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Heavy quark and charmonium production as well as their space-time evolution are studied in transport simulations of heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC. In the partonic transport model Boltzmann Approach of MultiParton Scatterings (BAMPS) heavy quarks can be produced in initial hard parton scatterings or during the evolution of the quark-gluon plasma. Subsequently, they interact with the medium via binary scatterings with a running coupling and a more precise Debye screening which is derived from hard thermal loop calculations, participate in the flow and lose energy. We present results of the elliptic flow and nuclear modification factor of heavy quarks and compare them to available data. Furthermore, preliminary results on J/psi suppression at forward and mid-rapidity are reported for central and non-central collisions at RHIC. For this, we study cold nuclear matter effects and the dissociation as well as regeneration of J/psi in the quark-gluon plasma. XLIX International Winter Meeting on Nuclear Physics 24-28 January 2011 BORMIO, Italy
Lattice Yang-Mills theories at finite temperature can be mapped onto effective 3d spin systems, thus facilitating their numerical investigation. Using strong-coupling expansions we derive effective actions for Polyakov loops in the SU(2) and SU(3) cases and investigate the effect of higher order corrections. Once a formulation is obtained which allows for Monte Carlo analysis, the nature of the phase transition in both classes of models is investigated numerically, and the results are then used to predict – with an accuracy within a few percent – the deconfinement point in the original 4d Yang-Mills pure gauge theories, for a series of values of Nt at once.
Relying on the existing estimates for the production cross sections of mini black holes in models with large extra dimensions, we review strategies for identifying those objects at collider experiments. We further consider a possible stable final state of such black holes and discuss their characteristic signatures. Keywords: Black holes
We discuss the present collective flow signals for the phase transition to the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and the collective flow as a barometer for the equation of state (EoS). We emphasize the importance of the flow excitation function from 1 to 50A GeV: here the hydrodynamicmodel has predicted the collapse of the v1-flow at ~ 10A GeV and of the v2-flow at ~ 40A GeV. In the latter case, this has recently been observed by the NA49 collaboration. Since hadronic rescattering models predict much larger flow than observed at this energy, we interpret this observation as potential evidence for a first order phase transition at high baryon density pB.
We study various fluctuation and correlation signals of the deconfined state using a dynamical recombination approach (quark Molecular Dynamics, qMD). We analyse charge ratio fluctuations, charge transfer fluctuations and baryon-strangeness correlations as a function of the center of mass energy with a set of central Pb+Pb/Au+Au events from AGS energies on (Elab = 4 AGeV) up to the highest RHIC energy available (V sNN = 200 GeV) and as a function of time with a set of central Au+Au qMD events at V sNN = 200 GeV with and without applying our hadronization procedure. For all studied quantities, the results start from values compatible with a weakly coupled QGP in the early stage and end with values compatible with the hadronic result in the final state. We show that the loss of the signal occurs at the same time as hadronization and trace it back to the dynamical recombination process implemented in our model.
Starting from a classical picture of shear viscosity we construct a steady velocity gradient in the partonic cascade BAMPS. Using the Navier-Stokes-equation we calculate the shear viscosity coefficient. For elastic isotropic scatterings we find a very good agreement with the analytic values. For both elastic and inelastic scatterings with pQCD cross sections we find good agreement with previously published calculations.
Understanding the dynamics of recurrent neural networks is crucial for explaining how the brain processes information. In the neocortex, a range of different plasticity mechanisms are shaping recurrent networks into effective information processing circuits that learn appropriate representations for time-varying sensory stimuli. However, it has been difficult to mimic these abilities in artificial neural network models. Here we introduce SORN, a self-organizing recurrent network. It combines three distinct forms of local plasticity to learn spatio-temporal patterns in its input while maintaining its dynamics in a healthy regime suitable for learning. The SORN learns to encode information in the form of trajectories through its high-dimensional state space reminiscent of recent biological findings on cortical coding. All three forms of plasticity are shown to be essential for the network's success. Keywords: synaptic plasticity, intrinsic plasticity, recurrent neural networks, reservoir computing, time series prediction
In this paper we discuss experimental evidence related to the structure and origin of the bosonic spectral function alpha 2F (omega) in high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) cuprates at and near optimal doping. Global properties of alpha 2F (omega), such as number and positions of peaks, are extracted by combining optics, neutron scattering, ARPES and tunnelling measurements. These methods give evidence for strong electron-phonon interaction (EPI) with 1<lambda ep <~ 3.5 in cuprates near optimal doping. We clarify how these results are in favor of the modified Migdal-Eliashberg (ME) theory for HTSC cuprates near optimal doping. In Section 2 we discuss theoretical ingredients—such as strong EPI, strong correlations—which are necessary to explain the mechanism of d-wave pairing in optimally doped cuprates. These comprise the ME theory for EPI in strongly correlated systems which give rise to the forward scattering peak. The latter is supported by the long-range part of EPI due to the weakly screened Madelung interaction in the ionic-metallic structure of layered HTSC cuprates. In this approach EPI is responsible for the strength of pairing while the residual Coulomb interaction and spin fluctuations trigger the d-wave pairing.
