Transverse spin effects in hadron-pair production from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering
First measurements of azimuthal asymmetries in hadron-pair production in deep-inelastic scattering of muons on transversely polarised LiD 6 (deuteron) and NH 3 (proton) targets are presented. The data were taken in the years 2002–2004 and 2007 with the COMPASS spectrometer using a muon beam of 160 GeV/ c at the CERN SPS. The asymmetries provide access to the transversity distribution functions, without involving the Collins effect as in single hadron production. The sizeable asymmetries measured on the NH 3 target indicate non-vanishing u -quark transversity and two-hadron interference fragmentation functions. The small asymmetries measured on the LiD 6 target can be interpreted as indication for a cancellation of u - and d -quark transversities.

title: Read-out of scintillating fibres using a weak cross-talk position-sensitive photomultiplier
abstract: Fast and precise readout of scintillating fibres (SciFi) has a great potential for fast tracking and triggering at high-luminosity particle physics experiments. In the framework of the RD-17 experiment at CERN (FAROS) significant milestones in the development of SciFi detectors using position-sensitive photomultipliers have been achieved. Results obtained with a weak cross-talk multi-anode photomultiplier, Philips XP1724, and a parallel readout of the anodes are reported. With 0.5 mm diameter fibres a spatial resolution of about 125 μm and a detection efficiency in excess of 95% have been obtained. The time dispersion of signals from individual photomultiplier channels has been estimated to be about 1 ns. The possibility of digitising the track position in real time by a peak-sensing circuit is studied for the first time

title: Results on the primary CR spectrum and composition reconstructed with the SPHERE-2 detector
abstract: First preliminary results of the balloon-borne experiment SPHERE-2 on the all-nuclei primary cosmic rays (PCR) spectrum and primary composition are presented. The primary spectrum in the energy range 1016–5 1017 eV was reconstructed using characteristics of Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation of extensive air showers (EAS), reflected from a snow surface. Several sources of systematic uncertainties of the spectrum were analysed. A method for separation of the primary nuclei' groups based on the lateral distribution function' (LDF) steepness parameter is presented. Preliminary estimate of the mean light nuclei' fraction f30-150 at energies 3 1016–1.5 1017 eV was performed and yielded f30-150 = (21±11) %.

title: Scintillating fiber detectors using position sensitive photomultipliers

title: Development of a scintillating-fibre detector for fast topological triggers in high-luminosity particle physics experiments
abstract: In the framework of the RD-17 project at CERN an extensive work is in progress on the development of scintillating-fibre detectors using position-sensitive photomultipliers. With 0.5 mm diameter fibres a spatial resolution of about 125 μm was obtained with a detection efficiency higher than 95%. The time resolution of the detector is about 600 ps, and the track position is properly digitised in real time in less than 10 ns by a peak sensing circuit. A simulation, based on experimental data, has also been performed to compare different types of front-end electronics.

title: Detection of single photons with ThickGEM-based counters
abstract: The photon detectors based on MPGD (MicroPattern Gaseous Detector) represent the new generation of gaseous photon detectors. We report about an R&D programme dedicated to study both the principles and the engineering aspects of photon detectors based on Thick GEMs (THGEM) electron multipliers coupled to a CsI photoconverting coating. The goal is the development of a gaseous detector of single UV photons, able to stably operate at high gain and high rate, to provide good time resolution and insensitive to magnetic field to be used in the Cherenkov imaging counter RICH-1 of the COMPASS experiment at CERN SPS.

title: Strange particle production in pp collisions at $ \sqrt {s} = 0.9 $ and 7 TeV
abstract: The spectra of strange hadrons are measured in proton-proton collisions, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, at centre-of-mass energies of 0.9 and 7 TeV. The $ {\text{K}}_{\text{S}}^0 $, Λ, and Ξ− particles and their antiparticles are reconstructed from their decay topologies and the production rates are measured as functions of rapidity and transverse momentum, pT. The results are compared to other experiments and to predictions of the Pythia Monte Carlo program. The pT distributions are found to differ substantially from the Pythia results and the production rates exceed the predictions by up to a factor of three.

