Detection of a Supernova Signature Associated with GRB 011121
Using observations from an extensive monitoring campaign with the Hubble Space Telescope, we present the detection of an intermediate-time flux excess that is redder in color relative to the afterglow of GRB 011121, currently distinguished as the gamma-ray burst with the lowest known redshift. The red "bump," which exhibits a spectral rollover at ~7200 A, is well described by a redshifted Type Ic supernova that occurred approximately at the same time as the gamma-ray burst event. The inferred luminosity is about half that of the bright supernova SN 1998bw. These results serve as compelling evidence for a massive star origin of long-duration gamma-ray bursts. Models that posit a supernova explosion weeks to months preceding the gamma-ray burst event are excluded by these observations. Finally, we discuss the relationship between spherical core-collapse supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.

title: HATS-1b: The First Transiting Planet Discovered by the HATSouth Survey
abstract: We report the discovery of HATS-1b, a transiting extrasolar planet orbiting the moderately bright V = 12.05 G dwarf star GSC 6652-00186, and the first planet discovered by HATSouth, a global network of autonomous wide-field telescopes. HATS-1b has a period of P 3.4465 days, mass of Mp 1.86 M J, and radius of Rp 1.30 R J. The host star has a mass of 0.99 M ☉ and radius of 1.04 R ☉. The discovery light curve of HATS-1b has near-continuous coverage over several multi-day timespans, demonstrating the power of using a global network of telescopes to discover transiting planets.

title: The Science Case for PILOT I: Summary and Overview
abstract: PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5-m optical/infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. Conditions at Dome C are known to be exceptional for astronomy. The seeing (above ∼30 m height), coherence time, and isoplanatic angle are all twice as good as at typical mid-latitude sites, while the water-vapour column, and the atmosphere and telescope thermal emission are all an order of magnitude better. These conditions enable a unique scientific capability for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents an overview of the optical and instrumentation suite for PILOT and its expected performance, a summary of the key science goals and observational approach for the facility, a discussion of the synergies between the science goals for PILOT and other telescopes, and a discussion of the future of Antarctic astronomy.

title: First Searches for Optical Counterparts to Gravitational-wave Candidate Events
abstract: During the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory and Virgo joint science runs in 2009-2010, gravitational wave (GW) data from three interferometer detectors were analyzed within minutes to select GW candidate events and infer their apparent sky positions. Target coordinates were transmitted to several telescopes for follow-up observations aimed at the detection of an associated optical transient. Images were obtained for eight such GW candidates. We present the methods used to analyze the image data as well as the transient search results. No optical transient was identified with a convincing association with any of these candidates, and none of the GW triggers showed strong evidence for being astrophysical in nature. We compare the sensitivities of these observations to several model light curves from possible sources of interest, and discuss prospects for future joint GW-optical observations of this type.

title: The Mount Stromlo A bell Cluster Supernova Search
abstract: We have initiated a 3 year project to find supernovae in a well-defined sample of high-density southern Abell clusters with redshifts z ≤ 0.08. These observations will provide a volume-limited sample of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to more than a magnitude below their peak brightness and will enable us to (1) measure the luminosity function of SNe, (2) further explore the correlation of light-curve shape with the absolute luminosity of SNe Ia to better understand SNe Ia as distance indicators, (3) measure SN rates, (4) measure the bulk motion of the Local Group using SNe Ia, and (5) directly compare SN Ia distances with brightest cluster galaxy distances. We use the MACHO wide-field two-color imager on the 1.3 m telescope at Mount Stromlo to routinely monitor ~12 clusters per week. We describe our technique for target selection and scheduling search observations, and for finding and identifying SN candidates. We also describe the results from the first year of our program, including the detection of 19 SNe, several RR Lyrae variables, and hundreds of asteroids.

title: A THEORETICAL COLOR-VELOCITY CORRELATION FOR SUPERNOVAE ASSOCIATED WITH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS
abstract: We carry out the first multi-dimensional radiative transfer calculations to simultaneously compute synthetic spectra and light curves for models of supernovae driven by fast bipolar outflows. These allow us to make self-consistent predictions for the orientation dependence of both color evolution and spectral features. We compare models with different degrees of asphericity and metallicity and find significant observable consequences of both. In aspherical models, we find spectral and light curve features that vary systematically with observer orientation. In particular, we find that the early-phase light curves are brighter and bluer when viewed close to the polar axis but that the peak flux is highest for equatorial (off-axis) inclinations. Spectral line features also depend systematically on observer orientation, including the velocity of the Si II 6355 A line. Consequently, our models predict a correlation between line velocity and color that could assist the identification of supernovae associated with off-axis jet-driven explosions. The amplitude and range of this correlation depends on the degree of asphericity, the metallicity, and the epoch of observation but we find that it is always present and acts in the same direction.

