arXiv subjects

J. Andersen

Publications and source records attributed to J. Andersen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

HERA and the LHC - A workshop on the implications of HERA for LHC physics: Proceedings - Part B

The HERA electron--proton collider has collected 100 pb$^{-1}$ of data since its start-up in 1992, and recently moved into a high-luminosity operation mode, with upgraded detectors, aiming to increase the total integrated luminosity per experiment to more than 500 pb$^{-1}$. HERA has been a machine of excellence for the study of QCD and the structure of the proton. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which will collide protons with a centre-of-mass energy of 14 TeV, will be completed at CERN in 2007. The main mission of the LHC is to discover and study the mechanisms of electroweak symmetry breaking, possibly via the discovery of the Higgs particle, and search for new physics in the TeV energy scale, such as supersymmetry or extra dimensions. Besides these goals, the LHC will also make a substantial number of precision measurements and will offer a new regime to study the strong force via perturbative QCD processes and diffraction. For the full LHC physics programme a good understanding of QCD phenomena and the structure function of the proton is essential. Therefore, in March 2004, a one-year-long workshop started to study the implications of HERA on LHC physics. This included proposing new measurements to be made at HERA, extracting the maximum information from the available data, and developing/improving the theoretical and experimental tools. This report summarizes the results achieved during this workshop.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

First stars VII. Lithium in extremely metal poor dwarfs

Aims. This study aims to determine the level and constancy of the Spite plateau as definitively as possible from homogeneous high-quality VLT-UVES spectra of 19 of the most metal-poor dwarf stars known. Methods. Our high-resolution (R ~ 43000), high S/N spectra are analysed with OSMARCS 1D LTE model atmospheres and turbospectrum synthetic spectra to determine effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities, as well as Li abundances for our stars. Results. Eliminating a cool subgiant and a spectroscopic binary, we find 8 stars to have -3.5 < [Fe/H] < -3.0 and 9 stars with -3.0 < [Fe/H] < -2.5. Our best value for the mean level of the plateau is A(Li) =2.10 +- 0.09. The scatter around the mean is entirely explained by our estimate of the observational error and does not allow for any intrinsic scatter in the Li abundances. In addition, we conclude that a systematic error of the order of 200 K in any of the current temperature scales remains possible. The iron excitation equilibria in our stars support our adopted temperature scale, which is based on a fit to wings of the Halpha line, and disfavour hotter scales, which would lead to a higher Li abundance, but fail to achieve excitation equilibrium for iron. Conclusions. We confirm the previously noted discrepancy between the Li abundance measured in extremely metal-poor turnoff stars and the primordial Li abundance predicted by standard Big-Bang nucleosynthesis models adopting the baryonic density inferred from WMAP. We discuss recent work explaining the discrepancy in terms of diffusion and find that uncertain temperature scales remain a major question. (abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

First stars X. The nature of three unevolved Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor stars

From high-resolution VLT/UVES spectra (R~43,000), we determine abundances or upper limits for Li, C, N, O, and other important elements, as well as 12C/13C isotopic ratio for three Carbon enhanced metal poor stars. All three stars have -3.30 <= [Fe/H] <= -2.85 and moderate to high CNO abundances. CS 22958-042 is one of the most carbon-rich CEMP stars known ([C/Fe] = +3.2), while CS 29528-041 (one of the few N-enhanced metal-poor stars known) is one of the most nitrogen rich ([N/Fe] = +3.0). Oxygen is very high in CS 31080-095 ([O/Fe] = +2.35) and in CS 22958-042 ([O/Fe] = +1.35). All three stars exhibit [Sr/Fe] < 0; Ba is not detected in CS 22958-042 ([Ba/Fe] < -0.53), but it is moderately enhanced ([Ba/Fe] ~ 1) in the other two stars. CS 22958-042 displays one of the largest sodium overabundances yet found in CEMP stars ([Na/Fe] = +2.8). CS 22958-042 has 12C/13C = 9, similar to most other CEMP stars without enhanced neutron-capture elements, while 12C/13C <= 40 in CS 31080-095. CS 31080-095 and CS 29528-041 have A(Li) ~ 1.7, below the Spite Plateau, while Li is not detected in CS 22958-042. CS 22958-042 is a CEMP-no star, but the other two stars are in no known class of CEMP star and thus either constitute a new class or are a link between the CEMP-no and CEMP-s classes, adding complexity to the abundance patterns for CEMP stars. We interpret the abundance patterns in our stars to imply that current models for the presumed AGB binary progenitors lack an extra-mixing process, similar to those apparently operating in RGB stars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Galactic Bulge Microlensing Optical Depth from EROS-2

