This contribution addresses various aspects of nuclear waste vitrification. Nuclear wastes have a variety of components and composition ranges. For each waste composition, the glass must be formulated to possess acceptable processing and product behavior defined in terms of physical and chemical properties that guarantee the glass can be easily made and resist environmental degradation. Glass formulation is facilitated by developing property-composition models, and the strategy of model development and application is reviewed. However, the large variability of waste compositions presents numerous additional challenges: insoluble solids and molten salts may segregate; foam may hinder heat transfer and slow down the process; molten salts may accumulate in container refractory walls; the glass on cooling may precipitate crystalline phases. These problems need targeted exploratory research. Examples of specific problems and their possible solutions are discussed.

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We present a search for standard model Higgs boson production in association with a W boson in proton-antiproton collisions (p{bar p} {yields} W{sup {+-}}H {yields} {ell}{nu}b{bar b}) at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The search employs data collected with the CDF II detector which correspond to an integrated luminosity of approximately 1 fb{sup -1}. We select events consistent with a signature of a single lepton (e{sup {+-}}/{mu}{sup {+-}}), missing transverse energy, and two jets. Jets corresponding to bottom quarks are identified with a secondary vertex tagging method and a neural network filter technique. The observed number of events and the dijet mass distributions are consistent with the standard model background expectations, and we set 95% confidence level upper limits on the production cross section times branching ratio ranging from 3.9 to 1.3 pb for Higgs boson masses from 110 to 150 GeV/c{sup 2}, respectively.

We present first evidence for the production of single top quarks in the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron p{bar p} collider. The standard model predicts that the electroweak interaction can produce a top quark together with an antibottom quark or light quark, without the antiparticle top quark partner that is always produced from strong coupling processes. Top quarks were first observed in pair production in 1995, and since then, single top quark production has been searched for in ever larger datasets. In this analysis, we select events from a 0.9 fb{sup -1} dataset that have an electron or muon and missing transverse energy from the decay of a W boson from the top quark decay, and two, three, or four jets, with one or two of the jets identified as originating from a b hadron decay. The selected events are mostly backgrounds such as W+jets and t{bar t} events, which we separate from the expected signals using three multivariate analysis techniques: boosted decision trees, Bayesian neural networks, and matrix element calculations. A binned likelihood fit of the signal cross section plus background to the data from the combination of the results from the three analysis methods gives a cross …

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We measure the t{bar t} production cross section in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV in the lepton+jets channel. Two complementary methods discriminate between signal and background, b-tagging and a kinematic likelihood discriminant. Based on 0.9 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, we measure {sigma}{sub t{bar t}} = 7.62 {+-} 0.85 pb, assuming the current world average m{sub t} = 172.6 GeV. We compare our cross section measurement with theory predictions to determine a value for the top quark mass of 170 {+-} 7 GeV.

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The authors report on a search for large extra dimensions in a data sample of approximately 1 fb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. They investigate Kaluza-Klein graviton production with a photon and missing transverse energy in the final state. At the 95% C.L. they set limits on the fundamental mass scale M{sub D} from 884 GeV to 778 GeV for 2 to 8 extra dimensions.

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We search for the production of a heavy W{prime} gauge boson that decays to third generation quarks in 0.9 fb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We find no significant excess in the final-state invariant mass distribution and set upper limits on the production cross section times branching fraction. For a left-handed W{prime} boson with SM couplings, we set a lower mass limit of 731 GeV. For right-handed W{prime} bosons, we set lower mass limits of 739 GeV if the W{prime} boson decays to both leptons and quarks and 768 GeV if the W{prime} boson decays only to quarks. We also set limits on the coupling of the W{prime} boson to fermions as a function of its mass.

Experiment E949 at Brookhaven National Laboratory studied the rare decay K{sup +}-->pi{sup +} nu{ovr {nu}} and other processes with an exposure of 1.77 x 10{sup 12} k{sup +}'s. The data were analyzed using a blind analysis technique yielding one candidate event with an estimated background of 0.30 {+-} 0.03 events. Combining this result with the observation of two candidate events by the predecessor experiment E787 gave the branching ratio B(K{sup +}-->pi{sup +} nu{ovr {nu}}) = (1.47{sub -0.89}{sup +1.30}) x 10{sup -10}, consistent with the standard model prediction of (0.74 {+-} 0.20) x 10{sup -10}. This is a more detailed report of results previously published [V.V. Anisimovsky et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 031801 (2004)].

