Discovery of Variability in the Very High Energy γ-Ray Emission of 1ES 1218+304 with VERITAS
We present results from an intensive VERITAS monitoring campaign of the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1218+304 in 2008/2009. Although 1ES 1218+304 was detected previously by MAGIC and VERITAS at a persistent level of ~6% of the Crab Nebula flux, the new VERITAS data reveal a prominent flare reaching ~20% of the Crab. While very high energy (VHE) flares are quite common in many nearby blazars, the case of 1ES 1218+304 (redshift z = 0.182) is particularly interesting since it belongs to a group of blazars that exhibit unusually hard VHE spectra considering their redshifts. When correcting the measured spectra for absorption by the extragalactic background light, 1ES 1218+304 and a number of other blazars are found to have differential photon indices Γ≤ 1.5. The difficulty in modeling these hard spectral energy distributions in blazar jets has led to a range of theoretical γ-ray emission scenarios, one of which is strongly constrained by these new VERITAS observations. We consider the implications of the observed light curve of 1ES 1218+304, which shows day scale flux variations, for shock acceleration scenarios in relativistic jets, and in particular for the viability of kiloparsec-scale jet emission scenarios.

title: VERITAS Discovery of >200 GeV Gamma-Ray Emission from the Intermediate-Frequency-Peaked BL Lacertae Object W Comae
abstract: We report the detection of very high-energy -ray emission from the intermediate-frequencypeaked BLLacertae object WComae (z = 0.102) by VERITAS, an array of four imaging atmospheric-Cherenkov telescopes. The source was observed between January and April 2008. A strong outburst of -ray emission was measured in the middle of March, lasting for only four days. The energy spectrum measured during the two highest flare nights is fit by a power-law and is found to be very steep, with a differential photon spectral index of = 3 .81±0.35stat±0.34syst. The integral photon flux above 200GeV during those two nights corresponds to roughly 9% of the flux from the Crab Nebula. Quasi-simultaneous Swift observations at X-ray energies were triggered by the VERITAS observations. The spectral energy distribution of the flare data can be described by synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) or external-Compton (EC) leptonic jet models, with the latter offering a more natural set of parameters to fit the data.

title: Search for $b \to u$ transitions in $B^{-} \to$ (anti-) $D^0 K^{-}$ and $B^{-} \to$ (anti-) D*0 $K^{-}$

title: Measurement of $\sin(2\beta)$ using hadronic $J/\psi$ decays
abstract: The authors report a measurement of the CP-violation parameter sin2{beta} with B{sup 0} {yields} J/{phi}K{sub S}{sup 0} decays in which the J/{psi} decays to hadrons. With a sample of 88 million B{bar B} events collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC, they reconstruct 100 {+-} 17 such events, with J/{psi} {yields}  being the most prevalent, and measure sin 2{beta} = 1.56 {+-} 0.42(stat.) {+-} 0.21(syst.).

title: A valiant little terminal: A VLT user's manual
abstract: This report is a manual for the valiant little terminal. Information covered in this report is as follow: an introduction to VLT; installation; starting up; text screen menus; graphics screen menus; introduction to VLT's scripting facility; quick reference section; and troubleshooting.

title: Discovery of TeV Gamma-ray Emission from Tycho's Supernova Remnant
abstract: We report the discovery of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) G120.1+1.4, known as Tycho's SNR. Observations performed in the period 2008-2010 with the VERITAS ground-based gamma-ray observatory reveal weak emission coming from the direction of the remnant, compatible with a point source located at 00h25m270, + 64°10'50'' (J2000). The TeV photon spectrum measured by VERITAS can be described with a power law dN/dE = C(E/3.42 TeV)–Γ with Γ = 1.95 ± 0.51stat ± 0.30sys and C = (1.55 ± 0.43stat ± 0.47sys) × 10–14 cm–2 s–1 TeV–1. The integral flux above 1 TeV corresponds to ~0.9% of the steady Crab Nebula emission above the same energy, making it one of the weakest sources yet detected in TeV gamma rays. We present both leptonic and hadronic models that can describe the data. The lowest magnetic field allowed in these models is ~80 μG, which may be interpreted as evidence for magnetic field amplification.

title: Geometry of the transport equation in multicomponent WKB approximations
abstract: Although the WKB approximation for multicomponent systems has been intensively studied in the literature, its geometric and global aspects are much less well understood than in the scalar case. In this paper we give a completely geometric derivation of the transport equation, without using local sections and without assuming complete diagonalizability of the matrix valued principal symbol, or triviality of its eigenbundles. The term (unnamed in the previous literature) appearing in the transport equation in addition to the covariant derivative with respect to a natural projected connection is a tensor, independent of the choice of any sections. We give a goemetric interpretation of this tensor, involving the contraction of the curvature of the eigenbundle and an analog of the second fundamental form with the Poisson tensor in phase space. In the non-degenerate case this term may be rewritten in an even simpler geometric form. Finally, we discuss obstructions to the existence of WKB states and give a geometric description of the quantization condition for WKB states for a non-degenerate eigenvalue-function.

title: Beating the Spin-down Limit on Gravitational Wave Emission from the Vela Pulsar
abstract: We present direct upper limits on gravitational wave emission from the Crab pulsar using data from the first 9 months of the fifth science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). These limits are based on two searches. In the first we assume that the gravitational wave emission follows the observed radio timing, giving an upper limit on gravitational wave emission that beats indirect limits inferred from the spin-down and braking index of the pulsar and the energetics of the nebula. In the second we allow for a small mismatch between the gravitational and radio signal frequencies and interpret our results in the context of two possible gravitational wave emission mechanisms.

title: Of Symmetries and Factories, Matter and Antimatter
abstract: An elusive subatomic particle called the B decays in a way that violates a fundamental symmetry of nature. Physicists hope to study this decay pattern at a "B Factory," as learning its secrets may explain why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe today.

title: Implications For The Origin Of GRB 051103 From LIGO Observations
abstract: We present the results of a LIGO search for gravitational waves (GWs) associated with GRB 051103, a short-duration hard-spectrum gamma-ray burst (GRB) whose electromagnetically determined sky position is coincident with the spiral galaxy M81, which is 3.6 Mpc from Earth. Possible progenitors for short-hard GRBs include compact object mergers and soft gamma repeater (SGR) giant flares. A merger progenitor would produce a characteristic GW signal that should be detectable at a distance of M81, while GW emission from an SGR is not expected to be detectable at that distance. We found no evidence of a GW signal associated with GRB 051103. Assuming weakly beamed γ-ray emission with a jet semi-angle of 30°, we exclude a binary neutron star merger in M81 as the progenitor with a confidence of 98%. Neutron star-black hole mergers are excluded with >99% confidence. If the event occurred in M81, then our findings support the hypothesis that GRB 051103 was due to an SGR giant flare, making it one of the most distant extragalactic magnetars observed to date.

title: Measurement of hadronic spectral moments in tau decays and a determination of alpha-s