We present a new EROS-2 measurement of the microlensing optical depth toward the Galactic Bulge. Light curves of $5.6\times 10^{6}$ clump-giant stars distributed over $66 °^2$ of the Bulge were monitored during seven Bulge seasons. 120 events were found with apparent amplifications greater than 1.6 and Einstein radius crossing times in the range $5 {\rm d}<t_\e <400 {\rm d}$. This is the largest existing sample of clump-giant events and the first to include northern Galactic fields. In the Galactic latitude range $1.4\degr<|b|<7.0\degr$, we find $τ/10^{-6}=(1.62 \pm 0.23)\exp[-a(|b|-3 {\rm deg})]$ with $a=(0.43 \pm0.16)°^{-1}$. These results are in good agreement with our previous measurement, with recent measurements of the MACHO and OGLE-II groups, and with predictions of Bulge models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

First stars IX -Mixing in extremely metal-poor giants. Variation of the 12C/13C, [Na/Mg] and [Al/Mg] ratios

Extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars preserve a fossil record of the composition of the ISM when the Galaxy formed. It is crucial, however, to verify whether internal mixing has modified their surface. We aim to understand the CNO abundance variations found in some, but not all EMP field giants analysed earlier. Mixing beyond the first dredge-up of standard models is required, and its origin needs clarification.The 12C/13C ratio is the most robust diagnostic of deep mixing, because it is insensitive to the adopted stellar parameters and should be uniformly high in near-primordial gas. We have measured 12C and 13C abundances in 35 EMP giants from high-quality VLT/UVES spectra. Correlations with other abundance data are used to study the depth of mixing.The 12C/13C ratio is found to correlate with [C/Fe] (and Li/H), and clearly anti-correlate with [N/Fe]. Evidence for such deep mixing is observed in giants above log L/Lsolar = 2.6, brighter than in less metal-poor stars, but matching the bump in the luminosity function in both cases. Three of the mixed stars are also Na-and Al-rich, another signature of deep mixing, but signatures of the ON cycle are not clearly seen in these stars. Extra mixing processes clearly occur in luminous RGB stars. The Na-and Al-rich giants could be AGB stars themselves, but an inhomogeneous early ISM or pollution from a binary companion remain possible alternatives (abridged).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

HERA and the LHC - A workshop on the implications of HERA for LHC physics: Proceedings - Part A

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Parton Distributions: Summary Report

We provide an assessment of the impact of parton distributions on the determination of LHC processes, and of the accuracy with which parton distributions (PDFs) can be extracted from data, in particular from current and forthcoming HERA experiments. We give an overview of reference LHC processes and their associated PDF uncertainties, and study in detail W and Z production at the LHC. We discuss the precision which may be obtained from the analysis of existing HERA data, tests of consistency of HERA data from different experiments, and the combination of these data. We determine further improvements on PDFs which may be obtained from future HERA data (including measurements of $F_L$), and from combining present and future HERA data with present and future hadron collider data. We review the current status of knowledge of higher (NNLO) QCD corrections to perturbative evolution and deep-inelastic scattering, and provide reference results for their impact on parton evolution, and we briefly examine non-perturbative models for parton distributions. We discuss the state-of-the art in global parton fits, we assess the impact on them of various kinds of data and of theoretical corrections, by providing benchmarks of Alekhin and MRST parton distributions and a CTEQ analysis of parton fit stability, and we briefly presents proposals for alternative approaches to parton fitting. We summarize the status of large and small x resummation, by providing estimates of the impact of large x resummation on parton fits, and a comparison of different approaches to small x resummation, for which we also discuss numerical techniques.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Predicting Failure using Conditioning on Damage History: Demonstration on Percolation and Hierarchical Fiber Bundles