In this proceeding the emergence of a composite, adjoint-scalar field as an average over (trivial holonomy) calorons and anti-calorons is reviewed. This composite field acts as a background field to the dynamics of perturbative gluons, to which it is coupled via an effective, gauge invariant Lagrangian valid for temperatures above the deconfinement phase transition. Moreover a Higgs mechanism is induced by the composite field: two gluons acquire a quasi-particle thermal mass. On the phenomenological side the composite field acts as a bag pressure which shows a linear dependence on the temperature. As a result the linear rise with temperature of the trace anomaly is obtained and is compared to recent lattice studies.
Short-term memory requires the coordination of sub-processes like encoding, retention, retrieval and comparison of stored material to subsequent input. Neuronal oscillations have an inherent time structure, can effectively coordinate synaptic integration of large neuron populations and could therefore organize and integrate distributed sub-processes in time and space. We observed field potential oscillations (14–95 Hz) in ventral prefrontal cortex of monkeys performing a visual memory task. Stimulus-selective and performance-dependent oscillations occurred simultaneously at 65–95 Hz and 14–50 Hz, the latter being phase-locked throughout memory maintenance. We propose that prefrontal oscillatory activity may be instrumental for the dynamical integration of local and global neuronal processes underlying short-term memory.
Clathrates are candidate materials for thermoelectric applications because of a number of unique properties. The clathrate I phases in the Ba-Ni-Ge ternary system allow controlled variation of the charge carrier concentration by adjusting the Ni content. Depending on the Ni content, the physical properties vary from metal-like to insulator-like and show a transition from p-type to n-type conduction. Here we present first results on the characterization of millimeter-sized single crystals grown by the Bridgman technique. Single crystals with a composition of Ba8Ni3.5Ge42.1h0.4 show metallic behavior (dp/dT > 0) albeit with high resistivity at room temperature [p (300 K) = 1 mOhm cm]. The charge carrier concentration at 300 K, as determined from Hall-effect measurements, is 2.3 e-/unit cell. The dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit estimated at 680 K is ZT ~ 0.2. Keywords Clathrates - thermoelectric material - intermetallic compound - nickel
Den Geheimnissen der Materie auf der Spur : neue Denkfabrik für physikalische Grundlagenforschung
(2009)
Bei Darmstadt entsteht FAIR, eines der größten internationalen Forschungszentren für Physik. Durch das von der Landesregierung geförderte Exzellenzzentrum »HIC for FAIR« erhält die Forschung in Hessen die einmalige Chance, sich direkt an globaler Spitzenforschung zu beteiligen: auf der Suche nach den letzten Geheimnissen der Materie.
The surface tension sigma and the surface density thickness t of nuclear matter have been calculated in the Fermi-gas model, the nucleons moving in a self-made shell model potential with a realistic slope and velocity dependence ( parameters alpha and beta ). One gets the experimental values for sigma and t with alpha and beta agreeing with earlier data.
Theoretical studies in the shell model have led to the conclusion that the shape dependence of the liquid-drop part of the semi-empirical mass formula of the Weizsaecker-Bethe type should contain terms proportional to the volume, the surface, and the mean-total curvature of the surface of the drop, respectively. Now the surface tension beta_e and the curvature tension gamma_e are fitted to the experimentally known fission barriers of 35 nuclei. Furthermore, the parameters of the liquid-drop part of the mass formula are roughly fitted to the ground-state masses of about 600 beta-stable nuclei. For the elementary radius r_e, the value 1.123 fm ( determined by Elton ) is used. As a result, gamma_e should be in the range 6-8 MeV, with the value 6.8 MeV being the most probable, thus beta_e=17.85 MeV. For sufficiently large values of the curvature tension ( e.g. gamma_e=13.4 MeV ), a small double-hump fission barrier occurs in the region of Ra.
