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arXiv2006

An estimate of the eta and eta-prime meson masses in Nf=2+1 lattice QCD

Masses of the eta and eta-prime mesons are estimated in Nf=2+1 lattice QCD with the non-perturbatively O(a) improved Wilson quark action and the Iwasaki RG-improved gluon action, using CP-PACS/JLQCD configurations on a 16^3 x 32 lattice at beta=1.83 (lattice spacing is 0.122 fm). We apply a stochastic noise estimator technique combined with smearing method to evaluate correlators among flavor SU(2) singlet pseudoscalar operators and strange pseudoscalar operators for 10 combinations of up/down and strange quark masses. The correlator matrix is then diagonalized to identify signals for mass eigenstates. Masses of the ground state and the first excited state extrapolated to the physical point are m_eta= 0.545(16) GeV and m_eta-prime= 0.871(46) GeV, being close to the experimental values of the eta and eta-prime masses.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

The distribution of maser stars in the inner Milky Way: the effect of a weak, rotating bar

We derive the distribution of maser stars in the inner Milky Way (MW) based on an analysis of lV-diagrams (lVd) for two samples of maser stars: 771 OH/IR stars and 363 SiO-maser stars. They are all close to the plane of the MW and have long. from -45 to +45deg. The two lVds are compared and found to be very similar. They also compare well with the lVd of interstellar CO, but there are significant differences in detail between the stellar lVds and that of the ISM. Based on the qualitative discussion we divide the lVds into seven areas. In each area we compare the number of stars observed with those predicted by an assumed set of orbits in a galactic potential. This potential is axially symmetric but a weak rotating bar has been added. We conclude that the maser stars move on almost circular orbits outside of about 3.5 kpc, but that the orbits become more and more elongated when one goes deep inside our MW. We find a strong effect of the Corotation (CR) resonance (res) at 3.3 kpc, we see a small but noticeable effect of the Outer Lindblad res at 5 kpc and no effect of the Inner Lindblad res at r=0.8 kpc. We find a set of 6 groups of orbits that together predict counts in agreement with the counts of stars observed. We then calculate the trajectory of each orbit and so find the distribution of the maser stars in the plane of the MWG. This distribution has two new (but not unexpected) features. The first is a bar-like distribution within 2 kpc from the GC outlined. These orbits explain the high-vel stars near l=0deg in the forbidden and the permitted quadrants. The second feature are two "croissant"-like voids in the distribution close to the CR radius (3.3 kpc), which are the consequence of the presence of the CR res. We find excellent agreement with an earlier reconstruction by Sevenster (1999).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Discovery of the two wings of the Kookaburra complex in VHE gamma -rays with H.E.S.S

Aims. Search for Very High Energy gamma-ray emission in the Kookaburra complex through observations with the H.E.S.S. array. Methods. Stereoscopic imaging of Cherenkov light emission of the gamma-ray showers in the atmosphere is used for the reconstruction and selection of the events to search for gamma-ray signals. Their spectrum is derived by a forward-folding maximum likelihood fit. Results. Two extended gamma-ray sources with an angular (68%) radius of 3.3-3.4' are discovered at high (>13sigma) statistical significance: HESS J1420-607 and HESS J1418-609. They exhibit a flux above 1 TeV of (2.97+/-0.18stat +/-0.60sys)x10-12 and (2.17+/-0.17stat +/-0.43sys)x10-12 cm-2 s-1, respectively, and similar hard photon indices ~2.2. Multi-wavelength comparisons show spatial coincidence with the wings of the Kookaburra. Two pulsar wind nebulae candidates, K3/PSR J1420-6048 and the Rabbit, lie on the edge of the H.E.S.S. sources. Conclusions. The two new sources confirm the non-thermal nature of at least parts of the two radio wings which overlap with the gamma-ray emission and establish their connection with the two X-ray pulsar wind nebulae candidates. Given the large point spread function of EGRET, the unidentified source(s) 3EG J1420-6038/GeV J1417-6100 could possibly be related to either or both H.E.S.S. sources. The most likely explanation for the Very High Energy gamma-rays discovered by H.E.S.S. is inverse Compton emission of accelerated electrons on the Cosmic Microwave Background near the two candidate pulsar wind nebulae, K3/PSR J1420-6048 and the Rabbit. Two scenarios which could lead to the observed large (~10 pc) offset-nebula type morphologies are briefly discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Nonperturbative $O(a)$ improvement of the Wilson quark action with the RG-improved gauge action using the Schrödinger functional method

