Kaon pair production in pp, pd, dd and pA collisions at COSY
An overview of experiments at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY on kaon-pair production in pp, pd, dd collisions in the close-to-threshold regime is given. These include results on φ -meson production, where the meson is detected via its K+K− decay. The study of φ production on a range of heavier nuclear targets allows one to deduce a value of the φ width in nuclei and its variation with the φ momentum.

title: Inclusive K+-meson production in proton-nucleus interactions
abstract: The production of K+-mesons in pA (A = D, C, Cu, Ag, Au) collisions has been investigated at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY-Jülich for beam energies Tp = 1.0-2.3 GeV. Double differential inclusive pC cross-sections at forward angles ϑ{K^+} < 12° as well as the target mass dependence of the K+ momentum spectra have been measured with the ANKE spectrometer. Far below the free NN threshold at TNN = 1.58 GeV the spectra reveal a high degree of collectivity in the target nucleus. From the target mass dependence of the cross-sections at higher energies, the repulsive in-medium potential of the K+-mesons can be deduced. Using pN cross-section parameterisations from the literature and our measured pD data we derive a cross-section ratio σ(pn↦K+X)/σ(pp↦K+X) ∼ (3-4).

title: Identification of K+-mesons from subthreshold pA collisions with ANKE at COSY-Jülich
abstract: The spectrometer ANKE has been put into operation at the accelerator COSY of the Forschungszentrum Julich in spring 1998. An initial scientific goal is to study K + -production in pA collisions at subthreshold energies far below the free NN-threshold at T p =1.58 GeV. This requires the identification of K + -mesons in a background of pions and protons, about 10 6 times more intense. In this paper the sophisticated detection system and the software procedures for kaon identification are described. With the help of TOF, energy-loss and range measurements as well as the track information from wire chambers, it is possible to measure d 2 σ/ d Ω d p for deep subthreshold K + production at beam energies down to T p =1.0 GeV.

title: THE FORWARD DETECTOR OF THE ANKE SPECTROMETER. SCINTILLATION AND CHERENKOV HODOSCOPES
abstract: Central Institute for Nuclear Research, Rossendorf, GermanyThe scintillation and Cherenkov counter system of the forward detector of ANKE, magnetic spec-trometer at the internal beam of the accelerator COSY in Jeulich, is described. The timing and amplitudecharacteristics are presented as well as the capabilities to select physical processes of interest.¶¨¸O¢ ¥E¸O ¸¨¸E¥³ ¸I¨´E¨²²O I¨µ´´OI ¨ I¥·¥´±µ¢¸±¨I ¸I¥EI¨±µ¢ ¶¥·¥¤´¥£µ ¤¥E¥±Eµ· ANKE, ³ £´¨E´µ£µ ¸¶¥±E·µ³¥E· ´ ¢´EE·¥´´¥³ ¶EI±¥ E¸±µ·¨E¥²O COSY ¢ ²¨I¥. ·¨¢¥¤¥´O¨I ¢·¥³¥´´O¥ ¨ ³¶²¨EE¤´O¥ I · ±E¥·¨¸E¨±¨, E ±¦¥ ¢µ§³µ¦´µ¸E¨ ¨I ¶·¨³¥´¥´¨O ¤²O ¢O¤¥²¥´¨O¨´E¥·¥¸EOÐ¨I E¨§¨I¥¸±¨I ¶·µI¥¸¸µ¢.

title: Measurement of Subthreshold K+ Production in pA Collisions with ANKE

title: Vector and tensor analysing powers in deuteron-proton breakup reactions at intermediate energies
abstract: Vector and tensor analysing powers of the d → p → ( p p ) n (charge-exchange) and d → p → ( p n ) p (non-charge-exchange) breakup reactions have been measured with the ANKE spectrometer at the COSY ring at a deuteron beam energy of 1170 MeV for small momentum transfers to the low excitation energy ( p p ) or ( p n ) systems. A quantitative understanding of the values of A x x and A y y for the charge-exchange reaction is provided by impulse approximation calculations. The data suggest that spin-flip isospin-flip transitions, which dominate the charge-exchange breakup of the deuteron, are also important in the non-charge-exchange reaction.

title: Searching for nuclear stellar discs in simulations of star cluster mergers
abstract: The nuclei of galaxies often host small stellar discs with scalelengths of a few tens of parsecs and luminosities up to 107 L�. To investigate the formation and properties of nuclear stellar discs (NSDs), we look for their presence in a set of N-body simulations studying the dissipationless merging of multiple star clusters in galactic nuclei. A few tens of star clusters with sizes and masses comparable to those of globular clusters observed in the Milky Way are accreted on to a pre-existing nuclear stellar component: either a massive super star cluster or a rapidly rotating, compact disc with a scalelength of a few parsecs, mimicking the variety of observed nuclear structures. Images and kinematic maps of the simulation time-steps are then built and analysed as if they were real and at the distance of the Virgo cluster. We use the Scorza–Bender method to search for the presence of disc structures via photometric decomposition. In one case, the merger remnant has all the observed photometric and kinematic properties of NSDs observed in real galaxies. This shows that current observations are consistent with most of the NSD mass being assembled from the migration and accretion of star clusters into the galactic centre. In the other simulation instead, we detect an elongated structure from the unsharp masked image, that does not develop the photometric or kinematic signature of an NSD. Thus, in the context of searches for a disc structure, the Scorza–Bender method is a robust and necessary tool.