Die Reform der Lehrerausbildung spielt in der aktuellen bildungspolitischen Diskussion eine wichtige Rolle. In der Auseinandersetzung um fachdidaktische Ausbildungsstandards und Kerncurricula werden von den Studierenden, neben fachlichen Fähigkeiten, Reflexions-, Kommunikations- und unterrichtsbezogene Handlungskompetenzen gefordert. In der Physik-lehrerausbildung der universitären Phase müssen Lernumgebungen zur Schulung dieser Kom-petenzen häufig erst noch geschaffen werden. Aus diesem Grund wird seit dem Wintersemester 2002/03 der Universität Frankfurt/M. eine Seminarreihe mit dem Charakter einer Lernwerkstatt angeboten, in der die Studierenden selbstorganisiert Unterrichtsmaterialien entwickeln. Von den Zielen, der Durchführung und den Ergebnissen dieses Projekts wird berichtet und ein Seminarkonzept in Kombination mit den schulpraktischen Studien vorgestellt.
Background: In this interdisciplinary project, the biological effects of heavy ions are compared to those of X-rays using tissue slice culture preparations from rodents and humans. Advantages of this biological model are the conservation of an organotypic environment and the independency from genetic immortalization strategies used to generate cell lines. Its open access allows easy treatment and observation via live-imaging microscopy. Materials and methods: Rat brains and human brain tumor tissue are cut into 300 micro m thick tissue slices. These slices are cultivated using a membrane-based culture system and kept in an incubator at 37°C until treatment. The slices are treated with X-rays at the radiation facility of the University Hospital in Frankfurt at doses of up to 40 Gy. The heavy ion irradiations were performed at the UNILAC facility at GSI with different ions of 11.4 A MeV and fluences ranging from 0.5–10 x 106 particles/cm². Using 3D-confocal microscopy, cell-death and immune cell activation of the irradiated slices are analyzed. Planning of the irradiation experiments is done with simulation programs developed at GSI and FIAS. Results: After receiving a single application of either X-rays or heavy ions, slices were kept in culture for up to 9d post irradiation. DNA damage was visualized using gamma H2AXstaining. Here, a dose-dependent increase and time-dependent decrease could clearly be observed for the X-ray irradiation. Slices irradiated with heavy ions showed less gamma H2AX-positive cells distributed evenly throughout the slice, even though particles were calculated to penetrate only 90–100 micro m into the slice. Conclusions: Single irradiations of brain tissue, even at high doses of 40 Gy, will result neither in tissue damage visible on a macroscopic level nor necrosis. This is in line with the view that the brain is highly radio-resistant. However, DNA damage can be detected very well in tissue slices using gamma H2AX-immuno staining. Thus, slice cultures are an excellent tool to study radiation-induced damage and repair mechanisms in living tissues.
Recent results of the NA49 collaboration are presented. Transverse mass spectra as well as total multiplicities of identified particles are discussed. The study of their evolution from AGS over SPS to the highest RHIC energy reveals a couple of interesting features. These include a sudden change in the energy dependence of the mt-spectra and of the yields of strange hadrons around 30A GeV. Additionally, new results on particle production at high-pt for Pb+Pb collsions at 158A GeV, as well as on the v2 of L, are discussed.
We study the line shapes of radiative φ-decays with a direct coupling of the φ meson to the f0(980) and a0(980) scalar mesons. The latter couple via derivative interactions to π0π0 and π0η, respectively. Although the kaon-loop mechanism is usually regarded as the dominant mechanism in radiative φ decays, here we test a different possibility: we set the kaon-loop to zero and we fit the theoretical curves to the data by retaining only the direct coupling. Remarkably, satisfactory fits can be achieved, mainly due to the effects of derivative interactions of scalar with pseudoscalar mesons.
Poster presentation: The brain is autonomously active and this self-sustained neural activity is in general modulated, but not driven, by the sensory input data stream [1,2]. Traditionally one has regarded this eigendynamics as resulting from inter-modular recurrent neural activity [3]. Understanding the basic modules for cognitive computation is, in this view, the primary focus of research and the overall neural dynamics would be determined by the the topology of the intermodular pathways. Here we examine an alternative point of view, asking whether certain aspects of the neural eigendynamics have a central functional role for overall cognitive computation [4,5]. Transiently stable neural activity is regularly observed on the cognitive time-scale of 80–100 ms, with indications that neural competition [6] plays an important role in the selection of the transiently stable neural ensembles [7], also denoted winning coalitions [8]. We report on a theory approach which implements these two principles, transient-state dynamics and neural competition, in terms of an associative neural network with clique encoding [9]. A cognitive system [10] with a non-trivial internal eigendynamics has two seemingly contrasting tasks to fulfill. The internal processes need to be regular and not chaotic on one side, but sensitive to the afferent sensory stimuli on the other side. We show, that these two contrasting demands can be reconciled within our approach based on competitive transient-state dynamics, when allowing the sensory stimuli to modulate the competition for the next winning coalition. By testing the system with the bars problem, we find an emerging cognitive capability. Only based on the two basic architectural principles, neural competition and transient-state dynamics, with no explicit algorithmic encoding, the system performs on its own a non-linear independent component analysis of input data stream. The system has rudimentary biological features. All learning is local Hebbian-style, unsupervised and online. It exhibits an ever-ongoing eigendynamics and at no time is the state or the value of synaptic strengths reset or the system restarted; there is no separation between training and performance. We believe that this kind of approach – cognitive computation with autonomously active neural networks – to be an emerging field, relevant both for system neuroscience and synthetic cognitive systems.
