arXiv subjects

N. Timneanu

Publications and source records attributed to N. Timneanu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2010

On the feasibility of nanocrystal imaging using intense and ultrashort 1.5 {\AA} X-ray pulses

Structural studies of biological macromolecules are severely limited by radiation damage. Traditional crystallography curbs the effects of damage by spreading damage over many copies of the molecule of interest. X-ray lasers, such as the recently built LINAC Coherent Light Source (LCLS), offer an additional opportunity for limiting damage by out-running damage processes with ultrashort and very intense X-ray pulses. Such pulses may allow the imaging of single molecules, clusters or nanoparticles, but coherent flash imaging will also open up new avenues for structural studies on nano- and micro-crystalline substances. This paper addresses the theoretical potentials and limitations of nanocrystallography with extremely intense coherent X-ray pulses. We use urea nanocrystals as a model for generic biological substances and simulate primary and secondary ionization dynamics in the crystalline sample. Our results establish conditions for ultrafast nanocrystallography diffraction experiments as a function of fluence and pulse duration.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2010

Cryptotomography: reconstructing 3D Fourier intensities from randomly oriented single-shot diffraction patterns

We reconstructed the 3D Fourier intensity distribution of mono-disperse prolate nano-particles using single-shot 2D coherent diffraction patterns collected at DESY's FLASH facility when a bright, coherent, ultrafast X-ray pulse intercepted individual particles of random, unmeasured orientations. This first experimental demonstration of cryptotomography extended the Expansion-Maximization-Compression (EMC) framework to accommodate unmeasured fluctuations in photon fluence and loss of data due to saturation or background scatter. This work is an important step towards realizing single-shot diffraction imaging of single biomolecules.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2009

Radiation damage in biological material: electronic properties and electron impact ionization in urea

Radiation damage is an unavoidable process when performing structural investigations of biological macromolecules with X-ray sources. In crystallography this process can be limited through damage distribution in a crystal, while for single molecular imaging it can be outrun by employing short intense pulses. Secondary electron generation is crucial during damage formation and we present a study in urea, as model for biomaterial. From first principles we calculate the band structure and energy loss function, and subsequently the inelastic electron cross section in urea. Using Molecular Dynamics simulations, we quantify the damage and study the magnitude and spatial extent of the electron cloud coming from an incident electron, as well as the dependence with initial energy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Interaction of ultrashort X-ray pulses with B4C, SiC and Si

The interaction of 32.5 and 6 nm ultrashort X-ray pulses with the solid materials B4C, SiC and Si is simulated with a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) radiation transfer code. We study the ionization dynamics as function of depth in the material, modifications of the opacity during irradiation and estimate crater depth. Furthermore, we compare the estimated crater depth with experimental data, for fluences up to 2.2 J/cm2. Our results show that at 32.5 nm irradiation, the opacity changes with less than a factor of 2 for B4C and Si and a factor of 3 for SiC, for fluences up to 200 J/cm2. At a laser wavelength of 6 nm, the model predicts a dramatic decrease in opacity due to the weak inverse bremsstrahlung, increasing the crater depth for high fluences.

physics.plasm-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

Soft colour interactions and diffractive Higgs production

The topical subject of Higgs production in diffractive hard scattering events at the Tevatron and LHC is discussed. This has been proposed as a Higgs discovery channel with appealing experimental features. Predictions are obtained from the Soft Colour Interaction model, where rapidity gaps are created by a new soft interaction added to the normal hard scattering processes, implemented in the Monte Carlo event generator PYTHIA. A brief review of the successful application of the model to describe all CDF and DO data on diffractive hard scattering, such as production of W/Z, dijets, beauty and J/psi is also given.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Diffractive Higgs bosons and prompt photons at hadron colliders

Models for soft color interactions have been successful in describing and predicting diffractive hard scattering processes in ep collisions at DESY HERA and ppbar at the Fermilab Tevatron. Here we present new comparisons of the model to recent diffractive dijet data, also showing good agreement. The topical issue of diffractive Higgs production at the Tevatron and LHC hadron colliders is further investigated. For H->gamma gamma the irreducible background of prompt photon pairs from qqbar->gamma gamma and gg->gamma gamma is always dominating, implying that higher branching ratio decay modes of the Higgs have to be used. However, such prompt photons can be used to test the basic prediction for Higgs production since gg->gamma gamma involves a quark loop diagram similar to gg->H.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Unintegrated gluon in the photon and heavy quark production

The unintegrated gluon density in the photon is determined, using the Kimber-Martin-Ryskin prescription . In addition, a model of the unintegrated gluon is proposed, based on the saturation model extended to the large-x region. These gluon densities are applied to obtain cross sections for charm and bottom production in gamma-p and gamma-gamma collisions using the k_t factorization approach. We investigate both direct and resolved photon contributions and make comparison with the results from the collinear approach and the experimental data. An enhancement of the cross section due to inclusion of non-zero transverse momenta of the gluons is found. The charm production cross section is consistent with the data. The data exceed our conservative estimate for bottom production in gamma-p collisions, but theoretical uncertainties are too large to claim a significant inconsistency. A substantial discrepancy between theory and the experiment is found for gamma gamma -> b bbar X, not being cured by the k_t factorization approach.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Diffractive Higgs boson production at the Tevatron and LHC

