Self-consistent quantum effects in the quark meson coupling model

We derive the equation of state of nuclear matter for the quark-meson coupling model taking into account quantum fluctuations of the σ meson as well as vacuum polarization effects for the nucleons. This model incorporates explicitly quark degrees of freedom with quarks coupled to the scalar and vector mesons. Quantum fluctuations lead to a softer equation of state for nuclear matter giving a lower value of incompressibility than would be reached without quantum effects. The in-medium nucleon and σ-meson masses are also calculated in a self-consistent manner. The spectral function of the σ meson is calculated and the σ mass has the value increased with respect to the purely classical approximation at high densities.

Short-range repulsion and isospin dependence in the kaon-nucleon (KN) system

The short-range properties of the kaon-nucleon (KN) interaction are studied within the meson-exchange model of the Jülich group. Specifically, dynamical explanations for the phenomenological short-range repulsion, required in this model for achieving agreement with the empirical KN data, are explored. Evidence is found that contributions from the exchange of a heavy scalar-isovector meson [a0(980)] as well as from genuine quark-gluon exchange processes are needed. Taking both mechanisms into account, a satisfactory description of the KN phase shifts can be obtained without resorting to phenomenological pieces.

Possible origin of RHIC Rout/Rsid HBT results

The effects of opacity of the nuclei together with a blackbody type of emission along the system history are considered as a means to explain the ratio Rout/Rsid observed by STAR and PHENIX collaborations at RHIC. Within our model, no flow is required to explain the data trend of this ratio for large surface emissivities. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Warm asymmetric matter in the quark-meson coupling model

In this work we study the warm equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter in the quark-meson coupling model which incorporates explicitly quark degrees of freedom, with quarks coupled to scalar, vector, and isovector mesons. Mechanical and chemical instabilities are discussed as a function of density and isospin asymmetry. The binodal section, essential in the study of the liquid-gas phase transition is also constructed and discussed. The main results for the equation of state are compared with two common parametrizations used in the nonlinear Walecka model and the differences are outlined.

Supersymmetry and the KdV equations for integrable hierarchies with a half-integer gradation

Supersymmetry is formulated for integrable models based on the sl(2 1) loop algebra endowed with a principal gradation. The symmetry transformations which have half-integer grades generate supersymmetry. The sl(2 1) loop algebra leads to N=2 supersymmetric mKdV and sinh-Gordon equations. The corresponding N=1 mKdV and sinh-Gordon equations are obtained via reduction induced by twisted automorphism. Our method allows for a description of a non-local symmetry structure of supersymmetric integrable models. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Covariant quantization of the superstring

After constructing a BRST operator from the fermionic Green-Schwarz constraints and a bosonic pure spinor ghost variable, the superstring is covariantly quantized and N-point tree amplitudes are computed in a manifestly ten-dimensional super-Poincaré covariant manner. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

On the role of boundary terms in the AdS/CFT correspondence

We consider a scalar field theory on AdS, and show that the usual AdS/CFT prescription is unable to map to the boundary a part of the information arising from the quantization in the bulk. We propose a solution to this problem by defining the energy of the theory in the bulk through the Noether current corresponding to time displacements, and, in addition, by introducing a proper generalized AdS/CFT prescription. We also show how this extended formulation could be used to consistently describe double-trace interactions in the boundary. The formalism is illustrated by focusing on the non-minimally coupled case using Dirichlet boundary conditions. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Determination of the Θ+ parity from γn → K -K+n

It is demonstrated that measurements of photon asymmetry in the γn → K-K+n reaction, can most likely determine the parity of the newly discovered Θ+ pentaquark. We predict that if the parity of Θ+ is positive, the photon asymmetry is significantly positive; if the parity is negative, the photon asymmetry is significantly negative. If the background contribution is large, the photon asymmetry may become very small in magnitude, thereby making it difficult to distinguish between the positive and negative parity results. However, even in this case, a combined analysis of the (K+n) invariant mass distribution and photon asymmetry should allow a determination of the parity of Θ+. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Role of transitional levels in Np237 (γ,f): Perspectives for studying highly deformed systems

