ATLAS Muon Detector Commissioning

The ATLAS muon spectrometer consists of several major components: Monitored Drift Tubes (MDTs) for precision measurements in the bending plane of the muons, supplemented by Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) in the high eta region; Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) and Thin Gap Chambers (TGCs) for trigger and second coordinate measurement in the barrel and endcap regions, respectively; an optical alignment system to track the relative positions of all chambers; and, finally, the world's largest air-core magnetic toroid system. We will describe the status and commissioning of the muon system with cosmic rays and plans for commissioning with early beams.Comment: 6 pages, 18 figures. To be published in the proceedings of DPF-2009, Detroit, MI, July 2009, eConf C09072

Systems thinking: critical thinking skills for the 1990s and beyond

This pdf article discusses the need for teaching systems thinking and critical thinking skills. Systems thinking and systems dynamics are important for developing effective strategies to close the gap between the interdependent nature of our problems and our ability to understand them. This article calls for a clearer view of the nature of systems thinking and the education system into which it must be transferred. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Timelike Compton scattering: exclusive photoproduction of lepton pairs

We investigate the exclusive photoproduction of a heavy timelike photon which decays into a lepton pair, gamma p -> l+ l- p. This can be seen as the analog of deeply virtual Compton scattering, and we argue that the two processes are complementary for studying generalized parton distributions in the nucleon. In an unpolarized experiment the angular distribution of the leptons readily provides access to the real part of the Compton amplitude. We estimate the possible size of this effect in kinematics where the Compton process should be dominated by quark exchange.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figure

Boundary critical behaviour at mm-axial Lifshitz points: the special transition for the case of a surface plane parallel to the modulation axes

The critical behaviour of $d$-dimensional semi-infinite systems with $n$-component order parameter $\bm{\phi}$ is studied at an $m$-axial bulk Lifshitz point whose wave-vector instability is isotropic in an $m$-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb{R}^d$. Field-theoretic renormalization group methods are utilised to examine the special surface transition in the case where the $m$ potential modulation axes, with $0\leq m\leq d-1$, are parallel to the surface. The resulting scaling laws for the surface critical indices are given. The surface critical exponent $\eta_\|^{\rm sp}$, the surface crossover exponent $\Phi$ and related ones are determined to first order in \epsilon=4+\case{m}{2}-d. Unlike the bulk critical exponents and the surface critical exponents of the ordinary transition, $\Phi$ is $m$-dependent already at first order in $\epsilon$. The \Or(\epsilon) term of $\eta_\|^{\rm sp}$ is found to vanish, which implies that the difference of $\beta_1^{\rm sp}$ and the bulk exponent $\beta$ is of order $\epsilon^2$.Comment: 21 pages, one figure included as eps file, uses IOP style file

Crossover from Attractive to Repulsive Casimir Forces and Vice Versa

Systems described by an O(n) symmetrical $\phi^4$ Hamiltonian are considered in a $d$-dimensional film geometry at their bulk critical points. The critical Casimir forces between the film's boundary planes $\mathfrak{B}_j, j=1,2$, are investigated as functions of film thickness $L$ for generic symmetry-preserving boundary conditions $\partial_n\bm{\phi}=\mathring{c}_j\bm{\phi}$. The $L$-dependent part of the reduced excess free energy per cross-sectional area takes the scaling form $f_{\text{res}}\approx D(c_1L^{\Phi/\nu},c_2L^{\Phi/\nu})/L^{d-1}$ when $d<4$, where $c_i$ are scaling fields associated with the variables $\mathring{c}_i$, and $\Phi$ is a surface crossover exponent. Explicit two-loop renormalization group results for the function $D(\mathsf{c}_1,\mathsf{c}_2)$ at $d=4-\epsilon$ dimensions are presented. These show that (i) the Casimir force can have either sign, depending on $\mathsf{c}_1$ and $\mathsf{c}_2$, and (ii) for appropriate choices of the enhancements $\mathring{c}_j$, crossovers from attraction to repulsion and vice versa occur as $L$ increases.Comment: 4 RevTeX pages, 2 eps figures; minor misprints corrected and 3 references adde

Solutions of the motion of synchronous satellites with arbitrary eccentricity and inclination

A first order, semianalytical theory for the long term motion of resonant satellites is presented. The theory is valid for all eccentricities and inclinations and for all commensurability ratios. The method allows the inclusion of all the zonal and tesseral harmonics as well as luni solar perturbations and radiation pressure. The method is applied to a synchronous satellite including only the J sub 2 and J sub 22 harmonics. Global, long term solutions for this problem, eccentricity, argument of perigee, and inclination are obtained