title: Search for heavy quarks decaying into a top quark and a W or Z boson using lepton + jets events in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV
abstract: A bstractResults are presented from a search for the pair-production of heavy quarks, $ \mathrm{Q}\overline{\mathrm{Q}} $, that decay exclusively into a top quark and a W or Z boson. The search is performed using a sample of proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb−1, collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment. The signal region is defined using a sample of events containing one electron or muon, missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets with large transverse momenta, where one jet is likely to originate from the decay of a bottom quark. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model expectations. Assuming a strong pair-production mechanism, quark masses below 675 (625) GeV decaying into tW (tZ) are excluded at the 95 % confidence level.

title: Outbursts Large and Small from EXO 2030+375
abstract: During the summer of 2006, the accreting X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 underwent its first giant outburst since its discovery in 1985. Our observations include the first ever of the rise of a giant outburst of EXO 2030+375. EXO 2030+375 was monitored daily with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) from 2006 June to 2007 May. During the giant outburst we discovered evidence for a cyclotron feature at ~11 keV. This feature was confidently detected for about 90 days, during the brighter portion of the outburst. Daily observations of the next five EXO 2030+375 orbits detected pulsations at all orbital phases and normal outbursts shifted to a later orbital phase than before the giant outburst. An accretion disk appears to be present in both the normal and giant outbursts, suggesting that the long-term behavior is a product of the state of the Be star disk and the accretion disk. Here we will present flux and frequency histories from our detailed RXTE observations of the giant outburst and the normal outbursts that surrounded it. A new orbital analysis is presented that includes observations from 1991 to 2007 August.

title: 4U 1626-67 as Seen by Suzaku Before and After the 2008 Torque Reversal
abstract: The accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1626-67 experienced a new torque reversal at the beginning of 2008, after about 18 years of steadily spinning down. The main goal of the present work is to study this recent torque reversal that occurred in 2008 February.  We present a spectral analysis of this source using two pointed observations pctformed  2006 March and in 2010 September,  We confirm with Suzaku. the presence of a strong emission-Hne complex centered on 1 keV, with the stronge.!lt line being the bydrogen-like Ne Lya at 1,025(3) keY. We were able to resolve this complex with up to seven emission lines, A dnunR;tic increase of the intensity of the Ne Lya line after the 2008 torque rcven.al occurred, with me equivalent width of this line reaching almost the same value measured by ASCA in 1993 . We also report on the detection of a cyclotron line feature centered at -37k.cV. In spite of the fact that an increase of the X-ray luminosity (O.5-100keV) of a factor of -2.8 occwred between these two observations, no significant change in the energy of the cyclotron line feature was observed. However, the intensity of the -1 keY line complex increased by an overall factor of -8.  Our results favor a scenario in which the neutron star in 4U 1626-67 accretes material 'from a geometrically thin disk during both the spin-up and spin-down phases. Key word •. accretion, accretion disks - binaries:close - pulsars: individual (4U 1626-67 ) - stars : neutron - X-rays: binaries

title: Measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel cross section in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV
abstract: A bstractA measurement of the single-top-quark t-channel production cross section in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=7 $ TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC is presented. Two different and complementary approaches have been followed. The first approach exploits the distributions of the pseudorapidity of the recoil jet and reconstructed top-quark mass using background estimates determined from control samples in data. The second approach is based on multivariate analysis techniques that probe the compatibility of the candidate events with the signal. Data have been collected for the muon and electron final states, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 and 1.56 fb−1, respectively. The single-top-quark production cross section in the t-channel is measured to be 67.2±6.1 pb, in agreement with the approximate next-to-next-to-leading-order standard model prediction. Using the standard model electroweak couplings, the CKM matrix element |Vtb| is measured to be 1.020 ± 0.046 (meas.) ± 0.017 (theor.).