title: Constraining the role of star cluster mergers in nuclear cluster formation: simulations confront integral-field data
abstract: We present observations and dynamical models of the stellar nuclear clusters (NCs) at the centres of NGC 4244 and M33. We then compare these to an extensive set of simulations testing the importance of purely stellar dynamical mergers on the formation and growth of NCs. Mergers of star clusters are able to produce a wide variety of observed properties, including densities, structural scaling relations, shapes (including the presence of young discs) and even rapid rotation. None the less, difficulties remain, most notably that the second-order kinematic moment inline image of the models is too centrally peaked to match observations. This can be partially remedied by the merger of star clusters on to a pre-existing nuclear disc, but the line-of-sight velocity V is still more slowly rising than in NGC 4244. Our results therefore suggest that purely stellar dynamical mergers cannot form NCs and that gas dissipation is a necessary ingredient for at least ∼50 per cent of a NC’s mass. The negative vertical anisotropy found in NGC 4244, however, requires at least 10 per cent of the mass to have been accreted as stars, since gas dissipation and in situ star formation leads to positive vertical anisotropy.

title: μ Eridani from MOST and from the ground: an orbit, the SPB component's fundamental parameters and the SPB frequencies
abstract: MOST time-series photometry of mu Eri, an SB1 eclipsing binary with a rapidly-rotating SPB primary, is reported and analyzed. The analysis yields a number of sinusoidal terms, mainly due to the intrinsic variation of the primary, and the eclipse light-curve. New radial-velocity observations are presented and used to compute parameters of a spectroscopic orbit. Frequency analysis of the radial-velocity residuals from the spectroscopic orbital solution fails to uncover periodic variations with amplitudes greater than 2 km/s. A Rossiter-McLaughlin anomaly is detected from observations covering ingress. 
From archival photometric indices and the revised Hipparcos parallax we derive the primary's effective temperature, surface gravity, bolometric correction, and the luminosity. An analysis of a high signal-to-noise spectrogram yields the effective temperature and surface gravity in good agreement with the photometric values. From the same spectrogram, we determine the abundance of He, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, and Fe. 
The eclipse light-curve is solved by means of EBOP. For a range of mass of the primary, a value of mean density, very nearly independent of assumed mass, is computed from the parameters of the system. Contrary to a recent report, this value is approximately equal to the mean density obtained from the star's effective temperature and luminosity. 
Despite limited frequency resolution of the MOST data, we were able to recover the closely-spaced SPB frequency quadruplet discovered from the ground in 2002-2004. The other two SPB terms seen from the ground were also recovered. Moreover, our analysis of the MOST data adds 15 low-amplitude SPB terms with frequencies ranging from 0.109 c/d to 2.786 c/d.

title: Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XIV. CoRoT-11b: a transiting massive "hot-Jupiter" in a prograde orbit around a rapidly rotating F-type star
abstract: The CoRoT  exoplanet science team announces the discovery of CoRoT-11b, a fairly massive hot-Jupiter transiting a V  = 12.9 mag F6 dwarf star ( M ∗  = 1.27 ± 0.05  M ⊙ , R ∗  = 1.37 ± 0.03  R ⊙ , T eff  = 6440 ± 120 K), with an orbital period of P  = 2.994329 ± 0.000011 days and semi-major axis a  = 0.0436 ± 0.005 AU. The detection of part of the radial velocity anomaly caused by the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect shows that the transit-like events detected by CoRoT  are caused by a planet-sized transiting object in a prograde orbit. The relatively high projected rotational velocity of the star ( v sin i ⋆  = 40 ± 5 km s -1 ) places CoRoT-11 among the most rapidly rotating planet host stars discovered so far. With a planetary mass of M p   = 2.33 ± 0.34  M Jup  and radius R p   = 1.43 ± 0.03  R Jup , the resulting mean density of CoRoT-11b ( ρ p  = 0.99 ± 0.15 g/cm 3 ) can be explained with a model for an inflated hydrogen-planet with a solar composition and a high level of energy dissipation in its interior.

title: Exoplanets around G-K Giants
abstract: G and K giants are a class of radial velocity (RV) variables. One reason for this variability are planetary companions which are indicated in time series of stellar spectra. Since 2004 these spectra in the visual range were obtained with the high resolution coud\'e \'echelle spectrograph mounted on the 2m telescope of the Th\"uringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg (TLS) for a northern sample of 62 very bright K giants. In the South around 300 G and K giants were observed with HARPS mounted on the 3.6m telescope on La Silla. The TLS sample contains at least 11 stars (18 %) which show low-amplitude, long-period RV variations most likely due to planets. This percentage of planet frequency is confirmed by preliminary results of the HARPS study. Moreover the TLS survey seems to indicate that giant planets do not favour metal-rich stars, are more massive, and have longer periods than those found around solar-type host stars.