Precision measurements of proton emission from the ground states of Ta-156 and Re-160
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.

title: High-K four-quasiparticle states in Gd-138
abstract: States above the known K(pi) = 8(-) 6 mu s isomer in (138)Gd have been populated with the (106)Cd((36)Ar,2p2n) reaction at a beam energy of 180 MeV at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. The recoil-isomer tagging technique was utilized to correlate delayed gamma-ray decays, detected in the GREAT focal plane spectrometer, with prompt decays measured in the JUROGAM II spectrometer at the target position. The lifetime of the K(pi) = 8(-) isomeric state has been remeasured as 6.2(2) mu s. Two high-lying strongly coupled bands have been established with K(pi) >= 12(-). Potential-energy surface calculations, in conjunction with g factor measurements, reveal that they are built upon four-quasiparticle structures comprising two-quasineutron plus two-quasiproton configurations. The short half-life or lack of hindrance for the decays from these four-quasiparticle band-head states is reasoned to be a consequence of increased triaxial deformation and mixing due to the high density of states relative to the lower two-quasiparticle 6-mu s isomeric state.

title: Identification of the Kpi=8- rotational band in 138Gd

title: Gamma-ray spectroscopy at the limits: first observation of rotational bands in 255Lr.
abstract: The rotational band structure of 255Lr has been investigated using advanced in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopic techniques. To date, 255Lr is the heaviest nucleus to be studied in this manner. One rotational band has been unambiguously observed and strong evidence for a second rotational structure was found. The structures are tentatively assigned to be based on the 1/2-[521] and 7/2-[514] Nilsson states, consistent with assignments from recently obtained alpha decay data. The experimental rotational band dynamic moment of inertia is used to test self-consistent mean-field calculations using the Skyrme SLy4 interaction and a density-dependent pairing force.

title: alpha decay of Re159 and proton emission from Ta155

title: Spectroscopy of Ho-144 using recoil-isomer tagging
abstract: Excited states in the proton-unbound odd-odd nucleus {sup 144}Ho have been populated using the {sup 92}Mo({sup 54}Fe,pn){sup 144}Ho reaction and studied using the recoil-isomer-tagging technique. The alignment properties and signature splitting of the rotational band above the I{sup p}i=(8{sup +}){sup 144m}Ho isomer have been analyzed and the isomer confirmed to have a pih{sub 11/2} x nuh{sub 11/2} two-quasiparticle configuration. The configuration-constrained blocking method has been used to calculate the shapes of the ground and isomeric states, which are both predicted to have triaxial nuclear shapes with |gamma|approx =24 deg.

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: Coherent $J/\psi$ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ TeV
abstract: The ALICE Collaboration has made the first measurement at the LHC of J / ψ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 2.76 TeV . The J / ψ is identified via its dimuon decay in the forward rapidity region with the muon spectrometer for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 55 μb −1 . The cross section for coherent J / ψ production in the rapidity interval − 3.6 y − 2.6 is measured to be d σ J / ψ coh / d y = 1.00 ± 0.18 ( stat ) − 0.26 + 0.24 ( syst ) mb . The result is compared to theoretical models for coherent J / ψ production and found to be in good agreement with those models which include nuclear gluon shadowing.

title: Measurement of the cross section for electromagnetic dissociation with neutron emission in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV.
abstract: The first measurement of neutron emission in electromagnetic dissociation of ^{208}Pb nuclei at the LHC is presented. The measurement is performed using the neutron zero degree calorimeters of the ALICE experiment, which detect neutral particles close to beam rapidity. The measured cross sections of single and mutual electromagnetic dissociation of Pb nuclei at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV with neutron emission are σ(singleEMD)=187.4 ± 0.2(stat)(-11.2)(+13.2) (syst) b and σ(mutualEMD) = 5.7 ± 0.1(stat) ± 0.4(syst) b, respectively. The experimental results are compared to the predictions from a relativistic electromagnetic dissociation model.

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: Hard probes at RHIC
abstract: At the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), hard scattering processes become accessible at high transverse momentum, opening up a new set of experimental tools with which to study the properties of hot QCD matter. This paper reviews the status of hard probes at RHIC, with particular emphasis on results from the STAR experiment.