Transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations in Ar+Sc collisions at the CERN SPS from NA61/SHINE

The NA61/SHINE experiment aims to discover the critical point of strongly interacting matter and study the properties of the onset of deconfinement. For these goals a scan of the two dimensional phase diagram ($T$-$\mu_{B}$) is being performed at the SPS by measurements of hadron production in proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions as a function of collision energy and system size. In this contribution preliminary results on transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations expressed in terms of strongly intensive quantities from the Ar+Sc energy scan will be presented. These fluctuations are expected to be sensitive to the existence of a critical point. The results are compared with results from the p+p and Be+Be energy scan as well as with NA49 measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Contribution to the proceedings of the Critical Point and Onset of Deconfinement 2016, Wroclaw, Poland, May 30th - June 4th, 201

Idling Magnetic White Dwarf in the Synchronizing Polar BY Cam. The Noah-2 Project

Results of a multi-color study of the variability of the magnetic cataclysmic variable BY Cam are presented. The observations were obtained at the Korean 1.8m and Ukrainian 2.6m, 1.2m and 38-cm telescopes in 2003-2005, 56 observational runs cover 189 hours. The variations of the mean brightness in different colors are correlated with a slope dR/dV=1.29(4), where the number in brackets denotes the error estimates in the last digits. For individual runs, this slope is much smaller ranging from 0.98(3) to 1.24(3), with a mean value of 1.11(1). Near the maximum, the slope becomes smaller for some nights, indicating more blue spectral energy distribution, whereas the night-to-night variability has an infrared character. For the simultaneous UBVRI photometry, the slopes increase with wavelength from dU/dR=0.23(1) to dI/dR=1.18(1). Such wavelength dependence is opposite to that observed in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables, in an agreement to the model of cyclotron emission. The principal component analysis shows two (with a third at the limit of detection) components of variablitity with different spectral energy distribution, which possibly correspond to different regions of emission. The scalegram analysis shows a highest peak corresponding to the 200-min spin variability, its quarter and to the 30-min and 8-min QPOs. The amplitudes of all these components are dependent on wavelength and luminosity state. The light curves were fitted by a statistically optimal trigonometrical polynomial (up to 4-th order) to take into account a 4-hump structure. The dependences of these parameters on the phase of the beat period and on mean brightness are discussed. The amplitude of spin variations increases with an increasing wavelength and with decreasing brightnessComment: 30pages, 11figures, accepted in Cent.Eur.J.Phy

Recent results from NA61/SHINE

The NA61/SHINE experiment aims to discover the critical point of strongly interacting matter and study the properties of the onset of deconfinement. For these goals a scan of the two dimensional phase diagram (T-$\mu_B$) is being performed at the SPS by measurements of hadron production in proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions as a function of collision energy and system size. In this contribution intriguing results on the energy dependence of hadron spectra and yields in inelastic p+p and centrality selected Be+Be collisions will be presented. In particular, the energy dependence of the signals of deconfinement, the 'horn', 'step' and 'kink', in p+p interactions will be presented and compared with the corresponding results from central Pb+Pb collisions from NA49.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, To appear in the proceedings of ICNFP-201

Energy dependence of fluctuations in p+p and Be+Be collisions from NA61/SHINE

The main aims of the NA61/SHINE experiment are to discover the critical point of strongly interacting matter and to study properties of the onset of deconfinement. For this goal a two dimensional scan of the phase diagram (T-$\mu_{B}$) is being performed at the SPS with measurements of hadron production in proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus interactions as a function of collision energy and system size. It is expected that fluctuations of various dynamical quantities will increase close to the critical point. In this contribution recent results of measurements of fluctuations in p+p and Be+Be collisions at SPS energies are presented as well as comparisons with model predictions and corresponding data of other experiments are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, To appear in the proceedings of SQM-201

Odessa Scientific School of Researchers Of Variable Stars: From V.P.Tsesevich (1907-1983) to Our Days

The biography of Vladimir Platonovich Tsesevich (11.11.1907 - 28.10.1983), a leader of the astronomy in Odessa from 1944 to 1983, is briefly reviewed, as well as the directions of study, mainly the highlights of the research of variable stars carried out by the members of the scientific school founded by him. The directions of these studies cover a very wide range of variability types - "magnetic" and "non-magnetic" cataclysmic variables, symbiotic, X-Ray and other interacting binaries, classical eclipsers and "extreme direct impactors", pulsating variables from DSct and RR through C and RV to SR and M. Improved algorithms and programs have been elaborated for statistically optimal phenomenological and physical modeling. Initially these studies in Odessa were inspired by ("with a capital letter") Vladimir Platonovich Tsesevich. who was a meticulous Scientist and brilliant Educator, thorough Author and the intelligibly explaining Popularizer, persevering Organizer and cheerful Joker - a true Professor and Teacher. He was "the Poet of the Starry Heavens".Comment: Odessa Astronomical Publications, 2017, 30, 252-25