The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab has amassed the largest sample to date of {pi}{sup 0}s produced in neutral current (NC) neutrino-nucleus interactions at low energy. This paper reports a measurement of the momentum distribution of {pi}{sup 0}s produced in mineral oil (CH{sub 2}) and the first observation of coherent {pi}{sup 0} production below 2 GeV. In the forward direction, the yield of events observed above the expectation for resonant production is attributed primarily to coherent production off carbon, but may also include a small contribution from diffractive production on hydrogen. Integrated over the MiniBooNE neutrino flux, the sum of the NC coherent and diffractive modes is found to be (19.5 {+-} 1.1 (stat) {+-} 2.5 (sys))% of all exclusive NC {pi}{sup 0} production at MiniBooNE. These measurements are of immediate utility because they quantify an important background to MiniBooNE's search for {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations.

The authors show how models of neutrino masses and mixings can be differentiated on the basis of their predictions for {theta}{sub 13} and lepton flavor violation in radiative charged lepton decays and {mu} - e conversion. They illustrate the lepton flavor violation results for five predictive SO(10) SUSY GUT models and point out the relative importance of their heavy right-handed neutrino mass spectra and {theta}{sub 13} predictions.

An experiment (E166) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has demonstrated a scheme in which a multi-GeV electron beam passed through a helical undulator to generate multi-MeV, circularly polarized photons which were then converted in a thin target to produce positrons (and electrons) with longitudinal polarization above 80% at 6 MeV. The results are in agreement with Geant4 simulations that include the dominant polarization-dependent interactions of electrons, positrons and photons in matter.

This letter describes how to perform model-independent searches for new pair-produced color octet particles that each subsequently decay into two jets plus missing energy at the Tevatron. Current searches are not sensitive to all regions of parameter space because they employ CMSSM-motivated cuts. Optimizing the H{sub T} and E{sub T} cuts expands the sensitivity of searches for all kinematically allowed decays.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is utilized to explore the temperature dependence of the interface moments in Co{sub 2}MnSi (CMS) thin films capped with aluminium. By increasing the thickness of the capping layer we demonstrate enhanced interface sensitivity of the measurements and the existence of a thin Mn oxide layer at the CMS/Al interface even when a thick capping layer is used. We show that for well ordered L2{sub 1} CMS films there is no significant variation in either the Co or Mn interface moments as a function of temperature. However, a dramatic reduction in the interface moments at low temperature is observed in a disordered CMS film that is likely to be caused by increased Mn-Mn antiferromagnetic coupling. It is suggested that for ordered L2{sub 1} CMS films the temperature dependence of the tunneling magnetoresistance is not related to changes in the interface moments. However, the existence of residual Mn oxide at the CMS/barrier interface could be a contributing factor.

The electronic structure of Mn in amorphous Si (a-Mn{sub x}Si{sub 1?x}) is studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Mn L{sub 3,2} edges for x = 0.005-0.18. Except the x = 0.005 sample, which shows a slight signature of Mn{sup 2+} atomic multiplets associated with a local Mn moment, all samples have broad and featureless L{sub 3,2} absorption peaks, corresponding to an itinerant state for all 3d electrons. The broad X-ray absorption spectra exclude the possibility of a localized 3d moment and explain the unexpectedly quenched Mn moment in this magnetically-doped amorphous semiconductor. Such a fully delocalized d state of Mn dopant in Si has not been previously suggested.

We investigated ZnO(0001) single crystals annealed in high vacuum with respect to their magnetic properties and cluster formation tendency after implant-doping with Fe. While metallic Fe cluster formation is suppressed, no evidence for the relevance of the Fe magnetic moment to the observed ferromagnetism was found. The latter along with the cluster suppression is discussed with respect to defects in the ZnO host matrix, since the crystalline quality of the substrates was lowered due to the preparation as observed by x-ray diffraction.