The transition levels at the top of the two Np237 fission barriers were obtained for the first time by means of the so-called semimicroscopic combined method, which we have developed and implemented. To overcome the difficulties in dealing with large nuclear deformations, we used our developed BARRIER code, which calculates single-particle spectra in a deformed Woods-Saxon potential using a coordinate system based on Cassini ovaloids as nuclear shape parametrization. The results enabled us to describe the experimentally observed near-barrier photofission cross-section structures for Np237, as well as a subbarrier shelf, the latter being consistently interpreted in terms of the accumulation of levels at the top of the inner and outer double fission barrier of Np237. © 2006 The American Physical Society.

Photon-induced multiple particle emissions of Zr90 and natZr from 10 to 140 MeV

A comprehensive analysis of electrodisintegration yields of protons on Zr90 is proposed taking into account the giant dipole resonance, isovector giant quadrupole resonance (IVGQR), and quasideuteron contributions to the total photoabsorption cross section from 10 to 140 MeV. The calculation applies the MCMC intranuclear cascade to address the direct and pre-equilibrium emissions and another Monte Carlo-based algorithm to describe the evaporation step. The final results of the total photoabsorption cross section for Zr90 and relevant decay channels are obtained by fitting the (e,p) measurements from the National Bureau of Standards and show that multiple proton emissions dominate the photonuclear reactions at higher energies. These results provide a consistent explanation for the exotic and steady increase of the (e,p) yield and also a strong evidence of a IVGQR with a strength parameter compatible with the E2 energy-weighted sum rule. The inclusive photoneutron cross sections for Zr90 and natZr, derived from these results and normalized with the (e,p) data, are in agreement within 10% with both Livermore and Saclay data up to 140 MeV. © 2007 The American Physical Society.

Superstring Amplitudes in the Pure Spinor Formalism

Among other things, the pure spinor formalism has been used to rederive some particular superstring scattering amplitudes in the last few years. I will briefly review how the computations were done and show that the kinematical factors of these amplitudes can be simply written as integrals in a pure spinor superspace. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fusion of fingerprint recognition methods for robust human identification

Biometrics is one of the biggest tendencies in human identification. The fingerprint is the most widely used biometric. However considering the automatic fingerprint recognition a completely solved problem is a common mistake. The most popular and extensively used methods, the minutiae-based, do not perform well on poor-quality images and when just a small area of overlap between the template and the query images exists. The use of multibiometrics is considered one of the keys to overcome the weakness and improve the accuracy of biometrics systems. This paper presents the fusion of a minutiae-based and a ridge-based fingerprint recognition method at rank, decision and score level. The fusion techniques implemented leaded to a reduction of the Equal Error Rate by 31.78% (from 4.09% to 2.79%) and a decreasing of 6 positions in the rank to reach a Correct Retrieval (from rank 8 to 2) when assessed in the FVC2002-DB1A database. © 2008 IEEE.

Comparison of the GEANT4 releases 8.2 and 9.2 in terms of a pCT reduced calibration curve

The GEANT4 simulations are essential for the development of medical tomography with proton beams pCT. In the case of thin absorbers the latest releases of GEANT4 generate very similar final spectra which agree well with the results of other popular Monte Carlo codes like TRIM/SRIM, or MCNPX. For thick absorbers, however, the disagreements became evident. In a part, these disagreements are due to the known contradictions in the NIST PSTAR and SRIM reference data. Therefore, it is interesting to compare the GEANT4 results with each other, with experiment, and with diverse code results in a reduced form, which is free from this kind of doubts. In this work such comparison is done within the Reduced Calibration Curve concept elaborated for the proton beam tomography. © 2010 IEEE.

Halo nuclei in a three-body model and universal characteristics of low-energy few-body systems

Within general characteristics of low-energy few-body systems, we revise some well-known correlations found in nuclear physics, and the properties of low-mass halo nuclei in a three-body neutron-neutron-core model. In this context, near the critical conditions for the occurrence of an Efimov state, we report some results obtained for the neutron- 19C elastic scattering. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.