We explain how fluctuations of ratios can constrain and falsify the statistical model of particle production in heavy ion collisions, using K/p fluctuations as an example. We define an observable capable of determining which statistical model, if any, governs freeze-out in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. We calculate this observable for K/p fluctuations, and show that it should be the same for RHIC and LHC energies, as well as independent of centrality, if the Grand-Canonical statistical model is an appropriate description and chemical equilibrium applies. We describe variations of this scaling for deviations from this scenario, such as light quark chemical non-equilibrium, strange quark over-saturation and local conservation (canonical ensemble) for strange quarks. We also introduce a similar observable capable, together with the published K*/K measurement, of ascertaining if an interacting hadron gas phase governs the system between thermal and chemical freeze-out, and of ascertaining its duration and impact on hadronic chemistry.
Zellulare Nichtlineare Netzwerke (CNN) wurden 1988 von Chua und Yang (Chua und Yang, 1988) eingeführt. Diese Netzwerke sind dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass eine Zelle, die die kleinste Einheit eines CNN darstellt, nur mit Zellen innerhalb einer bestimmten Umgebung verbunden ist. üblicherweise sind Art und Stärke der Wechselwirkung zwischen zwei Zellen eines CNN translationsinvariant, d.h. sie hängen nur von der relativen Lage beider Zellen zueinander ab. Im Vordergrund aktueller Arbeiten stehen auf derartigen Netzwerken basierende schaltungstechnische Realisierungen mit bis zu 176x144 Zellen, die eine direkte Verbindung zu zweidimensionalen optischen Sensor-Anordnungen aufweisen. Über einen separaten Speicherbereich können die Zellkopplungen eines Netzwerks verändert werden, wodurch eine adaptive Verarbeitung von mehrdimensionalen Sensorsignalen ermöglicht wird. Das kürzlich vorgestellte so genannte EyeRis System (Anafocus Ltd.) enthält zusätzlich noch einen Standardprozessor und stellt (bei einer Größe vergleichbar mit der einer Kreditkarte) daher ein vollständiges superschnelles System zur Informationsverarbeitung dar. In diesem Beitrag sollen, nach einem kurzen Überblick über die Eigenschaften von CNN, aktuelle Realisierungen und exemplarisch eine neuere eigene Anwendung vorgestellt und besprochen werden.
We calculate low-energymeson decay processes and pion-pion scattering lengths in a two-flavour linear sigma model with global chiral symmetry, exploring the scenario in which the scalar mesons f0(600) and a0(980) are assumed to be ¯qq states.
We argue that Clustering in heavy ion collisions could be the missing element in resolving the socalled HBT puzzle, and briefly discuss the different physical situations where clustering could be present. We then propose a method by which clustering in heavy ion collisions could be detectedin a model-independent way.
The interplay of charmonium production and suppression in In+In and Pb+Pb reactions at 158 AGeV and in Au+Au reactions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV is investigated with the HSD transport approach within the hadronic comover model' and the QGP melting scenario'. The results for the J/Psi suppression and the Psi' to J/Psi ratio are compared to the recent data of the NA50, NA60, and PHENIX Collaborations. We find that, at 158 AGeV, the comover absorption model performs better than the scenario of abrupt threshold melting. However, neither interaction with hadrons alone nor simple color screening satisfactory describes the data at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. A deconfined phase is clearly reached at RHIC, but a theory having the relevant degrees of freedom in this regime (strongly interacting quarks/gluons) is needed to study its transport properties.