The present report documents the results of Working Group 2: B, D and K decays, of the workshop on Flavor in the Era of the LHC, held at CERN from November 2005 through March 2007. With the advent of the LHC, we will be able to probe New Physics (NP) up to energy scales almost one order of magnitude larger than it has been possible with present accelerator facilities. While direct detection of new particles will be the main avenue to establish the presence of NP at the LHC, indirect searches will provide precious complementary information, since most probably it will not be possible to measure the full spectrum of new particles and their couplings through direct production. In particular, precision measurements and computations in the realm of flavor physics are expected to play a key role in constraining the unknown parameters of the Lagrangian of any NP model emerging from direct searches at the LHC. The aim of Working Group 2 was twofold: on one hand, to provide a coherent, up-to-date picture of the status of flavor physics before the start of the LHC; on the other hand, to initiate activities on the path towards integrating information on NP …

Using 385 fb{sup -1} of e{sup +}e{sup -} collision data collected at center-of-mass energies around 10.6 GeV, we search for time-integrated CP violation in the Cabibbo-suppressed decays D{sup 0}/{bar D}{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0} and D{sup 0}/{bar D}{sup 0} {yields} K{sup -}K{sup +}{pi}{sup 0} with both model-independent and model-dependent methods. Measurements of the asymmetries in amplitudes of flavor states and CP eigenstates provide constraints on theories beyond the Standard Model, some of which predict CP violation in amplitudes at the 1% level or higher. We find no evidence of CP violation and hence no conflict with the Standard Model.

The {tau}{sup -} {yields} {eta}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{nu}{sub {tau}} decay with the {eta} {yields} {gamma}{gamma} mode is studied using 384 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the BABAR detector. The branching fraction is measured to be (1.60 {+-} 0.05 {+-} 0.11) x 10{sup -4}. It is found that {tau}{sup -} {yields} f{sub 1}(1285){pi}{sup -} {nu}{sub {tau}} {yields} {eta}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{nu}{sub {tau}} is the dominant decay mode with a branching fraction of (1.11 {+-} 0.06 {+-} 0.05) x 10{sup -4}. The first error on the branching fractions is statistical and the second systematic. In addition, a 90% confidence level upper limit on the branching fraction of the {tau}{sup -} {yields} {eta}{prime}(958){pi}{sup -}{nu}{sub {tau}} decay is measured to be 7.2 x 10{sup -6}. This last decay proceeds through a second-class current and is expected to be forbidden in the limit of isospin symmetry.

The properties of the {Xi}(1530) resonance are investigated in the {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}K{sup +} decay process. The data sample was collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider operating at center of mass energies 10.58 and 10.54 GeV. The corresponding integrated luminosity is approximately 230 fb{sup -1}. The spin of the {Xi}(1530) is established to be 3/2. The existence of an S-wave amplitude in the {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} system is inferred, and its interference with the {Xi}(1530)0 amplitude provides the first clear demonstration of the Breit-Wigner phase motion expected for the {Xi}(1530). The P{sub 1}(cos {theta}{sub {Xi}{sup -}}) Legendre polynomial moment indicates the presence of a significant S-wave amplitude for {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} mass values above 1.6 GeV/c{sup 2}, and a dip in the mass distribution at approximately 1.7 GeV/c{sup 2} is interpreted as due to coherent addition of a {Xi}(1690){sup 0} contribution to this amplitude. This would imply J{sup P} = 1/2{sup -} for the {Xi}(1690). Attempts at fitting the {Xi}(1530){sup 0} lineshape yield unsatisfactory results, and this failure is attributed to interference effects associated with the amplitudes describing the K{sup +}{pi}{sup +} and/or {Xi}{sup -}K{sup +} systems.

We propose and analyze a new tool to help solve sparse linear least-squares problems min{sub x} {parallel}Ax-b{parallel}{sub 2}. Our method is based on a sparse QR factorization of a low-rank perturbation {cflx A} of A. More precisely, we show that the R factor of {cflx A} is an effective preconditioner for the least-squares problem min{sub x} {parallel}Ax-b{parallel}{sub 2}, when solved using LSQR. We propose applications for the new technique. When A is rank deficient we can add rows to ensure that the preconditioner is well-conditioned without column pivoting. When A is sparse except for a few dense rows we can drop these dense rows from A to obtain {cflx A}. Another application is solving an updated or downdated problem. If R is a good preconditioner for the original problem A, it is a good preconditioner for the updated/downdated problem {cflx A}. We can also solve what-if scenarios, where we want to find the solution if a column of the original matrix is changed/removed. We present a spectral theory that analyzes the generalized spectrum of the pencil (A*A,R*R) and analyze the applications.