We perform a nonperturbative determination of the $O(a)$-improvement coefficient $c_{\rm SW}$ and the critical hopping parameter $κ_c$ for $N_f$=3, 2, 0 flavor QCD with the RG-improved gauge action using the Schrödinger functional method. In order to interpolate $c_{\rm SW}$ and $κ_c$ as a function of the bare coupling, a wide range of $β$ from the weak coupling region to the moderately strong coupling points used in large-scale simulations is studied. Corrections at finite lattice size of $O(a/L)$ turned out to be large for the RG-improved gauge action, and hence we make the determination at a size fixed in physical units using a modified improvement condition. This enables us to avoid $O(a)$ scaling violations which would remain in physical observables if $c_{\rm SW}$ determined for a fixed lattice size $L/a$ is used in numerical simulations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

A low level of extragalactic background light as revealed by gamma-rays from blazars

The diffuse extragalactic background light consists of the sum of the starlight emitted by galaxies through the history of the Universe, and it could also have an important contribution from the first stars, which may have formed before galaxy formation began. Direct measurements are difficult and not yet conclusive, owing to the large uncertainties caused by the bright foreground emission associated with zodiacal light. An alternative approach is to study the absorption features imprinted on the gamma-ray spectra of distant extragalactic objects by interactions of those photons with the background light photons. Here we report the discovery of gamma-ray emission from the blazars H 2356-309 and 1ES 1101-232, at redshifts z=0.165 and z=0.186, respectively. Their unexpectedly hard spectra provide an upper limit on the background light at optical/near-infrared wavelengths that appears to be very close to the lower limit given by the integrated light of resolved galaxies. The background flux at these wavelengths accordingly seems to be strongly dominated by the direct starlight from galaxies, thus excluding a large contribution from other sources -- in particular from the first stars formed. This result also indicates that intergalactic space is more transparent to gamma-rays than previously thought.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Discovery of Very-High-Energy Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Centre Ridge

The origin of Galactic cosmic rays (with energies up to 10^15 eV) remains unclear, though it is widely believed that they originate in the shock waves of expanding supernova remnants. Currently the best way to investigate their acceleration and propagation is by observing the gamma-rays produced when cosmic rays interact with interstellar gas. Here we report observations of an extended region of very high energy (VHE, >100 GeV) gamma-ray emission correlated spatially with a complex of giant molecular clouds in the central 200 pc of the Milky Way. The hardness of the gamma-ray spectrum and the conditions in those molecular clouds indicate that the cosmic rays giving rise to the gamma-rays are likely to be protons and nuclei rather than electrons. The energy associated with the cosmic rays could have come from a single supernova explosion around 10,000 years ago.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Final Report of the Muon E821 Anomalous Magnetic Moment Measurement at BNL

We present the final report from a series of precision measurements of the muon anomalous magnetic moment, a_mu = (g-2)/2. The details of the experimental method, apparatus, data taking, and analysis are summarized. Data obtained at Brookhaven National Laboratory, using nearly equal samples of positive and negative muons, were used to deduce a_mu(Expt) = 11 659 208.0(5.4)(3.3) x 10^-10, where the statistical and systematic uncertainties are given, respectively. The combined uncertainty of 0.54 ppm represents a 14-fold improvement compared to previous measurements at CERN. The standard model value for a_mu includes contributions from virtual QED, weak, and hadronic processes. While the QED processes account for most of the anomaly, the largest theoretical uncertainty, ~0.55 ppm, is associated with first-order hadronic vacuum polarization. Present standard model evaluations, based on e+e- hadronic cross sections, lie 2.2 - 2.7 standard deviations below the experimental result.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Measurement of the K-pi+ S-wave System in D+ to K-pi+pi+ Decays from Fermilab E791

A new approach to the analysis of three body decays is presented. Measurements of the S-wave K pi amplitude are made in independent ranges of invariant mass from threshold up to the upper kinematic limit in D+ to K-pi+pi+ decays. These are compared with results obtained from a fit where the S-wave is assumed to have kappa(800) and K*0(1430) resonances. Results are also compared with measurements of K-pi+ elastic scattering. Contributions from I = 1/2 and I = 3/2 are not resolved in this study. If I = 1/2 dominates, however, the Watson theorem prediction, that the phase behavour below K-eta' threshold should match that in elastic scattering, is not well supported by these data. Production of K-pi+ from these D decays is also studied.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Light hadron spectrum and quark masses in 2+1 flavor QCD

