The uncertainty in setting the renormalization scale in finite-order perturbative QCD predictions using standard methods substantially reduces the precision of tests of the Standard Model in collider experiments. It is conventional to choose a typical momentum transfer of the process as the renormalization scale and take an arbitrary range to estimate the uncertainty in the QCD prediction. However, predictions using this procedure depend on the choice of renormalization scheme, leave a non-convergent renormalon perturbative series, and moreover, one obtains incorrect results when applied to QED processes. In contrast, if one fixes the renormalization scale using the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC), all non-conformal {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-terms in the perturbative expansion series are summed into the running coupling, and one obtains a unique, scale-fixed, scheme-independent prediction at any finite order. The PMC renormalization scale {mu}{sub R}{sup PMC} and the resulting finite-order PMC prediction are both to high accuracy independent of choice of the initial renormalization scale {mu}{sub R}{sup init}, consistent with renormalization group invariance. Moreover, after PMC scale-setting, the n!-growth of the pQCD expansion is eliminated. Even the residual scale-dependence at fixed order due to unknown higher-order {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-terms is substantially suppressed. As an application, we apply the PMC procedure to obtain …

In this note, recent results of studies of semileptonic B meson decays from BABAR are discussed and preliminary results given. In particular, a recent measurement of {Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{tau}{nu}) and the ratio {Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{tau}{nu})/{Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{ell}{nu}) is presented. For the D* mode, a branching fraction of 1.79 {+-} 0.13(stat) {+-} 0.17(syst) is found, with a ratio of 0.325 {+-} 0.023(stat) {+-} 0.027(syst). For the D mode, the results are 1.04 {+-} 0.12(stat) {+-} 0.14(syst) and 0.456 {+-} 0.053(stat) {+-} 0.056(syst), respectively. In addition, a study of B{sub s} production and semileptonic decays using data collected in a center-of-mass energy region above the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance is discussed. The semileptonic branching fraction {Beta}(B{sub s} {yields} {ell}{nu}X) is measured to be 9.9{sub -2.1}{sup +2.6}(stat){sub -2.0}{sup +1.3}(syst).

The identification of low-energy counterparts for {gamma}-ray sources is one of the biggest challenge in modern {gamma}-ray astronomy. Recently, we developed and successfully applied a new association method to recognize {gamma}-ray blazar candidates that could be possible counterparts for the unidentified {gamma}-ray sources above 100 MeV in the second Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) catalog (2FGL). This method is based on the Infrared (IR) colors of the recent Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) all-sky survey. In this letter we applied our new association method to the case of unidentified INTEGRAL sources (UISs) listed in the fourth soft gamma-ray source catalog (4IC). Only 86 UISs out of the 113 can be analyzed, due to the sky coverage of the WISE Preliminary data release. Among these 86 UISs, we found that 18 appear to have a {gamma}-ray blazar candidate within their positional error region. Finally, we analyzed the Swift archival data available for 10 out these 18 {gamma}-ray blazar candidates, and we found that 7 out of 10 are clearly detected in soft X-rays and/or in the optical-ultraviolet band. We cannot confirm the associations between the UISs and the selected {gamma}-ray blazar candidates due to the discrepancies between the INTEGRAL and the …

This article studies the origin of broad band light emission in the ultraviolet to the red from silicon nanoparticles fabricated using a single low energy silver ion implantation.

Surveys above 10 keV represent one of the the best resources to provide an unbiased census of the population of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We present the results of 60 months of observation of the hard X-ray sky with Swift/BAT. In this timeframe, BAT detected (in the 15-55 keV band) 720 sources in an all-sky survey of which 428 are associated with AGN, most of which are nearby. Our sample has negligible incompleteness and statistics a factor of {approx}2 larger over similarly complete sets of AGN. Our sample contains (at least) 15 bona-fide Compton-thick AGN and 3 likely candidates. Compton-thick AGN represent a {approx}5% of AGN samples detected above 15 keV. We use the BAT dataset to refine the determination of the LogN-LogS of AGN which is extremely important, now that NuSTAR prepares for launch, towards assessing the AGN contribution to the cosmic X-ray background. We show that the LogN-LogS of AGN selected above 10 keV is now established to a {approx}10% precision. We derive the luminosity function of Compton-thick AGN and measure a space density of 7.9{sub -2.9}{sup +4.1} x 10{sup -5} Mpc{sup -3} for objects with a de-absorbed luminosity larger than 2 x 10{sup 42} erg s{sup -1}. …