Bei intelligenten Sensoren soll die Aufnahme von Signalen und deren, zumindest teilweise durchgeführte, Verarbeitung mit einer einzigen Anordnung erfolgen. Dazu steht häufig eine elektronische Schaltung zur Verfügung, die allerdings zur Einhaltung von Echtzeitbedingungen nur für eine relativ einfache Signalverarbeitung verwendet werden kann. Einen möglichen Ausweg bildet die Verwendung parallel arbeitender Rechnersysteme. In dieser Hinsicht sind programmierbare Schaltungen mit z.B. optischen Sensor-Anordnungen besonders interessant, die auf Zellularen Nichtlinearen Netzwerken basieren. Derartige miniaturisierte Systeme eröffnen aufgrund ihrer zellularen Architektur neue Möglichkeiten zur Signalverarbeitung mit einem Leistungsvermögen, das im Bereich von Tera-Operationen pro Sekunde liegt. Für viele aktuelle Problemstellungen wäre es von Vorteil, wenn diese zellularen Systeme eigenständig Parameteradaptionen durchführen könnten. Eingangssignale, die beispielsweise über die vorhandenen optischen Sensoren aufgenommen werden, führten dann zu einer Neuberechnung bzw. Anpassung der Netzwerksparameter. Aufgrund der beachtlichen Leistungsfähigkeit solcher Schaltungen wäre damit die Möglichkeit gegeben, eine adaptive Signalverarbeitung bei zeitlich veränderlichen Problemen vorzunehmen. In diesem Beitrag wird die Implementierung und Analyse von Lernverfahren auf dem EyeRIS™ System, das einen zellularen Prozessor ACE16kv2™ mit 128×128 Zellen enthält, zur adaptiven Parameterbestimmung betrachtet. Anhand verschiedener Problemstellungen aus dem Bereich der Bildverarbeitung werden unterschiedliche Lernverfahren verglichen und deren Leistungsfähigkeit untersucht.
Partielle Differentialgleichungen des Reaktions-Diffusions-Typs beschreiben Phänomene wie Musterbildung, nichtlineare Wellenausbreitung und deterministisches Chaos und werden oft zur Untersuchung komplexer Vorgänge auf den Gebieten der Biologie, Chemie und Physik herangezogen. Zellulare Nichtlineare Netzwerke (CNN) sind eine räumliche Anordnung vergleichsweise einfacher dynamischer Systeme, die eine lokale Kopplung untereinander aufweisen. Durch eine Diskretisierung der Ortsvariablen können Reaktions-Diffusions-Gleichungen häufig auf CNN mit nichtlinearen Gewichtsfunktionen abgebildet werden. Die resultierenden Reaktions-Diffusions-CNN (RD-CNN) weisen dann in ihrer Dynamik näherungsweise gleiches Verhalten wie die zugrunde gelegten Reaktions-Diffusions-Systeme auf. Werden RD-CNN zur Identifikation neuronaler Strukturen anhand von EEG-Signalen herangezogen, so besteht die Möglichkeit festzustellen, ob das gefundene Netzwerk lokale Aktivität aufweist. Die von Chua eingeführte Theorie der lokalen Aktivität Chua (1998); Dogaru und Chua (1998) liefert eine notwendige Bedingung für das Auftreten von emergentem Verhalten in zellularen Netzwerken. Änderungen in den Parametern bestimmter RD-CNN könnten auf bevorstehende epileptische Anfälle hinweisen. In diesem Beitrag steht die Identifikation neuronaler Strukturen anhand von EEG-Signalen durch Reaktions-Diffusions-Netzwerke im Vordergrund der dargestellten Untersuchungen. In der Ergebnisdiskussion wird insbesondere auch die Frage nach einer geeigneten Netzwerkstruktur mit minimaler Komplexität behandelt.
Seit einigen Jahren ist die Analyse von EEG-Signalen bei Epilepsie Gegenstand zahlreicher wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten; Zielvorstellung ist dabei die Entwicklung von Verfahren zur Erkennung eines möglichen Voranfallszustandes. Im Vordergrund steht beispielsweise die Approximation einer so genannten effektiven Korrelationsdimension, die Bestimmung der maximalen Lyapunov-Exponenten, Detektionsverfahren für Muster bei Zellularen Nichtlinearen Netzwerken, die Bestimmung der mittleren Phasenkohärenz und Verfahren zur nichtlinearen Prädiktion von EEG-Signalen. Trotz umfangreicher Bemühungen kann bis heute eine Erkennung von Anfallsvorboten mit einer Sensitivität und Spezifität, die eine automatisierte Anfallsvorhersage ermöglichen würde, noch nicht durchgeführt werden. In diesem Beitrag werden neue Ergebnisse zur Prädiktion von EEG-Signalen bei Epilepsie vorgestellt. Dabei werden Signale, welche mittels intrakranieller electrocorticographischer (ECoG) und stereoelectroencephalographischer (SEEG) Ableitungen registriert wurden, segmentweise analysiert. Unter der Annahme, dass sich Änderungen des Systems ,,Gehirn" als Änderungen im Prädiktor, d.h. in seinen Systemparametern widerspiegeln, könnte eine nähere Betrachtung der Prädiktoreigenschaften zu einer Erkennung von Anfallsvorboten führen.
