SFitter: Reconstructing the MSSM Lagrangian from LHC data

Once supersymmetry is found at the LHC, the question arises what are the fundamental parameters of the Lagrangian. The answer to this question should thereby not be biased by assumptions on high-scale models. SFitter is a tool designed for this task. Taking LHC (and possibly ILC) data as input it scans the TeV-scale MSSM parameter space using its new weighted Markov chain technique. Using this scan it determines a list of best-fitting parameter points. Additionally a log-likelihood map is calculated, which can be reduced to lower-dimensional Frequentist's profile likelihoods or Bayesian probability maps.Comment: Submitted for the SUSY07 proceedings, 4 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figure

Stellar parameters for the central star of the planetary nebula PRTM 1 using the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory service TheoSSA

The German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO) developed the registered service TheoSSA (theoretical stellar spectra access) and the supporting registered VO tool TMAW (Tuebingen Model-Atmosphere WWW interface). These allow individual spectral analyses of hot, compact stars with state-of-the-art non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) stellar-atmosphere models that presently consider opacities of the elements H, He, C, N, O, Ne, Na, and Mg, without requiring detailed knowledge about the involved background codes and procedures. Presently, TheoSSA provides easy access to about 150000 pre-calculated stellar SEDs and is intended to ingest SEDs calculated by any model-atmosphere code. In the case of the exciting star of PRTM 1, we demonstrate the easy way to calculate individual NLTE stellar model-atmospheres to reproduce an observed optical spectrum. We measured Teff = 98000 +/- 5000 K, log (g / cm/s**2) = 5.0 (+0.3/-0.2) and photospheric mass fractions of H = 7.5 x 10**-1 (1.02 times solar), He = 2.4 x 10**-1 (0.96), C = 2.0 x 10**-3 (0.84), N = 3.2 x 10**-4 (0.46), O = 8.5 x 10**-3 (1.48) with uncertainties of +/- 0.2 dex. We determined the stellar mass and luminosity of 0.73 (+0.16/-0.15) Msun and log (L / Lsun) = 4.2 +/- 0.4, respectively.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure

Adaptive Filtering for Large Space Structures: A Closed-Form Solution

In a previous paper Schaechter proposes using an extended Kalman filter to estimate adaptively the (slowly varying) frequencies and damping ratios of a large space structure. The time varying gains for estimating the frequencies and damping ratios can be determined in closed form so it is not necessary to integrate the matrix Riccati equations. After certain approximations, the time varying adaptive gain can be written as the product of a constant matrix times a matrix derived from the components of the estimated state vector. This is an important savings of computer resources and allows the adaptive filter to be implemented with approximately the same effort as the nonadaptive filter. The success of this new approach for adaptive filtering was demonstrated using synthetic data from a two mode system

Di-boson Production beyond NLO QCD and Anomalous Couplings

In these proceedings, we review results for several di-boson production processes beyond NLO QCD at high transverse momenta using the VBFNLO Monte-Carlo program together with the LOOPSIM method. Additionally, we show for the WZ production process how higher order QCD corrections can resemble anomalous coupling effects.Comment: Conference Proceedings:C15-05-25.

Stellar laboratories. V. The Xe VI ultraviolet spectrum and the xenon abundance in the hot DO-type white dwarf RE0503-289

For the spectral analysis of spectra of hot stars with a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), advanced non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) model atmospheres are mandatory. These are strongly dependent on the reliability of the atomic data that are used for their calculation. Reliable Xe VI oscillator strengths are used to identify Xe lines in the ultraviolet spectrum of the DO-type white dwarf RE0503-289 and to determine its photospheric Xe abundance. We publish newly calculated oscillator strengths that are based on a recently measured Xe VI laboratory line spectrum. These strengths were used to consider their radiative and collisional bound-bound transitions in detail in our NLTE stellar-atmosphere models to analyze Xe VI lines exhibited in high-resolution and high S/N UV observations of RE0503-289. We identify three hitherto unknown Xe VI lines in the ultraviolet spectrum of RE0503-289 and confirm the previously measured photospheric Xe abundance of this white dwarf (log Xe = -4.2 +/- 0.6). Reliable measurements and calculations of atomic data are prerequisite for stellar-atmosphere modeling. Observed Xe VI line profiles in the ultraviolet spectrum of the white dwarf RE0503-289 were well reproduced with the newly calculated Xe VI oscillator strengths.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure

Star-forming Galactic Contrails at z=3.2 as a Source of Metal Enrichment and Ionizing Radiation

A spectroscopically detected Lyman alpha emitting halo at redshift 3.216 in the GOODS-N field is found to reside at the convergence of several Lyman alpha filaments. HST images show that some of the filaments are inhabited by galaxies. Several of the galaxies in the field have pronounced head-tail structures, which are partly aligned with each other. The blue colors of most tails suggest the presence of young stars, with the emission from at least one of the galaxies apparently dominated by high equivalent width Lyman alpha. Faint, more diffuse, and similarly elongated, apparently stellar features, can be seen over an area with a linear extent of at least 90 kpc. The region within several arcseconds of the brightest galaxy exhibits spatially extended emission by HeII, NV and various lower ionization metal lines. The gas-dynamical features present are strongly reminiscent of ram-pressure stripped galaxies, including evidence for recent star formation in the stripped contrails. Spatial gradients in the appearance of several galaxies may represent a stream of galaxies passing from a colder to a hotter intergalactic medium. The stripping of gas from the in-falling galaxies, in conjunction with the occurrence of star formation and stellar feedback in the galactic contrails suggests a mechanism for the metal enrichment of the high redshift intergalactic medium that does not depend on long-range galactic winds, at the same time opening a path for the escape of ionizing radiation from galaxies.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRA

Temperature and Kinematics of CIV Absorption Systems

We use Keck HIRES spectra of three intermediate redshift QSOs to study the physical state and kinematics of the individual components of CIV selected heavy element absorption systems. Fewer than 8 % of all CIV lines with column densities greater than 10^{12.5} cm^{-2} have Doppler parameters b < 6 km/s. A formal decomposition into thermal and non-thermal motion using the simultaneous presence of SiIV gives a mean thermal Doppler parameter b_{therm}(CIV) = 7.2 km/s, corresponding to a temperature of 38,000 K although temperatures possibly in excess of 300,000 K occur occasionally. We also find tentative evidence for a mild increase of temperature with HI column density. Non-thermal motions within components are typically small (< 10 km/s) for most systems, indicative of a quiescent environment. The two-point correlation function (TPCF) of CIV systems on scales up to 500 km/s suggests that there is more than one source of velocity dispersion. The shape of the TPCF can be understood if the CIV systems are caused by ensembles of objects with the kinematics of dwarf galaxies on a small scale, while following the Hubble flow on a larger scale. Individual high redshift CIV components may be the building blocks of future normal galaxies in a hierarchical structure formation scenario.Comment: submitted to the ApJ Letters, March 16, 1996 (in press); (13 Latex pages, 4 Postscript figures, and psfig.sty included