We formulate the problem of probabilistic predictions of global failure in the simplest possible model based on site percolation and on one of the simplest model of time-dependent rupture, a hierarchical fiber bundle model. We show that conditioning the predictions on the knowledge of the current degree of damage (occupancy density $p$ or number and size of cracks) and on some information on the largest cluster improves significantly the prediction accuracy, in particular by allowing to identify those realizations which have anomalously low or large clusters (cracks). We quantify the prediction gains using two measures, the relative specific information gain (which is the variation of entropy obtained by adding new information) and the root-mean-square of the prediction errors over a large ensemble of realizations. The bulk of our simulations have been obtained with the two-dimensional site percolation model on a lattice of size $L \times L=20 \times 20$ and hold true for other lattice sizes. For the hierarchical fiber bundle model, conditioning the measures of damage on the information of the location and size of the largest crack extends significantly the critical region and the prediction skills. These examples illustrate how on-going damage can be used as a revelation of both the realization-dependent pre-existing heterogeneity and the damage scenario undertaken by each specific sample.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2005

First stars VI - Abundances of C, N, O, Li, and mixing in extremely metal-poor giants. Galactic evolution of the light elements

We have investigated the poorly-understood origin of nitrogen in the early Galaxy by determining N abundances in 35 extremely metal-poor halo giants (22 stars have [Fe/H]<-3.0) using the C and O abundances determined in Paper V. Because any dredge-up of CNO processed material to the surface may complicate the interpretation of CNO abundances in giants, we have also measured the surface abundance of lithium. Our sample shows a clear dichotomy between two groups of stars. The first group shows evidence of C to N conversion through CN cycling and strong Li dilution, a signature of mixing. The second group shows no evidence for C to N conversion, and Li is only moderately diluted, and we conclude that their C and N abundances are very close to those of the gas from which they formed in the early Galaxy. These "unmixed" stars reflect the abundances in the early Galaxy: the [C/Fe] ratio is constant (about +0.2 dex) and the [C/Mg] ratio is close to solar at low metallicity, favouring a high C production by massive zero-metal supernovae. The [N/Fe] and [N/Mg] ratios scatter widely. The larger values of these ratios define a flat upper plateau ([N/Mg]= 0.0, [N/Fe]= +0.1), which could reflect higher values within a wide range of yields of zero-metal Sne II. Alternatively, by analogy with the DLA's, the lower abundances ([N/Mg]= -1.1, [N/Fe]= -0.7) could reflect generally low yields from the first Sne II, the other stars being N enhanced by winds of massive Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. At present it cannot be decided whether primary N is produced primarily in SNe II or in massive AGB stars, or in both. The stellar N abundances and [N/O] ratios are compatible with those found in Damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) systems.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Type Ia supernova rate at a redshift of ~ 0.1

We present the type Ia rate measurement based on two EROS supernova search campaigns (in 1999 and 2000). Sixteen supernovae identified as type Ia were discovered. The measurement of the detection efficiency, using a Monte Carlo simulation, provides the type Ia supernova explosion rate at a redshift ~ 0.13. The result is $0.125^{+0.044+0.028}_{-0.034-0.028} h_{70}^2$ SNu where 1 SNu = 1 SN / $10^{10} L_{sun}^B$ / century. This value is compatible with the previous EROS measurement (Hardin et al. 2000), done with a much smaller sample, at a similar redshift. Comparison with other values at different redshifts suggests an evolution of the type Ia supernova rate.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The Geneva-Copenhagen survey of the Solar neighbourhood: Ages, metallicities, and kinematic properties of 14,000 F and G dwarfs