Der Nobelpreisträger Hans Albrecht Bethe war einer der ganz großen Physiker des 20. Jahrhunderts. Er gilt als einer der Väter der modernen Quantenphysik. In seiner Bedeutung für die Entwicklung der modernen Physik kommt er selbst Werner Heisenberg oder Max Planck sehr nahe. Er ist in Frankfurt aufgewachsen, hat hier das Goethe-Gymnasium besucht und an der Universität Frankfurt studiert. 1933 musste er emigrieren, da seine Mutter jüdischen Glaubens war. In seiner Heimatstadt Frankfurt ist er bisher fast unbekannt geblieben. Aus Sorge, dass Hitler-Deutschland »die Bombe« zuerst bauen könnte, unterstützte Bethe die USA bei der Entwicklung der Atombombe. Robert Oppenheimer holte ihn 1941 zum Manhattan Project nach Los Alamos (New Mexico). Hans Bethe war der führende theoretische Konstrukteur der Bombe. Doch Zeit seines Lebens glaubte er, damit das Falsche getan zu haben. Nach dem Krieg engagierte er sich für die Rüstungskontrolle. Bethe initiierte 1959 die Genfer Konferenz führender Forscher zur Empfehlung eines kontrollierten Teststoppabkommens und beriet den damaligen US-Präsidenten Dwight Eisenhower bei Fragen zur Einstellung von Kernwaffenversuchen. Er war in den USA und weltweit ein Wissenschaftler mit großem politischem und moralischem Einfluss. ...
Zukunftsforschung ohne Orakel : zur langfristigen Szenarienbildung und der Initiative "Zukunft 25"
(2007)
Jedes Jahrhundert bringt eigene Visionen der Zukunft hervor, wobei vor allem diejenigen Entwicklungen extrapoliert werden, die in der aktuellen Forschung besonders präsent sind. Im 19. Jahrhundert waren dies, wie die gezeigten Sammelbilder belegen, vor allem Verkehr und Mobilität. In seinem Roman »In 80 Tagen um die Erde« drückt Jules Verne die Faszination darüber aus, dass Orte und Menschen zusammenrücken, weil die Entfernungen sich dank moderner Verkehrsmittel wie Auto, Eisenbahn und Flugzeug schneller überbrücken lassen. Die überwiegend optimistischen Zukunftserwartungen des 19. Jahrhunderts sind inzwischen kritischeren, wenn nicht pessimistischen Visionen gewichen. Betrachtet man Filme wie »Blade Runner« oder »Matrix«, so beschäftigen uns heute Themen wie der künstliche oder manipulierte Mensch. Auch der Zukunftsforscher Claudius Gros denkt über die Folgen einer künstlichen Gebärmutter nach. Aber er sieht optimistisch in die Zukunft.
Schwarze Löcher im Labor? : Auf der Suche nach einer experimentellen Bestätigung der Stringtheorie
(2006)
Schwarze Löcher – das sind im Allgemeinen alles verschlingende, gigantisch schwere astronomische Objekte mit bis zu einigen Milliarden Sonnenmassen. Am Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) und am Institut für Theoretische Physik sind in den vergangenen fünf Jahren eine ganz neue Art von Schwarzen Löchern theoretisch vorhergesagt worden, die genau das Gegenteil der astronomisch gemessenen Giganten darstellen, nämlich winzig kleine Schwarze Löcher, so genannte »mini black holes«. Auftreten könnten sie, wenn im kommenden Jahr der neue Teilchenbeschleuniger am CERN in Genf in Betrieb genommen wird.
Hard physics in STAR
(2005)
The hot and dense matter created in high-energy nuclear collisions is believed to undergo a transition into a deconfined phase where partonic degrees of freedom determine the dynamics of the medium. High-p⊥ partons, that are produced in the initial collisions between nucleons of the incoming nuclei, lose energy as they propagate through the medium. This effect, called jetquenching, is observed in high-p⊥ particle spectra, in azimuthal correlations with the reaction plane (elliptic flow) and jet-like two-particle correlations.
STAR consists of tracking detectors and electromagnetic calorimetry with large and azimuthally symmetric acceptance and is exceptionally well suited for single particle detection and correlation studies at high p⊥. In the last five years, it has collected a large dataset including Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at different energies and reference data from p+p and d+Au collisions.
We present particle spectra and two-particle correlations at high-p⊥, and relate these measurements to the properties of the medium.
