Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model at the Tevatron

Recent searches for physics beyond the standard model at the Tevatron are reported, with emphasis on supersymmetry.Comment: to appear in Proceedings of SUSY06, the 14th International Conference on Supersymmetry and the Unification of Fundamental Interactions, UC Irvine, California, 12-17 June 200

Using the Balance Function to study the charge correlations of hadrons

We present the recent Balance Function (BF) results obtained by the NA49 collaboration for the pseudo-rapidity dependence of non-identified charged particle correlations for two SPS energies. Experimental results indicate a clear centrality dependence only in the mid-rapidity region. The results of an energy dependence study of the BF throughout the whole SPS energy range will also be discussed. In addition, the correlation of identified hadrons is studied and presented for the first time. The study of hadron correlation has also been extended in order to cope with the high multiplicity environment that is expected to be seen at LHC. We will present the latest results from simulations concerning the extension of these studies to the ALICE experiment.Comment: To appear in the proccedings of the "Quark Confinement and Hadron Spectrum VII" conferenc

Heavy Flavor Production at PHENIX at RHIC

A study of heavy flavor production in different collision systems in various kinematic regions presents an opportunity to probe cold nuclear medium and hot dense matter effects. Results from the PHENIX experiment on $J/\psi$ and open charm production in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =200 GeV are presented. The data show strong $J/\psi$ suppression in central AA collisions, similar to NA50 results, and strong suppression in high $p_T$ open charm production. The $J/\psi$ production in Au+Au and d+Au collisions is compared to understand the cold nuclear medium effects. The data show significant cold nuclear effects in charm production in d+Au collisions at forward and backward rapidity ranges.Comment: 4 pages, 3figures, CIPANP2006, May 29-June 3, 2006. San Juan, PuertoRic

Hadron Blind Detector for the PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The PHENIX collaboration has designed a conceptually new Hadron Blind Detector (HBD) for electron identification in high density hadron environment. The HBD will identify low momentum electron-positron pairs to reduce the combinatorial background in the mass region below 1 GeV/c^2. The HBD shall be installed in PHENIX during the 2007 physics run. The HBD is a windowless proximity focusing Cherenkov detector with a radiator length of 50 cm, CsI photocathode and three layers of Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) for gas amplification. Pure CF_4 serves both as a radiator and as a detector gas. The radiation budget of the device is less than 3% of a radiation length.Comment: 4 page

IRSF/SIRIUS JHKs near-infrared variable star survey in the Magellanic Clouds

We carried out a NIR variable star survey toward the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds using the InfraRed Survey Facility (IRSF) at Sutherland, South African Astronomical Observatory. This survey project was initiated in Dember 2000, and since then, we kept monitoring a total area of 3 square degrees along the LMC bar and also an area of 1 square degree around the center of the SMC, sufficiently large to do statistical analysis and to make complete catalog of variable red giants in the Magellanic Clouds. The detection limits (S/N=10) of the survey are 17.0, 16.5 and 15.5 at J, H and Ks, respectively. In this article, we present some results on infrared variables that are not detected by the previous optical surveys. We show that they do not fall on the standard period-Ks magnitude relation for Mira-type variables pulsating in the fundamental mode.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. To appear in "Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for Theory and Observation", Eds. J. Guzik and P. Bradle

High Rapidity Physics with the BRAHMS Experiment

We report the study of the nuclear modification factor R_{AuAu} as function of pT and pseudo-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at top RHIC energy. We find this quantity almost independent of pseudo-rapidity. We use the pbar/pi- ratio as a probe of the parton density and the degree of thermalization of the medium formed by the collision. The pbar/pi- ratio has a clear rapidity dependence. The combination of these two measurements suggests that the pseudo-rapidity dependence of the R_{AuAu results from the competing effects of energy loss in a dense and opaque medium and the modifications of the wave function of the high energy beams in the initial state.Comment: 5 pages, four figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 9th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2006), Puerto Rico, 30 May - 3 June 200

Prospects for SUSY searches in CMS and ATLAS

We discuss how the CMS and ATLAS experiments are preparing for the analysis of first LHC data with emphasis on the search for supersymmetry. We will show the importance of the understanding of detector, trigger, reconstruction and backgrounds, and we will present realistic estimates of the reach of CMS and ATLAS.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of the 16th international conference on supersymmetry and the unification of fundamental interactions, SUSY08, Seoul, Korea, June 16-21, 200

Search for the Top Quark at D0 using Multivariate Methods

We report on the search for the top quark in proton-antiproton collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron in the di-lepton and lepton+jets channels using multivariate methods. An H-matrix analysis of the e-mu data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 13.5 pb-1 yields one event with a likelihood to be a top event (assuming top mass of 180 GeV/c**2) that is 10 times more than WW and 18 times more than Z -> tau tau. A neural network analysis of e+jets channel with about 48 pb-1 of data shows an excess of events in the signal region and yields a cross-section for top-antitop production of 6.7 +/- 2.3(stat.) pb, assuming a top mass of 200 GeV/c**2. A PDE analysis of e+jets data gives results consistent with the above.Comment: 12 pages, http://d0wop.fnal.gov/d0pubs/ppbar95/pushpa.ps Replaced because the first submission was problemati

HIV/AIDS and contraceptive method choice : demographic and socio-economic correlates of contraceptive method choice among HIV-positive women practising family planning in Kenya

Introduction: As the generalized HIV epidemic in specific settings of sub-Saharan Africa continues to evolve, there is need for evidence-based response to address emerging challenges, which include enabling the large number of women living with HIV make informed choices to achieve their reproductive goals. Objectives: This paper seeks to (i) examine the effect of HIV/AIDS on contraceptive method choice among women using contraceptives in Kenya; and (ii) identify correlates of contraceptive method choice among HIV-positive women practising family planning. Material and Methods: We apply multinomial Logistic regression models to a sample of 3190 sexually-active women of reproductive age using contraceptives from the 2003 and 2008 Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys to examine the effect of HIV/AIDS on contraceptive method choice. The analysis of correlates of method choice among HIV-positive women is based on a sample of 255 HIV-positive women using contraceptives and involves bivariate cross-tabulations with Chi-Square tests. Result: Overall association between HIV status and contraceptive method choice is consistent with expected patterns, with women who are HIV-positive being more than twice as likely to use condoms rather than hormonal contraceptives, compared to their counterparts of similar characteristics who are HIV-negative (p<0.05). Among women infected with HIV, those who were previously tested for HIV were more likely to use condoms and less likely to use hormonal methods (p<0.05) than those who had never been tested. The higher use of condoms by HIV-positive women is only evident among those who had previously been tested for HIV. Significant correlates of contraceptive method choice among HIV-positive women include parity, marital status, age group, education and ethnicity. Overall trends suggest a notable shift from use of hormonal methods to condoms by HIV-positive women, but predominant use of hormonal methods (60%) and low use of condoms (23%) by HIV-positive young women aged 15-24 practising family planning is of potential concern. Conclusion: The findings have important implications for family planning policies/programs targeting young women living with HIV and underscore the need to intensify efforts towards improved HIV testing coverage to enable HIV-positive women make informed reproductive choices

Mesons in the nuclear Medium

We discuss recent experimental results on the modification of hadron properties in a nuclear medium. Particular emphasis is placed on an $\omega$ production experiment performed by the CBELSA/TAPS collaboration at the ELSA accelerator. The data shows a smaller $\omega$ meson mass together with a significant increase of its width in the nuclear medium.Comment: Proceedings for CIPANP 2006 Puerto Ric