EMMA – an underground cosmic-ray experiment
A new cosmic-ray experiment is under construction in the Pyhasalmi mine, Finland. It aims to study the (mass) composition of cosmic rays at and above the knee region. The array, called EMMA (Experiment with MultiMuon Array), will cover approximately 130 m 2 of detector area at a depth of 75 metres (~210 mwe). It is able to locate shower cores in an area of approximately 400 m 2 with an accuracy better than 6 metres. The array detects underground muons and the muon multiplicity, their lateral distribution and the arrival direction of the air shower can be determined. First scientific measurements can be started during the spring 2009 with a partial-size array. The full-size array is expected to be ready by autumn 2010. The full-size array consist of two type of detectors: drift chambers and plastic scintillation detectors. Besides the composition study, it is also expected that the array contributes on the study of high-multiplicity muon bundles that were observed at the cosmic-ray experiments at the LEP detectors.

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: 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: 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: alpha decay of Re159 and proton emission from Ta155

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: An Experimental Exploration of the QCD Phase Diagram: The Search for the Critical Point and the Onset of De-confinement
abstract: The QCD phase diagram lies at the heart of what the RHIC Physics Program is
all about. While RHIC has been operating very successfully at or close to its
maximum energy for almost a decade, it has become clear that this collider can
also be operated at lower energies down to 5 GeV without extensive upgrades. An
exploration of the full region of beam energies available at the RHIC facility
is imperative. The STAR detector, due to its large uniform acceptance and
excellent particle identification capabilities, is uniquely positioned to carry
out this program in depth and detail. The first exploratory beam energy scan
(BES) run at RHIC took place in 2010 (Run 10), since several STAR upgrades,
most importantly a full barrel Time of Flight detector, are now completed which
add new capabilities important for the interesting physics at BES energies. In
this document we discuss current proposed measurements, with estimations of the
accuracy of the measurements given an assumed event count at each beam energy.

title: The integration of the ALICE trigger system with sub-detectors
abstract: The ALICE Trigger electronics (TRG) has been installed in the experimental cavern and tested with each of the detectors, both individually (‘standalone’ mode) and in ‘global’ runs, i.e. those involving other detectors. Global runs were performed with cosmic ray triggers, and also during the LHC startup period in September 2008. In this paper the status of the trigger system will be reviewed, in particular describing recent extensions to the system.

title: Overview of the status and strangeness capabilities of STAR
abstract: STAR is a large-acceptance spectrometer capable of precision measurements of a wide variety of strange particles. We discuss the STAR detector, its configuration during the first two years of RHIC operation, and its initial performance for Au + Au collisions. The expected performance for strangeness physics and initial data on strange particle reconstruction in Au + Au collisions are presented.

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.