The progress over the 30 years since the first high-energy heavy-ion collisions at the BNL-AGS and CERN-SPS has been truly remarkable. Rigorous experimental and theoretical studies have revealed a ...new state of the matter in heavy-ion collisions, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Many signatures supporting the formation of the QGP have been reported. Among them are jet quenching, the non-viscous flow, direct photons, and Debye screening effects. In this article, selected signatures of the QGP observed at RHIC and the LHC are reviewed.
We describe the details of a silicon–tungsten prototype electromagnetic calorimeter module and associated readout electronics. Detector performance for this prototype has been measured in test beam ...experiments at the CERN PS and SPS accelerator facilities in 2015/16. The results are compared to those in Monte Carlo Geant4 simulations. This is the first real-world demonstration of the performance of a custom ASIC designed for fast, lower-power, high-granularity applications.
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling plays critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes, including regulating organogenesis. Down-regulation of NF-κB signaling during ...development results in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. The roles of NF-κB signaling in tooth development, however, are not fully understood. We examined mice overexpressing IKKβ, an essential component of the NF-κB pathway, under keratin 5 promoter (K5-Ikkβ). K5-Ikkβ mice showed supernumerary incisors whose formation was accompanied by up-regulation of canonical Wnt signaling. Apoptosis that is normally observed in wild-type incisor epithelium was reduced in K5-Ikkβ mice. The supernumerary incisors in K5-Ikkβ mice were found to phenocopy extra incisors in mice with mutations of Wnt inhibitor, Wise. Excess NF-κB activity thus induces an ectopic odontogenesis program that is usually suppressed under physiological conditions.
A reaction plane detector for PHENIX at RHIC Richardson, E.; Akiba, Y.; Anderson, N. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
04/2011, Volume:
636, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
A plastic scintillator paddle detector with embedded fiber light guides and photomultiplier tube readout, referred to as the Reaction Plane Detector (RXNP), was designed and installed in the PHENIX ...experiment prior to the 2007 run of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The RXNP's design is optimized to accurately measure the reaction plane (RP) angle of heavy-ion collisions, where, for mid-central sNN=200GeV Au+Au collisions, it achieved a 2nd harmonic RP resolution of ∼0.75, which is a factor of ∼2 greater than PHENIX's previous capabilities. This improvement was accomplished by locating the RXNP in the central region of the PHENIX experiment, where, due to its large coverage in pseudorapidity (1.0<|η|<2.8) and ϕ(2π), it is exposed to the high particle multiplicities needed for an accurate RP measurement. To enhance the observed signal, a 2-cm Pb converter is located between the nominal collision region and the scintillator paddles, allowing neutral particles produced in the heavy-ion collisions to contribute to the signal through conversion electrons. This paper discusses the design, operation and performance of the RXNP during the 2007 RHIC run.
Mid-rapidity spectra and yields of K
− and K
+ have been measured for Au+Au collisions at 4, 6, 8, and 10.7 AGeV. The K
− yield increases faster with beam energy than for K
+ and hence the K
−/K
+ ...ratio increases with beam energy. This ratio is studied as a function of both
s
and
s
−
s
th
which allows the direct comparison of the kaon yields with respect to the production threshold in p+p reactions. For equal
s
−
s
th
the measured ratio K
−/K
+=0.2 at energies above threshold in contrast to the K
−/K
+ ratio of near unity observed at energies below threshold. The use of the K
−/K
+ ratio to test the predicted changes of kaon properties in dense nuclear matter is discussed.
Fluoridated hydroxyapatite was synthesized at 80±1°C and pH 7.4±0.2 using a gradient fluoride supply system. X-ray diffraction analysis showed a typically apatitic pattern, although the (3
0
0) ...reflection was broader than that of homogeneous fluorapatite. Scanning electron micrographic observation indicated that the apatite was composed of rod-like crystals similarly to fluorapatite. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed electron damage in the core of the crystal. When the apatite pellet was prepared, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis showed a negative gradient of fluoride concentration with depth in the crystals. The apparent solubility in 0.5
mol/l acetate buffer solution (37°C and pH 4.0) was 9.16±0.39
mmol/l, much less than that of homogeneous hydroxyapatite 32.3±1.9
mmol/l, and less than that of heterogeneous two-layer fluoridated apatite with an outer fluoride-rich layer 12.5±0.6
mmol/l, which was synthesized previously by supplying fluoride during the latter half of the experimental period. These results suggest that graded fluoridated apatite may be formed by this process and have higher acid resistance than two-layer fluoridated apatite.
PHENIX central arm particle ID detectors Aizawa, M.; Akiba, Y.; Begay, R. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
03/2003, Volume:
499, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) and the Time-of-Flight (ToF) systems provide identification of charged particles for the PHENIX central arm. The RICH is located between the inner and outer tracking ...units and is one of the primary devices for identifying electrons among the very large number of charged pions. The ToF is used to identify hadrons and is located between the most outer pad chamber (PC3) and the electromagnetic calorimeter. A Time Zero (T0) counter that enhances charged particle measurements in p–p collisions is described. Details of the construction and performance of both the RICH, ToF and T0 are given along with typical results from the first PHENIX data taking run.
Diopside has been developed for use in dental root implants and for the filling of bone defects. In previous studies, diopside developed hydroxyapatite (HA) on its surface and achieved a direct bond ...with bone. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of crystal formation on the diopside surface. We ultrastructurally evaluated the interface between new diopside-induced crystals and diopside. Specimens were prepared in three experiments: (1) Granular diopside was immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF); (2) granular diopside was implanted into a cavity in rabbit bone; and (3) a diopside dental root implant was implanted into a Japanese monkey. The specimens were examined by contact microradiography, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and analytical electron microscopy. In the experiment with SBF, many platelet-like crystals formed in the diopside surface layer. The lattice of diopside and that of the new crystals were very close, but no clear continuation of the lattice was observed. In the experiments which used a rabbit and a monkey, contact microradiography showed close contact between bone and diopside. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed crystal growth from the diopside surface layer, and continuity between the diopside lattice and that of the new crystals. The morphological characteristics of the new crystals and the results of these analyses suggest that these new crystals are HA. With regard to the mechanism by which crystals are formed on the diopside surface layer, it is possible that epitaxial crystal growth could originate as a nucleus on the surface. In this case, epitaxial crystal growth of primarily octacalcium phosphate (OCP) may have occurred, and this may have changed to HA by a phase transition. However, epitaxial growth of OCP on the diopside surface is still highly speculative, since there is no direct supporting evidence.
We aim to study extremely dense matter in heavy-ion collisions at 1 −19 AGeV/c at a future project of J-PARC (J-PARC-HI). We will search for the first order phase boundary and its critical end point ...in the QCD phase diagram. We also aim at studying the properties of dense matter related to neutron stars and neutron star mergers, in particular the equation of state (EOS). We expect to produce the world's highest rate of 1011Hz of heavy-ion beams, with ion species from p to U. We design spectrometers based on a large dipole magnet to measure hadrons, dimuons, and hypernuclei. We evaluate some of key performance of the spectrometers based on detailed simulations.