A new imaging method that combines high-efficiency fast-neutron detection with sub-ns time resolution is presented. This is achieved by exploiting the high neutron detection efficiency of a thick scintillator and the fast timing capability and flexibility of light-pulse detection with a dedicated image intensifier. The neutron converter is a plastic scintillator slab or, alternatively, a scintillating fibre screen. The scintillator is optically coupled to a pulse counting image intensifier which measures the 2-dimensional position coordinates and the Time-Of-Flight (TOF) of each detected neutron with an intrinsic time resolution of less than 1 ns. Large-area imaging devices with high count rate capability can be obtained by lateral segmentation of the optical readout channels.
The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is searching for axions produced in the Sun's core by the Primakoff process. CAST is using a decommissioned Large Hadron Collider (LHC) test magnet where axions could be converted back into X-rays with energies up to 10 keV. Analysis of the 2003 data showed no signal above background implying an upper limit for the axion-photon coupling constant gagg < 1.16 X 10 ^-10 GeV exp -1 at 95% C.L. for ma . 0.02 eV [1]. The higher quality 2004 data is presently under analysis. CAST Phase II is scheduled to start in late 2005. This will be the first step in extending CAST's sensitivity to axion rest masses up to ~ 1 eV.
The freeze out of the expanding systems, created in relativistic heavy ion collisions, is discussed. We combine kinetic freeze out equations with Bjorken type system expansion into a unified model. The important feature of the proposed scenario is that physical freeze out is completely finished in a finite time, which can be varied from 0 (freeze out hypersurface) to infinit. The dependence of the post freeze out distribution function on the freeze out time will be studied. Model allows analytical analyses for the simplest systems such as pion gas. We shall see that the basic freeze out features, pointed out in the earlier works, are not smeared out by the expansion of the system. The entropy evolution in such a scenario is also studied.
We compute neutrino emissivities, specific heat, and the resulting cooling rates in four spin-one color superconductors: color-spin locked, planar, polar, and A phases. In particular, the role of anisotropies and point nodes in the quasiparticle excitation spectra are investigated. Furthermore, it is shown that the A phase exhibits a helicity order, giving rise to a reflection asymmetry in the neutrino emissivity.
The elliptic flow for Lambda hyperons and K0s mesons was measured by the NA49 experiment in semicentral Pb+Pb collisions at 158A GeV. The standard method of correlating particles with an event plane has been used. Measurements of v2 near mid-rapidity are reported as a function of centrality, rapidity and transverse momentum. Elliptic flow of Lambda and K0s particles increases both with the impact parameter and with the transverse momentum. It is compared with v2 for pions and protons as well as with various model predictions. The NA49 results are compared with data from NA45/CERES and STAR experiments.
The multiplicity of hadronic species created in elementary, and in nucleus-nucleus collisions, are known to be well reproduced by the statistical hadronization model, in its canonical and grand-canonical versions.To understand the origin of the implied equilibrium we revisit the hadronization models developed for e+e- annihilation to hadrons which imply spatial color pre-confinement clusters forming at the end of the pQCD evolution, which decays into on-shell hadrons/resonances. The classical ensemble description arises as a consequence of decoherence and phase space dominance during cluster formation, and decay.For A+A collisions we assume that hadronization occurs from similar singlet clusters which will overlap spatially owing to the extreme density. This is imaged in the transition to the grand-canonical ensemble.This transition sets in with increasing A and collision centrality. It can be described by a percolation model.
The effects of the onset of deconfinement on longitudinal and transverse flow are studied. First, we analyze longitudinal pion spectra from Elab = 2A GeV to √sNN = 200 GeV within Landau’s hydrodynamical model and the UrQMD transport approach. From the measured data on the widths of the pion rapidity spectra, we extract the sound velocity c2s in the early stage of the reactions. It is found that the sound velocity has a local minimum (indicating a softest point in the equation of state, EoS) at Ebeam = 30A GeV. This softening of the EoS is compatible with the assumption of the formation of a mixed phase at the onset of deconfinement. Furthermore, the energy excitation function of elliptic flow (v2) from Ebeam = 90A MeV to √sNN = 200 GeV is explored within the UrQMD framework and discussed in the context of the available data. The transverse flow should also be sensitive to changes in the equation of state. Therefore, the underestimation of elliptic flow by the UrQMD model calculation above Elab = 30A GeV might also be explained by assuming a phase transition from a hadron gas to the quark gluon plasma around this energy. This would be consistent with the model calculations, indicating a transition from hadronic matter to “string matter” in this energy range.
The energy dependence of multiplicity fluctuations was studied for the most central Pb+Pb collisions at 20A, 30A, 40A, 80A and 158A GeV by the NA49 experiment at the CERN SPS. The multiplicity distribution for negatively and positively charged hadrons is significantly narrower than Poisson one for all energies. No significant structure in energy dependence of the scaled variance of multiplicity fluctuations is observed. The measured scaled variance is lower than the one predicted by the grand-canonical formulation of the hadron-resonance gas model. The results for scaled variance are in approximate agreement with the string-hadronic model UrQMD.
