Rubin-LSST

Abstract:

We present a measurement of the tt̄ production cross section in pp̄ collisions at s=1.96TeV using events containing a high transverse momentum electron or muon, three or more jets, and missing transverse energy. Events consistent with tt̄ decay are found by identifying jets containing candidate heavy-flavor semileptonic decays to muons. The measurement uses a CDF run II data sample corresponding to 2fb-1 of integrated luminosity. Based on 248 candidate events with three or more jets and an expected background of 79.5±5.3 events, we measure a production cross section of 9.1±1.6pb. © 2009 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

A search for new physics using three-lepton (trilepton) data collected with the CDF II detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 976 pb-1 is presented. The standard model predicts a low rate of trilepton events, which makes some supersymmetric processes, such as chargino-neutralino production, measurable in this channel. The μμ+ signature is investigated, where ℓ is an electron or a muon, with the additional requirement of large missing transverse energy. In this analysis, the lepton transverse momenta with respect to the beam direction (pT) are as low as 5GeV/c, a selection that improves the sensitivity to particles that are light as well as to ones that result in leptonically decaying tau leptons. At the same time, this low-pT selection presents additional challenges due to the non-negligible heavy-quark background at low lepton momenta. This background is measured with an innovative technique using experimental data. Several dimuon and trilepton control regions are investigated, and good agreement between experimental results and standard-model predictions is observed. In the signal region, we observe one three-muon event and expect 0.4±0.1μμ+ events from standard-model processes. © 2009 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

Using ψ(3770)→DD̄ events collected with the CLEO-c detector at the Cornell e+e- storage ring, tagged by fully reconstructing one D meson in a hadronic decay mode, we measure absolute branching fractions and differential decay rates for D0→π-e+νe, D+→π0e+νe, D0→K-e+νe, and D+→K̄0e+νe. The measured decay rates are used to study semileptonic form factors governing these transitions and to test unquenched Lattice QCD (LQCD) calculations. We average our results with previously published CLEO-c measurements of the same quantities using a neutrino reconstruction technique. Combining LQCD calculations of form factor absolute normalizations f+(0) and measurements of f+π(0)|Vcd| and f+K(0)|Vcs|, we find |Vcd|=0.222(8)(3)(23) and |Vcs|=1.018(10)(8)(106), where the uncertainties are statistical, experimental systematic, and from LQCD, respectively. © 2009 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

We describe the scientific motivations, the mission concept and the instrumentation of SPACE, a class-M mission proposed for concept study at the first call of the ESA Cosmic-Vision 2015-2025 planning cycle. SPACE aims to produce the largest three-dimensional evolutionary map of the Universe over the past 10 billion years by taking near-IR spectra and measuring redshifts for more than half a billion galaxies at 0∈<∈z∈<∈2 down to AB~23 over 3π sr of the sky. In addition, SPACE will also target a smaller sky field, performing a deep spectroscopic survey of millions of galaxies to AB~26 and at 2∈<∈z∈<∈10∈+. These goals are unreachable with ground-based observations due to the ≈500 times higher sky background (see e.g. Aldering, LBNL report number LBNL-51157, 2001). To achieve the main science objectives, SPACE will use a 1.5 m diameter Ritchey-Chretien telescope equipped with a set of arrays of Digital Micro-mirror Devices covering a total field of view of 0.4 deg2, and will perform large-multiplexing multi-object spectroscopy (e.g. ≈6000 targets per pointing) at a spectral resolution of R~400 as well as diffraction-limited imaging with continuous coverage from 0.8 to 1.8 μm. Owing to the depth, redshift range, volume coverage and quality of its spectra, SPACE will reveal with unique sensitivity most of the fundamental cosmological signatures, including the power spectrum of density fluctuations and its turnover. SPACE will also place high accuracy constraints on the dark energy equation of state parameter and its evolution by measuring the baryonic acoustic oscillations imprinted when matter and radiation decoupled, the distance-luminosity relation of cosmological supernovae, the evolution of the cosmic expansion rate, the growth rate of cosmic large-scale structure, and high-z galaxy clusters. The datasets from the SPACE mission will represent a long lasting legacy for the whole astronomical community whose data will be mined for many years to come. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.