We present and discuss new determinations of metallicity, rotation, age, kinematics, and Galactic orbits for a complete, magnitude-limited, and kinematically unbiased sample of 16,682 nearby F and G dwarf stars. Our 63,000 new, accurate radial-velocity observations for nearly 13,500 stars allow identification of most of the binary stars in the sample and, together with published data complete the kinematic information for 14,139 stars. A major effort has been devoted to the determination of new isochrone ages for all stars for which this is possible. Particular attention has been given to a realistic treatment of statistical biases and error estimates, as standard techniques tend to underestimate these effects and introduce spurious features in the age distributions. We demonstrate, however, how strong observational and theoretical biases cause the distribution of the observed ages to be very different from that of the true age distribution of the sample. Our first results confirm the lack of metal-poor G dwarfs relative to closed-box model predictions (the ``G dwarf problem''), the existence of radial metallicity gradients in the disk, the small change in mean metallicity of the thin disk since its formation and the substantial scatter in metallicity at all ages, and the continuing kinematic heating of the thin disk with an efficiency consistent with that expected for a combination of spiral arms and giant molecular clouds. Distinct features in the distribution of the V component of the space motion are extended in age and metallicity, corresponding to the effects of stochastic spiral waves rather than classical moving groups, and may complicate the identification of thick-disk stars from kinematic criteria. (abridged)

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Les Houches 'Physics at Tev Colliders 2003' QCD/SM Working Group: Summary Report

This report documents the results obtained by the Working Group on Quantum Chromodynamics and the Standard Model for the Workshop `Physics at TeV Colliders'', Les Houches, France, 26 May - 6 June 2003. After a Monte Guide description, the first contributions report on progress in describing multiple interactions, important for the LHC, and underlying events. An announcement of a Monte Carlo database, under construction, is then followed by a number of contributions improving parton shower descriptions. Subsequently, a large number of contributions address resummations in various forms, after which follow studies of QCD effects in pion pair, top quark pair and photon pair plus jet production. After a study of electroweak corrections to hadronic precision observables, the report ends by presenting recent progress in methods to compute finite order corrections at one-loop with many legs, and at two-loop.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Search for Chargino and Neutralino Production at sqrt(s) = 192-209 GeV at LEP

Approximately 438 pb-1 of e+e- data from the OPAL detector, taken with the LEP collider running at centre-of-mass energies of 192-209 Gev, are analyzed to search for evidence of chargino pair production, e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1, or neutralino associated production, e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1. Limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the product of the cross-section for the process e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1 and its branching ratios to topologies containing jets and missing energy, of jest with a lepton and missing energy, and on the product of the cross-section for e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1 and its branching ratio to jets. R-parity conservation is assumed throughout this paper. When these results are interpreted in the context of the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, limits are also set on the masses of the tilde chi^+-_1, tilde chi^0_1 and tilde chi^0_2, and regions of the parameter space of the model are ruled out. Nearly model-independent limits are also set at the 95% confidence level on sigma(e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1) with the assumption that each chargino decays via a W boson, and on sigma(e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1) with the tilde chi^0_2 assumed to decay via a Z^0.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2003

First stars V - Abundance patterns from C to Zn and supernova yields in the early Galaxy

In the framework of an ESO Large Programme high quality spectra of 70 very metal-poor dwarfs and giants were obtained with the VLT-UVES combination. This paper reports the detailed analyses of the 35 giants of the sample. At the exception of a few template stars, all the targets are from the H&K Beers et al. survey. No less than 22 stars have [Fe/H] below -3.0. The imprint of yields of the first galactic or protogalactic supernovae is sampled in the photospheres of these stars. If [C/Fe], [Na/Fe] and [Al/Fe] show a spread significantly above the observational scatter, several abundance ratios present an amazing low scatter when plotted against [Fe/H], as [Cr/Fe] but also odd elements, as [K/Fe] or [Sc/Fe]. The abundance of oxygen has been derived from the [O I] line for 16 of these giants, in spite of the extreme weakness of the line. No significant slope with [Fe/H] is found. Similar plots have been made using Mg instead of Fe as reference element. With Mg, no clear trend with metallicity is obvious below [Mg/H]=-3., except perhaps for [Zn/Mg]. It is contemplated that the mild slope found in the very low scatter diagram [Cr/Fe] versus [Fe/H] might be spurious due for example to the LTE approximation plus use of 1-D models. This would relax the absence of scatter in the dilution of the SN ejectas within the ambient medium, as needed if [Fe/H] is a well defined function of [Cr/Fe].