A new SPS programme
(2006)
A new experiemntal program to study hadron production in hadron-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN SPS has been recently proposed by the NA49-future collaboration. The physics goals of the program are: (i) search for the critical point of strongly interacting matter and a study of the properties of the onset of deconfinemnt in nucleus-nucleus collisions, (ii) measurements of correlations, fluctuations and hadron spectra at high transverse momentum in proton-nucleus collisions needed as for better understanding of nucleus-nucleus results, (iii) measurements of hadron production in hadron-nucleus interactions needed for neutrino (T2K) and cosmic-ray (Pierre Auger Observatory and KASCADE) expriments. The physics of the nucleus-nucleus program is reviewed in this presentation.
The J/psi-hadron interaction is a key ingredient in analyzing the J/psi suppression in hot hadronic matter as well as the propagation of J/psi in nuclei. As a first step to clarify the J/psi-hadron interactions at low energies, we have calculated J/psi-pi, J/psi-rho and J/psi-nucleon scattering lengths by the quenched lattice QCD simulations with Wilson fermions for beta=6.2 on 24^3*48 and 32^3*48 lattices. Using the Luscher's method to extract the scattering length from the simulations in a finite box, we find an attractive interaction in the S-wave channel for all three systems: Among others, the J/psi-nucleon interaction is most attractive. Possibility of the J/psi-nucleon bound state is also discussed.
The energy dependence of various hadronic observables is reviewed. The study of their evolution from AGS over SPS to the highest RHIC energy reveals interesting features, which might locate a possible onset of deconfinement. These observables include transverse spectra of different particle types and their total multiplicities, as well as elliptic flow. In this context especially the observation of a maximum of the strangeness to pion ratio is of particular interest, since on one hand it has been predicted as a signal for the onset of deconfinement but on the other hand also statistical model calculations exhibit qualitatively similar structures. The sharpness of these features is however not reproduced by hadronic scenarios. The significance of these structures will be discussed in this contribution. Other observables, such as radius parameters from Bose-Einstein correlations, on the other hand do not exhibit any structure in their energy dependence.
We present quantitative and qualitative arguments in favor of the claim that, within the present cosmological epoch, the U(1)gamma factor in the Standard Model is an effective manifestation of SU(2) pure gauge dynamics of Yang-Mills scale Lambda ~ 10^-4 eV. Results for the pressure and the energy density in the deconfining phase of this theory, obtained in a nonperturbative and analytical way, support this connection in view of large-angle features inherent in the map of the CMB temperature fluctuations and temperature-polarization cross correlations.
Obstacle detection is an important part of Video Processing because it is indispensable for a collision prevention of autonomously navigating moving objects. For example, vehicles driving without human guidance need a robust prediction of potential obstacles, like other vehicles or pedestrians. Most of the common approaches of obstacle detection so far use analytical and statistical methods like motion estimation or generation of maps. In the first part of this contribution a statistical algorithm for obstacle detection in monocular video sequences is presented. The proposed procedure is based on a motion estimation and a planar world model which is appropriate to traffic scenes. The different processing steps of the statistical procedure are a feature extraction, a subsequent displacement vector estimation and a robust estimation of the motion parameters. Since the proposed procedure is composed of several processing steps, the error propagation of the successive steps often leads to inaccurate results. In the second part of this contribution it is demonstrated, that the above mentioned problems can be efficiently overcome by using Cellular Neural Networks (CNN). It will be shown, that a direct obstacle detection algorithm can be easily performed, based only on CNN processing of the input images. Beside the enormous computing power of programmable CNN based devices, the proposed method is also very robust in comparison to the statistical method, because is shows much less sensibility to noisy inputs. Using the proposed approach of obstacle detection in planar worlds, a real time processing of large input images has been made possible.
The interaction of T cells and antigen-presenting cells is central to adaptive immunity and involves the formation of immunological synapses in many cases. The surface molecules of the cells form a characteristic spatial pattern whose formation mechanisms and function are largely unknown. We perform computer simulations of recent experiments on geometrically repatterned immunological synapses and explain the emerging structure as well as the formation dynamics. Only the combination of in vitro experiments and computer simulations has the potential to pinpoint the kind of interactions involved. The presented simulations make clear predictions for the structure of the immunological synapse and elucidate the role of a self-organizing attraction between complexes of T cell receptor and peptide–MHC molecule, versus a centrally directed motion of these complexes.