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This Letter presents the first results from the observations of LS I +61{sup o}303 using Large Area Telescope data from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope between 2008 August and 2009 March. Our results indicate variability that is consistent with the binary period, with the emission being modulated at 26.6 {+-} 0.5 days. This constitutes the first detection of orbital periodicity in high-energy gamma rays (20 MeV-100 GeV, HE). The light curve is characterized by a broad peak after periastron, as well as a smaller peak just before apastron. The spectrum is best represented by a power law with an exponential cutoff, yielding an overall flux above 100 MeV of 0.82 {+-} 0.03(stat) {+-} 0.07(syst) 10{sup -6} ph cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, with a cutoff at 6.3 {+-} 1.1(stat) {+-} 0.4(syst) GeV and photon index {Gamma} = 2.21 {+-} 0.04(stat) {+-} 0.06(syst). There is no significant spectral change with orbital phase. The phase of maximum emission, close to periastron, hints at inverse Compton scattering as the main radiation mechanism. However, previous very high-energy gamma ray (>100 GeV, VHE) observations by MAGIC and VERITAS show peak emission close to apastron. This and the energy cutoff seen with Fermi suggest that the link …

One of the main scientific objectives of the ongoing Fermi mission is unveiling the nature of the unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs). Despite the large improvements of Fermi in the localization of {gamma}-ray sources with respect to the past {gamma}-ray missions, about one third of the Fermi-detected objects are still not associated to low energy counterparts. Recently, using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey, we discovered that blazars, the rarest class of Active Galactic Nuclei and the largest population of {gamma}-ray sources, can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources on the basis of their infrared (IR) colors. Based on this result, we designed an association method for the {gamma}-ray sources to recognize if there is a blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic {gamma}-ray source. With this new IR diagnostic tool, we searched for {gamma}-ray blazar candidates associated to the UGS sample of the second Fermi {gamma}-ray catalog (2FGL). We found that our method associates at least one {gamma}-ray blazar candidate as a counterpart each of 156 out of 313 UGSs analyzed. These new low-energy candidates have the same IR properties as the blazars associated to {gamma}-ray sources in the 2FGL catalog.

Despite the large number of discoveries made recently by Fermi, the origins of the so called unidentified {gamma}-ray sources remain unknown. The large number of these sources suggests that among them there could be a population that significantly contributes to the isotropic gamma-ray background and is therefore crucial to understand their nature. The first step toward a complete comprehension of the unidentified {gamma}-ray source population is to identify those that can be associated with blazars, the most numerous class of extragalactic sources in the {gamma}-ray sky. Recently, we discovered that blazars can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources using the infrared (IR) WISE satellite colors. The blazar population delineates a remarkable and distinctive region of the IR color-color space, the WISE blazar strip. In particular, the subregion delineated by the {gamma}-ray emitting blazars is even narrower and we named it as the WISE Gamma-ray Strip (WGS). In this paper we parametrize the WGS on the basis of a single parameter s that we then use to determine if {gamma}-ray Active Galactic Nuclei of the uncertain type (AGUs) detected by Fermi are consistent with the WGS and so can be considered blazar candidates. We find that 54 AGUs out …

We report the most restrictive direct limits on masses of fourth-generation down-type quarks b{prime}, and quark-like composite fermions (B or T{sub 5/3}), decaying promptly to tW{sup {-+}}. We search for a significant excess of events with two same-charge leptons (e, {mu}), several hadronic jets, and missing transverse energy. An analysis of data from p{bar p} collisions with an integrated luminosity of 2.7 fb{sup -1} collected with the CDF II detector at Fermilab yields no evidence for such a signal, setting mass limits m{sub b{prime}}, m{sub B} > 338 GeV/c{sup 2} and m{sub T{sub 5/3}} > 365 GeV/c{sup 2} at 95% confidence level.