CP-PACS and JLQCD collaborations are carrying out a joint project of the 2+1 flavor full QCD simulation. Gauge configurations are generated for the non-perturbatively $O(a)$-improved Wilson quark action and the Iwasaki gauge action using PHMC algorithm at three lattice spacings, $a\sim 0.076$, 0.010 and 0.122 fm, with a fixed physical volume $(2.0 fm)^3$. We present analysis for the light meson spectrum and quark masses in the continuum limit, which are determined using data obtained from the simulations at the two coarser lattices. Our simulations reproduce experimental values of meson masses. The ud and strange quark masses turn out to be $m_{ud}^{\bar{MS}}(μ=2 GeV)=3.34(23) MeV$ and $m_s^{\bar{MS}}(μ=2 GeV)=86.7(5.9) MeV$. We also show preliminary results at our finest lattice spacing for which simulations are still being continued.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

The possibility of detecting planets in the Andromeda Galaxy

The Angstrom Project is using a global network of 2m-class telescopes to conduct a high cadence pixel microlensing survey of the bulge of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), with the primary aim of constraining its underlying bulge mass distribution and stellar mass function. Here we investigate the feasibility of using such a survey to detect planets in M31. We estimate the efficiency of detecting signals for events induced by planetary systems as a function of planet/star mass ratio and separation, source type and background M31 surface brightness. We find that for planets of a Jupiter-mass or above that are within the lensing zone (~1 -3 AU) detection is possible above 3 $σ$, with detection efficiencies ~3% for events associated with giant stars, which are the typical source stars of pixel-lensing surveys. A dramatic improvement in the efficiency of ~40 -- 60% is expected if follow-up observations on an 8m telescope are made possible by a real-time alert system.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Discovery of very high energy gamma-rays associated with an X-ray binary

X-ray binaries are composed of a normal star in orbit around a neutron star or stellar-mass black hole. Radio and X-ray observations have led to the presumption that some X-ray binaries called microquasars behave as scaled down active galactic nuclei. Microquasars have resolved radio emission that is thought to arise from a relativistic outflow akin to active galactic nuclei jets, in which particles can be accelerated to large energies. Very high energy gamma-rays produced by the interactions of these particles have been observed from several active galactic nuclei. Using the High Energy Stereoscopic System, we find evidence for gamma-ray emission >100 GeV from a candidate microquasar, LS 5039, showing that particles are also accelerated to very high energies in these systems.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Lambda AntiLambda Production as a Benchmark Channel for PANDA

The PANDA experiment which is part of the future FAIR facility at Darmstadt will investigate reactions of antiprotons with hydrogen and nuclear targets. One of the benchmark channel for the simulation and the design of the detector is the Lambda AntiLambda channel, which has been extensively investigated by the PS185 collaboration. This paper will report on first results on GEANT4 simulations including the PANDA detector geometry which have been performed to study the detector acceptance, resolution and background suppression as well as the reconstruction polarization observables.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2005

Spectroscopic Observations and Analysis of the Unusual Type Ia SN 1999ac

We present optical spectra of the peculiar Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 1999ac. The data extend from -15 to +42 days with respect to B-band maximum and reveal an event that is unusual in several respects. Prior to B-band maximum, the spectra resemble those of SN 1999aa, a slowly declining event, but possess stronger SiII and CaII signatures (more characteristic of a spectroscopically normal SN). Spectra after B-band maximum appear more normal. The expansion velocities inferred from the Iron lines appear to be lower than average; whereas, the expansion velocity inferred from Calcium H and K are higher than average. The expansion velocities inferred from SiII are among the slowest ever observed, though SN 1999ac is not particularly dim. The analysis of the parameters v_10, R(SiII), dv(SiII)/dt, and d_m15 further underlines the unique characteristics of SN 1999ac. We find convincing evidence of CII 6580 in the day -15 spectrum with ejection velocity v > 16,000 km/s, but this signature disappears by day -9. This rapid evolution at early times highlights the importance of extremely early-time spectroscopy.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Non-perturbative O(a)-improvement of Wilson quark action in three-flavor QCD with plaquette gauge action