title: Limits on neutral Higgs boson production in the forward region in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV
abstract: A bstractLimits on the cross-section times branching fraction for neutral Higgs bosons, produced in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV, and decaying to two tau leptons with pseudorapidities between 2.0 and 4.5, are presented. The result is based on a dataset, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected with the LHCb detector. Candidates are identified by reconstructing final states with two muons, a muon and an electron, a muon and a hadron, or an electron and a hadron. A model independent upper limit at the 95% confidence level is set on a neutral Higgs boson cross-section times branching fraction. It varies from 8.6 pb for a Higgs boson mass of 90 GeV to 0.7 pb for a Higgs boson mass of 250 GeV, and is compared to the Standard Model expectation. An upper limit on tan β in the Minimal Supersymmetric Model is set in the $ m_{{{h^0}}}^{\max } $ scenario. It ranges from 34 for a CP -odd Higgs boson mass of 90 GeV to 70 for a pseudo-scalar Higgs boson mass of 140 GeV.

title: MEASUREMENT AND STABILIZATION OF THE BUNCH ARRIVAL TIME AT FLASH
abstract: To fully exploit the experimental opportunities offered by the 10 − 30 fs long light pulses from FLASH, e.g. in pump-probe experiments, precise measurements and control of the electron-bunch arrival-time on the 10 fs scale are needed. A bunch arrival time monitor which uses the optical synchronization system of FLASH as a reference has been developed for this purpose. The bunch-induced signal from a GHz-bandwidth beam pick-up is guided into an electro-optical modulator in which the periodic laser pulse train of the optical synchronization system experiences an amplitude modulation. Detection of this modulation allows to determine the bunch arrival time with a resolution of better than 10 fs. The superconducting linac of FLASH generates trains of up to 800 bunches. The signals from the bunch arrival time monitor can be used for an intrabunch train feedback stabilizing the arrival time to 40 fs (rms). The feedback is capable of generating well-defined arrival time patterns within a bunch train which are useful for overlap-scans in pump-probe experiments. First results from the feedback installed at FLASH will be presented.

title: A search for low-mass WIMPs with EDELWEISS-II heat-and-ionization detectors
abstract: We report on a search for low-energy (E < 20 keV) WIMP-induced nuclear recoils using data collected in 2009 - 2010 by EDELWEISS from four germanium detectors equipped with thermal sensors and an electrode design (ID) which allows to efficiently reject several sources of background. Using an exposure of 113 kg.d, we find no evidence for an exponential distribution of low-energy nuclear recoils that could be attributed to WIMP elastic scattering. For WIMPs of mass 10 GeV, the observation of one event in the WIMP search region results in a 90% CL limit of 1.0 \times 10^-5 pb on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross-section, which constrains the parameter space associated with the findings reported by the CoGeNT, DAMA and CRESST experiments.

title: Final results of the EDELWEISS-II WIMP search using a 4-kg array of cryogenic germanium detectors with interleaved electrodes
abstract: The EDELWEISS-II Collaboration has completed a direct search for WIMP dark matter with an array of ten 400-g cryogenic germanium detectors in operation at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane. The combined use of thermal phonon sensors and charge collection electrodes with an interleaved geometry enables the efficient rejection of γ -induced radioactivity as well as near-surface interactions. A total effective exposure of 384 kg d has been achieved, mostly coming from fourteen months of continuous operation. Five nuclear recoil candidates are observed above 20 keV, while the estimated background is 3.0 events. The result is interpreted in terms of limits on the cross-section of spin-independent interactions of WIMPs and nucleons. A cross-section of 4.4 × 10 − 8 pb is excluded at 90%CL for a WIMP mass of 85 GeV. New constraints are also set on models where the WIMP-nucleon scattering is inelastic.

title: Search for rare $B^0_{(s)}\rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- \mu^+ \mu^-$ decays
abstract: A search for the decays $B^0_{s}\rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- \mu^+ \mu^-$ and $B^0 \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- \mu^+ \mu^-$ is performed using data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0\ensuremath{\{\,fb}^{-1}}\xspace, collected with the LHCb detector in 2011. The number of candidates observed is consistent with the expected background and, assuming phase-space models of the decays, limits on the branching fractions are set: \{${\ensuremath{\cal B}\xspace}(B^0_{s}\rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- \mu^+ \mu^-) < 1.6 \ (1.2) \times 10^{-8}$} and \{${\ensuremath{\cal B}\xspace}(B^0 \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^- \mu^+ \mu^-)< 6.6 \ (5.3) \times 10^{-9}$} at 95\,% (90\,%) confidence level. In addition, limits are set in the context of a supersymmetric model which allows for the $B^0_{(s)}$ meson to decay into a scalar ($S$) and pseudoscalar particle ($P$), where $S$ and $P$ have masses of 2.5 GeV and 214.3 MeV, respectively, both resonances decay into $\mu^+\mu^-$. The branching fraction limits for these decays are \{${\ensuremath{\cal B}\xspace}(\ensuremath{B^0_{s}\rightarrow SP}\xspace) < 1.6 \ (1.2) \times 10^{-8}$} and \{${\ensuremath{\cal B}\xspace}(\ensuremath{B^0\rightarrow SP}\xspace)< 6.3 \ (5.1) \times 10^{-9}$} at 95% (90%) confidence level.