Recent BABAR results on electroweak penguin and leptonic decays are reviewed. In particular, the measurements of B {yields} K{sup (*)}l{sup +}l{sup -} and the preliminary results on B {yields} X{sub s}l{sup +}l{sup -} are presented. Also summarized are the preliminary limits on B{sup +} {yields} l{sup +}{nu} (l = e,{mu}) and B{sup +} {yields} K{sup +}{nu}{bar {nu}}.

Laser resistant coatings are needed for beam steering (mirrors), pulse switching (polarizers), and high transport efficiency on environmental barriers (windows/lenses) on large laser systems. A range of defects limit the exposure fluence of these coatings. By understanding the origin and damage mechanisms for these defects, the deposition process can be optimized to realize coatings with greater laser resistance. Electric field modeling can provide insight into which defects are most problematic. Laser damage growth studies are useful for determining a functional laser damage criteria. Mitigation techniques such as micro-machining with a single-crystal diamond cutting tool or short pulse laser ablation using the burst technique can be used to arrest growth in damage sites to extend optic lifetime.

Organellar genome sequences provide numerous phylogenetic markers and yield insight into organellar function and molecular evolution. These genomes are much smaller in size than their nuclear counterparts; thus, their complete sequencing is much less expensive than total nuclear genome sequencing, making broader phylogenetic sampling feasible. However, for some organisms it is challenging to isolate plastid DNA for sequencing using standard methods. To overcome these difficulties, we constructed partial genomic libraries from total DNA preparations of two heterotrophic and two autotrophic angiosperm species using fosmid vectors. We then used macroarray screening to isolate clones containing large fragments of plastid DNA. A minimum tiling path of clones comprising the entire genome sequence of each plastid was selected, and these clones were shotgun-sequenced and assembled into complete genomes. Although this method worked well for both heterotrophic and autotrophic plants, nuclear genome size had a dramatic effect on the proportion of screened clones containing plastid DNA and, consequently, the overall number of clones that must be screened to ensure full plastid genome coverage. This technique makes it possible to determine complete plastid genome sequences for organisms that defy other available organellar genome sequencing methods, especially those for which limited amounts of tissue are available.

A search for the non-conservation of lepton flavor in the decay {tau}{sup {+-}} {yields} e{sup {+-}}{gamma} has been performed with 2.07 x 10{sup 8} e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} events collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV. They find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of {Beta}({tau}{sup {+-}} {yields} e{sup {+-}}{gamma}) < 1.1 x 10{sup -7} at 90% confidence level.

The authors report preliminary measurements of the charmless exclusive semileptonic branching fractions of the B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu} and B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu} decays, based on 211 fb{sup -1} of data collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance by the BABAR detector. In events in which the decay of one B meson to a hadronic final state is fully reconstructed, the semileptonic decay of the second B meson is identified by the detection of a charged lepton and a pion. They measure the partial branching fractions for B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu} and B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu} in three regions of the invariant mass squared of the lepton pair, and they obtain the total branching fractions {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.14 {+-} 0.27{sub stat} {+-} 0.17{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4} and {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (0.86 {+-} 0.22{sub stat} {+-} 0.11{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. Using isospin symmetry, they measure the combined total branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.28 {+-} 0.23{sub stat} {+-} 0.16{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. Theoretical predictions of the form-factor are used to determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V{sub …

Using 88.9 million B{bar B} events collected by the BABAR detector at the {Upsilon}(4S), they measure the branching fraction for the radiative penguin process B {yields} X{sub s}{gamma} from the sum of 38 exclusive final states. The inclusive branching fraction above a minimum photon energy E{sub {gamma}} > 1.9 GeV is {Beta}(b {yields} s{gamma}) = (3.27 {+-} 0.18(stat.){sub -0.40}{sup +0.55}(syst.){sub -0.09}{sup +0.04}(theory)) x 10{sup -4}. They also measure the isospin asymmetry between B{sup -} {yields} X{sub s{bar u}}{gamma} and {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} X{sub sd}{gamma} to be {Delta}{sub 0-} = -0.006 {+-} 0.058(stat.) {+-} 0.009(syst.) {+-} 0.024({bar B}{sup 0}/B{sup -}). The photon energy spectrum is measured in the B rest frame, from which moments are derived for different values of the minimum photon energy. They present fits to the photon spectrum and moments which give the heavy-quark parameters m{sub b} and {mu}{sub {pi}}{sup 2}. The fitted parameters are consistent with those obtained from semileptonic B {yields} X{sub c}{ell}{nu} decays, and are useful inputs for the extraction of |V{sub ub}| from measurements of semileptonic B {yields} X{sub u}{ell}{nu} decays.

The authors analyze the decay B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} using a sample of 232 million {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory. A maximum likelihood fit finds the following branching fractions: {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = (43.0 {+-} 2.3 {+-} 2.3) x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} f{sub 0}({yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})K{sup 0}) = (5.5 {+-} 0.7 {+-} 0.5 {+-} 0.3) x 10{sup -6} and {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = (11.0 {+-} 1.5 {+-} 0.5 {+-} 0.5) x 10{sup -6}. For these results, the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third (if present) is due to the effect of interference from other resonances. They also measure the CP-violating charge asymmetry in the decay B{sup 0} {yields} K*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, {Alpha}{sub K*{pi}} = -0.11 {+-} 0.14 {+-} 0.05.