4) x 10^{-4}, provide the first form factor measurement, and set the improved upper limit B(D+ -> phi e nu) < 0.9 x 10^{-4} (90% C.L.).

title: First spatial alignment of the LHCb VELO and analysis of beam absorber collision data
abstract: A first alignment of the LHCb Vertex Locator has been obtained from beam induced tracks at the LHC. A 450 GeV/c protons were collided on a beam absorber during the LHC synchronisation tests of the anti-clockwise beam in August and September 2008. The resulting particle tracks have been reconstructed by the Vertex Locator. This was the first full reconstruction of tracks induced by the LHC beam. The quality of the data obtained is discussed. A total of 2200 tracks were reconstructed from the full data sample, and a first spatial alignment was obtained. The detector is aligned to an accuracy of Slim in the sensor plane. The results confirm that all detector modules have not been displaced from their surveyed positions by more than 10 mm.

title: Measurement of the Ds+ - Ds- production asymmetry in 7 TeV pp collisions
abstract: Article history: Received 4 May 2012 Received in revised form 30 May 2012  W.-D. Schlatter Heavy quark production in 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy pp collisions at the LHC is not necessarily flavour symmetric. The production asymmetry, AP, between D+s and D−s mesons is studied using the φπ± decay mode in a data sample of 1.0 fb−1 collected with the LHCb detector. The difference between π+ and π− detection efficiencies is determined using the ratios of fully reconstructed to partially reconstructed D∗± decays. The overall production asymmetry in the D±s rapidity region 2.0 to 4.5 with transverse momentum larger than 2 GeV is measured to be AP = (−0.33 ± 0.22 ± 0.10)%. This result can constrain models of heavy flavour production.

title: Measurement of B(Upsilon(5S) ---> B(*)(s) anti-B(*)(s)) Using phi Mesons

title: Performance of the CLEO III LiF-TEA ring imaging Cherenkov detector in a high-energy muon beam
abstract: LiF radiators to generate Cherenkov photons which are then detected by proportional wire chambers using a mixture of CH 4 and TEA gases. The first two photon detector modules which were constructed, were taken to the Fermilab and tested in a beam dump that provided high-momentum muons. We report on results using both plane and “sawtooth”–shaped radiators. Specifically, we discuss the number of photoelectrons observed per ring and the angular resolution. The particle separation ability is shown to be sufficient for the physics of CLEO III.

title: Searches for Majorana neutrinos in $B^-$ decays
abstract: Searches for heavy Majorana neutrinos in B- decays in final states containing hadrons plus a \mu- \mu- pair have been performed using 0.41/fb of data collected with the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The D+ \mu- \mu- and D*+ \mu- \mu- final states can arise from the presence of virtual Majorana neutrinos of any mass. Other final states containing \pi+, Ds+, or D0\pi+ can be mediated by an on-shell Majorana neutrino. No signals are found and upper limits are set on Majorana neutrino production as a function of mass, and also on the B- decay branching fractions.

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.

title: Intrinsic Constraints on Very High Energy Emission in Gamma-Ray-loud Blazars
abstract: Photons with very high energy (VHE) up to TeV emitted from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide some invaluable information on the origin of gamma-ray emission. Although 66 blazars have been detected by EGRET, only three low-redshift X-ray-selected BL Lac objects (Mrk 421, Mrk 501, and 1ES 2344+514) are conclusive TeV emitters (PKS 2155-304 is a potential TeV emitter), since VHE photons may be absorbed by cosmological background infrared photons (external absorption). Based on the "mirror" effect of clouds in the broad-line region, we argue that there is an intrinsic mechanism for the deficiency of TeV emission in blazars. Employing the observable quantities, we derive the pair production optical depth tau(gamma gamma)(epsilon(obs)) due to the interaction of VHE photons with the reflected synchrotron photons by electron Thomson scattering in the broad-line region. This sets stronger constraints on very high energy emission, and provides a sensitive upper limit on the Doppler factor of the relativistic bulk motion. It has been suggested that the intrinsic absorption be distinguished from the external by the observation on variation of the multiwavelength continuum.

title: Measurement of the Decay $K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^- \gamma$
abstract: We report on a new measurement of the branching ratio B(KL -> pi0 e+ e- gamma) using the KTeV detector. This analysis uses the full KTeV data set collected from 1997 to 2000. We reconstruct 139 events over a background of 14, which results in B(KL -> pi0 e+ e- gamma) = (1.62 +/- 0.14 (stat) +/- 0.09 (syst)) x 10^{-8}. This result supersedes the earlier KTeV measurement of this branching ratio.

title: The study of Seyfert 2 galaxies with and without infrared broad lines
abstract: From the literature, we construct a sample of 25 Seyfert 2 galaxies (S2s) with a broad line region (BLR) detected in near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and 29 with NIR BLRs which were not detected. We find no significant difference between the nuclei luminosity (extinction-corrected [OIII] 5007) and infrared color f60/f25 between the two populations, suggesting that the non-detections of NIR BLRs could not be due to low AGN luminosity or contamination from the host galaxy. As expected, we find significantly lower X-ray obscurations in Seyfert 2s with NIR BLR detection, supporting the unification scheme. However, such a scheme was challenged by the detection of NIR BLRs in heavily X-ray obscured sources, especially in six of them with Compton-thick X-ray obscuration. The discrepancy could be solved by the clumpy torus model and we propose a toy model demonstrating that IR-thin X-ray-thick S2s could be viewed at intermediate inclinations and compared with those IR-thick X-ray-thick S2s. We note that two of the IR-thin X-ray-thick S2s (NGC 1386 and NGC 7674) experienced X-ray transitions, i.e. from Compton-thin to Compton-thick appearance or vice versa based on previous X-ray observations, suggesting that X-ray transitions could be common in this special class of objects.

title: Cosmological Evolution of the Duty Cycle of Quasars
abstract: Quasars are powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes, but the problem of the duty cycle related to the episodic activity of the black holes remains one of the major questions of the cosmological evolution of quasars. In this Letter, we obtain quasar duty cycles based on analyses of a large sample composed of 10,979 quasars with redshifts z ≤ 2.1 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 (DR3). We estimate the masses of the quasar black holes and obtain their mass function (MF) in the present sample. We then get the duty cycle (z) = 10-3 ~ 1 based on Soltan's argument, implying that black holes are undergoing multiple episodic activity. We find that the duty cycle has a strong evolution. By comparison, we show that the evolution of the duty cycle follows the history of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) density in the universe, providing intriguing evidence of a natural connection between star formation and the triggering of black hole activity. Feedback on star formation from black hole activity is briefly discussed.