Improved possibilities to find the Higgs boson in diffractive events, having less hadronic activity, depend on whether the cross section is large enough. Based on the soft color interaction models that successfully describe diffractive hard scattering at HERA and the Tevatron, we find that only a few diffractive Higgs events may be produced at the Tevatron, but we predict a substantial rate at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Diffractive Higgs production: Soft Colour Interactions perspective

We briefly present the soft colour interaction models which are successful in reproducing a multitude of diffractive hard scattering data, and give predictions for diffractive Higgs production at the Tevatron and LHC. Only a few diffractive Higgs events may be produced at the Tevatron, but we predict a substantial rate at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Two-photon cross-sections from the saturation model

A saturation model for the total gamma-gamma and gamma*-gamma* cross-sections and for the real photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) is described. The model is based on a QCD dipole picture of high energy scattering. The two-dipole cross-section is assumed to satisfy the saturation property with the saturation radius taken from the GBW analysis of the gamma*-p interaction at HERA. The model is combined with the QPM and non-pomeron reggeon contributions an it gives a very good description of the data on the gamma-gamma total cross-section, on the photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) at low x and on the gamma*-gamma* cross-section. Production of heavy quarks in gamma-gamma collisions is also studied.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Saturation model for 2-gamma physics

We introduce a saturation model for photon-photon interactions, based on a QCD dipole picture of high energy scattering. The two-dipole cross-section is assumed to satisfy the saturation property. This pomeron-like contribution is supplemented with QPM and non-pomeron reggeon contributions. The model gives a very good description of the data on the gamma-gamma total cross-section, on the photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) at low x and on the gamma*-gamma* cross-section.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Soft Colour Interactions and Diffractive Hard Scattering at the Tevatron

We make a brief presentation of the soft colour interactions models, the Soft Colour Interaction and the Generalised Area Law, and summarise the results when they are applied to p-pbar scattering. The models give a good description of the Tevatron data on production of W, bottom and jets in diffractive events, as well as jets with two rapidity gaps, alternatively leading particles. We also give predictions for diffractive J/psi production and discuss diffractive Higgs production at the Tevatron and LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Saturation model for two-photon interactions at high energies

We formulate and analyse a saturation model for the total gamma gamma and gamma* gamma* cross-sections and for the real photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2). The model is based on a picture in which the gamma* gamma* total cross-section for arbitrary photon virtualities is driven by the interaction of colour dipoles, into which the virtual photons fluctuate. The cross-section describing this interaction is assumed to satisfy the saturation property with the saturation radius taken from the Golec-Biernat and Wusthoff analysis of the gamma* p interaction at HERA. The model is supplemented by the QPM and non-pomeron reggeon contributions. The model gives a very good description of the data on the gamma gamma total cross-section, on the photon structure function F_2^gamma(x,Q^2) at low x and on the gamma* gamma* cross-section extracted from LEP double tagged events. Production of heavy flavours in gamma gamma collisions is also studied. Predictions of the model for the very high energy range which will be probed at future linear colliders are given.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Soft Color Interactions and Diffractive Hard Scattering at the Fermilab Tevatron

An improved understanding of nonperturbative QCD can be obtained by the recently developed soft color interaction models. Their essence is the variation of color string-field topologies, giving a unified description of final states in high energy interactions, e.g., diffractive and nondiffractive events in ep and ppbar. Here we present a detailed study of such models (the soft color interaction model and the generalized area law model) applied to ppbar, considering also the general problem of the underlying event including beam particle remnants. With models tuned to HERA ep data, we find a good description also of Tevatron data on production of W, beauty and jets in diffractive events defined either by leading antiprotons or by one or two rapidity gaps in the forward or backward regions. We also give predictions for diffractive J/psi production where the soft exchange mechanism produces both a gap and a color singlet ccbar state in the same event. This soft color interaction approach is also compared with Pomeron-based models for diffraction, and some possibilities to experimentally discriminate between these different approaches are discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Soft remnant interactions and rapidity gaps

Soft colour exchange models give a unified description of both diffractive and non-diffractive events, such that e-p and p-pbar collider data with and without rapidity gaps are well reproduced. We show that these models also describe the new Tevatron data on diffraction based on observed leading antiprotons, which provide new information on how to treat the beam particle remnant in the Monte Carlo model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2000

Rapidity gaps at HERA and the Tevatron from soft colour exchanges

Models based on soft colour exchanges to rearrange colour strings in the final state provide a general framework for both diffractive and non-diffractive events in ep and hadron-hadron collisions. We study two such models and find that they can reproduce rapidity gap data from both HERA and the Tevatron. We also discuss the influence of parton cascades and multiple interactions on the results.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1999

Soft Colour Interactions in Non-perturbative QCD

Improved understanding of non-perturbative QCD dynamics can be obtained in terms of soft colour exchange models. Their essence is the variation of colour string-field topologies giving a unified description of final states in high energy interactions. In particular, both events with and without large rapidity gaps are obtained in agreement with data from ep at HERA and ppbar at the Tevatron, where also the surprisingly large production rate of high-p_T charmonium and bottomonium is reproduced.

hep-ph↗