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

First stars IV.CS 29497-030: Evidence for operation of the s-process at very low metallicity

We present an abundance analysis of the very metal-poor, carbon-enhanced star CS 29497-030. Our results indicate that this unusually hot turnoff star (Teff = 6650K, log g = 3.5) has a metallicity [Fe/H] = -2.8, and exhibits large overabundances of carbon ([C/Fe] = +2.38), nitrogen ([N/Fe]= +1.88), and oxygen ([O/Fe]= +1.67). This star also exhibits a large enhancement in its neutron-capture elements; the pattern follows that expected to arise from the s-process. In particular, the Pb abundance is found to be very high with respect to iron ([Pb/Fe]= +3.5), and also with respect to the second peak s-process elements (e.g., Ba, La, Ce, Nd), which fits into the newly introduced classification of lead (Pb) stars. The known spectroscopic binary status of this star, along with the observed s-process abundance pattern, suggest that it has accreted matter from a companion, which formerly was an Asymptotic Giant-Branch(AGB) star. In a preliminary analysis, we have also identified broad absorption lines of metallic species that suggest a large axial rotational velocity for this star, which may be the result of spin-up associated with the accretion of material from its previous AGB companion. In addition, this star is clearly depleted in the light element Li. When considered along with its rather high inferred temperature, these observations are consistent with the expected properties of a very low metallicity halo blue straggler.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Bulge Microlensing Optical Depth from EROS 2 observations

We present a measurement of the microlensing optical depth toward the Galactic bulge based on the analysis of 15 contiguous1 square degrees fields centered on (l=2.5 deg, b=-4.0 deg) and containing 1.42 million clump-giant stars (belonging to the extended clump area) monitored during almost three bulge seasons by EROS (Experience de Recherche d'Objets Sombres). We find a microlensing optical depth towards the bulge tau_bulge=0.94 +/- 0.29 10^-6 averaged over all fields, based on 16 microlensing events with clump giants as sources. This value is substantially below several other determinations by the MACHO and OGLE groups and is more in agreement with what is expected from axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric bulge models.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Elemental abundances of metal poor carbon rich lead star: CS29497-030

We present here the abundance analysis of a metal poor carbon rich lead star, CS29497-030. High resolution and high signal to noise spectra were obtained using the UVES spectrograph on the 8.2m VLT-Kueyen telescope. The observations were made as a part of the Large Programme 165.N-0276, P.I. R. Cayrel. Abundance analysis was done using the latest version of the MARCS model atmospheres (Plez et. al. 1992) and the turbospectrum spectrum synthesis code. We have derived Teff = 6650K from the FeI lines. Visible and infrared broad band colours using the Alonso et al. (1996) calibration, gives similar temperatures. A log g value of 3.5 was obtained from the ionisation equilibrium of FeI and FeII, we remark that this gravity also satisfies the MgI/MgII, TiI/TiII and MnI/MnII equilibria, within errors. The abundance analysis indicates a metallicity, [Fe/H] = --2.7. A large overabundance of carbon ([C/Fe]=2.7) was found. We have also found large enhancement in the s-process elements and in particular lead shows an extremely high abundance of [Pb/Fe]=3.5, which makes this the star with the highest Pb/Fe ratio, up to date. The Pb/Ba ratio is found to be high ([Pb/Ba]=1.2) and the same s true for other second-peak s-process elements(e.g La, Ce, Nd). The star is a known spectroscopic binary with a period of 346 days (Preston & Sneden 2000). The abundance pattern suggests that CS 29497-30 has accreted matter from its companion, when it was in the AGB phase.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

EROS 2 proper motion survey: Constraints on the halo white dwarfs

We are conducting a 377-square-degree proper motion survey in the ~V and I bands in order to determine the cool white dwarf contribution to the Galactic dark matter. Using the 250 square degrees for which we possess three epochs, and applying selection criteria designed to isolate halo-type objects, we find no candidates in a 5500 pc^3 effective volume for old, fast M_V=17 white dwarfs. We check the detection efficiency by cross-matching our catalogue with Luyten's NLTT catalogue. The halo white dwarf contribution cannot exceed 5% (95% C.L.) for objects with M_V=17 and 1<V-I<1.5. The same conclusion applies to a 14Gyr halo composed of white dwarfs with hydrogen atmosphere, as modeled by Chabrier (99).

astro-ph↗