Chemical Abundances for Seven Giant Stars in M68 (NGC 4590): A Globular Cluster with Abnormal Silicon and Titanium Abundances
We present a detailed chemical abundance study of seven giant stars in M68, including six red giants and one post–asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. We find significant differences in the gravities determined using photometry and those obtained from ionization balance, which suggests that non-LTE (NLTE) affects are important for these low-gravity, metal-poor stars. We adopt an iron abundance using photometric gravities and Fe II lines to minimize those effects, finding [Fe/H] = -2.16 ± 0.02 (σ = 0.04). For element-to-iron ratios, we rely on neutral lines versus Fe I and ionized lines versus Fe II (except for [O/Fe]) to also minimize NLTE effects. We find variations in the abundances of sodium among the program stars. However, there is no correlation (or anticorrelation) with the oxygen abundances. Furthermore, the post-AGB star has a normal (low) abundance of sodium. Both of these facts add further support to the idea that the variations seen among some light elements within individual globular clusters arise from primordial variations and not from deep mixing. M68, like M15, shows elevated abundances of silicon compared with other globular clusters and comparable-metallicity field stars. But M68 deviates even more in showing a relative underabundance of titanium. We speculate that in M68 titanium is behaving like an iron-peak element rather than its more commonly observed adherence to enhancements seen in the so-called α-elements such as magnesium, silicon, and calcium. We interpret this result as implying that the chemical enrichment seen in M68 may have arisen from contributions from supernovae with somewhat more massive progenitors than those that contribute to abundances normally seen in other globular clusters. The neutron capture elements barium and europium vary among the stars in M15, according to earlier work by Sneden et al., but [Ba/Eu] is relatively constant, suggesting that both elements arise in the same nucleosynthesis events. M68 shares the same [Ba/Eu] ratio as the stars in M15, but the average abundance ratio of these elements, as well as lanthanum, are lower in M68 relative to iron than in M15, implying a slightly weaker contribution of r-process nucleosynthesis in M68.

title: Bootes II: Not a Dwarf Galaxy but Possibly Shed by One
abstract: We present moderately deep V I C photometry of Boötes II, obtained using the SOAR Telescope. While identified initially as an old, metal-poor, dwarf galaxy, Boötes II appears to be a moderately metal-rich globular cluster with [Fe/H] ≈ −0.7. The slope of the red giant branch suggests that [α/Fe] ≈ 0.0, and the turn-off indicates an age of 7 to 9 Gyrs, considerably younger than most globular clusters, but similar to Palomar 12. Like that object, Boötes II lies in the direction of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy tidal stream, and, with a distance of almost 50 kpc, is probably associated with the more distant portion of the stream, as defined by Belokurov et al. (2006a).

title: THE RR LYRAE VARIABLES AND HORIZONTAL BRANCH OF NGC 6656 (M22)
abstract: The first calibrated broadband UBVI time-series photometry is presented for the RR Lyrae variable stars in NGC 6656 (M22), with observations spanning a range of 22 years. We have also redetermined the variability types and periods for the RR Lyrae stars identified previously by photographic observations, revising the number of fundamental-mode RR Lyrae variables (RR0) to 10 and the number of first-overtone variables (RR1) to 16. The mean periods of the RR0 and RR1 variables are (P) {sub RR0} = 0.66 ± 0.02 days and (P) {sub RR1} = 0.33 ± 0.01 days, respectively, supporting an Oosterhoff II classification for the cluster. The number ratio of RR1-type to all RR-type variables is N {sub 1}/N{sub RR} = 0.61, also consistent with an Oosterhoff II designation. Both the RR Lyrae stars' minimum light colors and the blue edge of the RR Lyrae instability strip suggest E( B – – V) = 0.36 ± 0.02 mag toward M22. Regarding the HB morphology of M22, we find (B-R)/(B+V+R) = +0.97 ± 0.1 and at least one ''gap'' located in an unusual part of the blue HB, in the middle of the so-called hot HB stars.

title: INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF NGC 6791
abstract: We present deep JHK photometry of the old and metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791. The photometry reaches below the main-sequence turnoff to K ≈ 16.5 mag. We combine our photometry with that from Stetson et al. to provide color-magnitude diagrams showing K versus J - K, K versus V - K, and V versus V - K. We study the slope of the red giant branch in the infrared but find that it is not a useful metallicity indicator for the cluster, nor any metal-rich cluster that lacks a well-populated red giant branch, because it is not linear, as has often been assumed, in K versus J - K. The mean color of the red horizontal-branch/red clump stars provide an estimate of the cluster reddening, E(B - V) = 0.14 ± 0.04 mag for [Fe/H] = +0.4 ± 0.1. The mean magnitudes of these stars also provide a good distance estimate, (m - M)0 = 13.07 ± 0.04. Finally, we find that the isochrones of Yi et al. provide optimal fits in V versus B - V and V - K and K versus J - K and V - K for such values if [Fe/H] lies between +0.3 and +0.5 (with a slight preference for +0.5) and ages between 9 Gyr ([Fe/H] = +0.3) and 7.5 Gyr ([Fe/H] = +0.5).