We perform a non-perturbative determination of the O(a)-improvement coefficient c_SW for the Wilson quark action in three-flavor QCD with the plaquette gauge action. Numerical simulations are carried out in a range of β=12.0-5.2 on a single lattice size of 8^3x16 employing the Schrödinger functional setup of lattice QCD. As our main result, we obtain an interpolation formula for c_SW and the critical hopping parameter K_c as a function of the bare coupling. This enables us to remove O(a) scaling violation from physical observables in future numerical simulation in the wide range of β. Our analysis with a perturbatively modified improvement condition for c_SW suggests that finite volume effects in c_SW are not large on the 8^3x16 lattice. We investigate N_f dependence of c_SW by additional simulations for N_f=4, 2 and 0 at β=9.6. As a preparatory step for this study, we also determine c_SW in two-flavor QCD at β=5.2. At this β, several groups carried out large-scale calculations of the hadron spectrum, while no systematic determination of c_SW has been performed.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

Multi-wavelength observations of PKS 2155-304 with H.E.S.S

The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) has observed the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object PKS2155-304 in 2003 between October 19 and November 26 in Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-rays (E>160 GeV for these observations). Observations were carried out simultaneously with the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite (RXTE), the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE) and the Nancay decimetric radiotelescope (NRT). Intra-night variability is seen in the VHE band, the source being detected with a high significance on each night it was observed. Variability is also found in the X-ray and optical bands on kilosecond timescales, along with flux-dependent spectral changes in the X-rays. The average H.E.S.S. spectrum shows a very soft power law shape with a photon index of 3.37+/-0.07(stat)+/-0.10(sys). The energy outputs in the 2-10 keV and in the VHE gamma-ray range are found to be similar, with the X-rays and the optical fluxes at a level comparable to some of the lowest historical measurements, indicating that PKS2155-304 was in a low or quiescent state during the observations. Both a leptonic and a hadronic model are used to derive source parameters from these observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Subleading-twist effects in single-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering on a longitudinally polarized hydrogen target

Single-spin asymmetries in the semi-inclusive production of charged pions in deep-inelastic scattering from transversely and longitudinally polarized proton targets are combined to evaluate the subleading-twist contribution to the longitudinal case. This contribution is significantly positive for (π^+) mesons and dominates the asymmetries on a longitudinally polarized target previously measured by \hermes. The subleading-twist contribution for (π^-) mesons is found to be small.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Observations of Mkn 421 in 2004 with H.E.S.S. at large zenith angles

Mkn 421 was observed during a high flux state for nine nights in April and May 2004 with the fully operational High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) in Namibia. The observations were carried out at zenith angles of 60$^\circ$--65$^\circ$, which result in an average energy threshold of 1.5 TeV and a collection area reaching 2~km$^2$ at 10~TeV. Roughly 7000 photons from Mkn~421 were accumulated with an average gamma-ray rate of 8 photons/min. The overall significance of the detection exceeds 100 standard deviations. The light-curve of integrated fluxes above 2~TeV shows changes of the diurnal flux up to a factor of 4.3. For nights of high flux, intra-night variability is detected with a decay time of less than 1 hour. The time averaged energy spectrum is curved and is well described by a power-law with a photon index $\egamm$ and an exponential cutoff at $\ecut$~TeV and an average integral flux above 2~TeV of 3 Crab flux units. Significant variations of the spectral shape are detected with a spectral hardening as the flux increases. Contemporaneous multi-wavelength observations at lower energies (X-rays and gamma-rays above $\approx 300$~GeV) indicate smaller relative variability amplitudes than seen above 2~TeV during high flux state observed in April 2004.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Detection of TeV gamma-ray Emission from the Shell-Type Supernova Remnant RX J0852.0-4622 with H.E.S.S

We report the detection of TeV gamma-rays from the shell-type supernova remnant RX J0852.0-4622 with data of 3.2 h of live time recorded with H.E.S.S. in February 2004. An excess of (700 +/- 60) events from the whole remnant with a significance of 12 sigma was found. The observed emission region is clearly extended with a radius of the order of 1 degree and the spatial distribution of the signal correlates with X-ray observations. The spectrum in the energy range between 500 GeV and 15 TeV is well described by a power law with a photon index of 2.1 +/- 0.1(stat) +/- 0.2(syst) and a differential flux at 1 TeV of (2.1 +/- 0.2(stat) +/- 0.6(syst)) 10^{-11} cm^{-2} s^{-1} TeV^{-1}. The integral flux above 1 TeV was measured to be (1.9 +/- 0.3(stat) +/- 0.6(syst)) 10^{-11} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, which is at the level of the flux of the Crab nebula at these energies. More data are needed to draw firm conclusions on the magnetic field in the remnant and the type of the particle population creating the TeV gamma-rays.

astro-ph↗