title: Enrichment by supernovae in globular clusters with multiple populations
abstract: The most massive globular cluster in the Milky Way, ω Centauri, is thought to be the remaining core of a disrupted dwarf galaxy, as expected within the model of hierarchical merging. It contains several stellar populations having different heavy elemental abundances supplied by supernovae—a process known as metal enrichment. Although M 22 appears to be similar to ω Cen, other peculiar globular clusters do not. Therefore ω Cen and M 22 are viewed as exceptional, and the presence of chemical inhomogeneities in other clusters is seen as ‘pollution’ from the intermediate-mass asymptotic-giant-branch stars expected in normal globular clusters. Here we report Ca abundances for seven globular clusters and compare them to ω Cen. Calcium and other heavy elements can only be supplied through numerous supernovae explosions of massive stars in these stellar systems, but the gravitational potentials of the present-day clusters cannot preserve most of the ejecta from such explosions. We conclude that these globular clusters, like ω Cen, are most probably the relics of more massive primeval dwarf galaxies that merged and disrupted to form the proto-Galaxy.

title: A Chemical Abundance Study of three RHB and two RGB stars in NGC6637 (M69)
abstract: We present a detailed chemical abundance study of three red horizontal branch and two red giant branch stars in the metal-rich globular cluster NGC 6637 (M69). The value of [Fe/H] derived from LTE calculations is $-$0.77 $\pm$ 0.02 dex. We also discuss the anticorrelation between oxygen and sodium abundances in the program stars and compare the [Si/Ti] ratio of NGC 6637 with those of other globular clusters.

title: Improved determination of color-singlet nonrelativistic QCD matrix elements for S -wave charmonium
abstract: We present a new computation of S-wave color-singlet nonrelativistic QCD matrix elements for the J/{psi} and the {eta}{sub c}. We compute the matrix elements of leading order in the heavy-quark velocity v and the matrix elements of relative order v{sup 2}. Our computation is based on the electromagnetic decay rates of the J/{psi} and the {eta}{sub c} and on a potential model that employs the Cornell potential. We include relativistic corrections to the electromagnetic decay rates, resumming a class of corrections to all orders in v, and find that they significantly increase the values of the matrix elements of leading order in v. This increase could have important implications for theoretical predictions for a number of quarkonium decay and production processes. The values that we find for the matrix elements of relative order v{sup 2} are somewhat smaller than the values that one obtains from estimates that are based on the velocity-scaling rules of nonrelativistic QCD.

title: The Qweak: Precision Measurement of the Proton’s Weak Charge by Parity Violating Experiment
abstract: The Qweak experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility measures the parity violating asymmetry in longitudinally polarized electron scattering from the proton at very low momentum transfer, Q2 = 0.026 (GeV/c)2, at an incident electron beam energy of 1.16 GeV. With this measurement and the earlier results of the parity violating elastic scattering experiments, the Qweak experiment determines the weak charge of the proton, $${Q^p_{\rm W}}$$, with a 4% combined statistical and systematic error. This measurement will be used to determine the weak mixing angle, $${\sin^2\theta_{\rm W}}$$, that is predicted by the Standard Model from the Z0 pole down to lower energies. Qweak will determine $${\sin^2\theta_{\rm W}}$$ to a 0.3% relative precision, providing a competitive measurement of the running of this quantity. Moreover, if there is a significant deviation of the weak mixing angle from the Standard Model prediction, then the Qweak experiment will give a glimpse of possible extensions of the Standard Model.

title: The Variation of Relative Magnetic Helicity around Major Flares
abstract: We have investigated the variation of magnetic helicity over a span of several days around the times of 11 X-class flares which occurred in seven active regions (NOAA 9672, 10030, 10314, 10486, 10564, 10696, and 10720) using the magnetograms taken by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). As a major result we found that each of these major flares was preceded by a significant helicity accumulation, (1.8–16) × 1042 Mx2 over a long period (0.5 to a few days). Another finding is that the helicity accumulates at a nearly constant rate, (4.5–48) × 1040 Mx2 hr−1, and then becomes nearly constant before the flares. This led us to distinguish the helicity variation into two phases: a phase of monotonically increasing helicity and the following phase of relatively constant helicity. As expected, the amount of helicity accumulated shows a modest correlation with time-integrated soft X-ray flux during flares. However, the average helicity change rate in the first phase shows even stronger correlation with the time-integrated soft X-ray flux. We discuss the physical implications of this result and the possibility that this characteristic helicity variation pattern can be used as an early warning sign for solar eruptions.

title: Phenomenology of the radion in the Randall–Sundrum scenario at colliders
abstract: Phenomenology of a radion ( φ ) that stabilizes the modulus in the Randall–Sundrum scenario is considered. The radion couples to the trace of energy momentum tensor of the standard model (SM) with a strength suppressed only by a new scale ( Λ φ ) of an order of the electroweak scale. In particular, the effective coupling of a radion to two gluons is enhanced due to the trace anomaly of QCD. Therefore, its production cross section at hadron colliders could be enhanced, and the dominant decay mode of a relatively light radion is φ → gg , unlike the SM Higgs boson case. We also present constraints on the mass m φ and the new scale Λ φ from the Higgs search limit at LEP and perturbative unitarity bound.

title: Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
abstract: Measurements are presented of production properties and couplings of the recently discovered Higgs boson using the decays into boson pairs, H --> gamma-gamma, H --> ZZ* --> 4 leptons and H --> WW --> 2 leptons + 2 neutrinos. The results are based on the complete pp collision data sample recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 25/fb. Evidence for Higgs boson production through vector-boson fusion is reported. Results of combined fits probing Higgs boson couplings to fermions and bosons, as well as anomalous contributions to loop-induced production and decay modes, are presented. All measurements are consistent with expectations for the Standard Model Higgs boson.