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The CNO cycle is one of the most important nuclear energy sources in stars. At temperatures of hydrostatic H-burning (20 MK $<$ T $<$ 80 MK) the $^{17}$O(p,$\gamma$)$^{18}$F reaction rate is dominated by the poorly constrained 64.5~keV resonance. Here we report on the first direct measurements of its resonance strength and of the direct capture contribution at 142 keV, performed with a new high sensitivity setup at LUNA. The present resonance strength of $\omega\gamma_{(p, \gamma)}$\textsuperscript{bare} = (30 $\pm$ 6\textsubscript{stat} $\pm$ 2\textsubscript{syst})~peV is about a factor of 2 higher than the values in literature, leading to a $\Gamma$\textsubscript{p}\textsuperscript{bare} = (34 $\pm$ 7\textsubscript{stat} $\pm$ 3\textsubscript{syst})~neV, in agreement with LUNA result from the (p,$\alpha$) channel. Such agreement strengthen our understanding of the oxygen isotopic ratios measured in red giant stars and in O-rich presolar grains.

The $\mathrm{^{20}Ne(p, \gamma)^{21}Na}$ reaction is the slowest in the NeNa cycle and directly affects the abundances of the Ne and Na isotopes in a variety of astrophysical sites. Here we report the measurement of its direct capture contribution, for the first time below $E\rm_{cm} = 352$~keV, and of the contribution from the $E^{\rm }_{cm} = 368$~keV resonance, which dominates the reaction rate at $T=0.03-1.00$~GK. The experiment was performed deep underground at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics, using a high-intensity proton beam and a windowless neon gas target. Prompt $\gamma$ rays from the reaction were detected with two high-purity germanium detectors. We obtain a resonance strength $\omega \gamma~=~(0.112 \pm 0.002_{\rm stat}~\pm~0.005_{\rm sys})$~meV, with an uncertainty a factor of $3$ smaller than previous values. Our revised reaction rate is 20\% lower than previously adopted at $T < 0.1$~GK and agrees with previous estimates at temperatures $T \geq 0.1$~GK. Initial astrophysical implications are presented., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted to PRC (letter)

The ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}/{}^{13}\mathrm{C}$ ratio is a significant indicator of nucleosynthesis and mixing processes during hydrogen burning in stars. Its value mainly depends on the relative rates of the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(p,\gamma){}^{13}\mathrm{N}$ and ${}^{13}\mathrm{C}(p,\gamma){}^{14}\mathrm{N}$ reactions. Both reactions have been studied at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) in Italy down to the lowest energies to date ($E_\mathrm{c.m.} = 60\,\mathrm{keV}$) reaching for the first time the high energy tail of hydrogen burning in the shell of giant stars. Our cross sections, obtained with both prompt $\gamma$-ray detection and activation measurements, are the most precise to date with overall systematic uncertainties of $7-8\%$. Compared with most of the literature, our results are systematically lower, by $25\%$ for the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(p,\gamma){}^{13}\mathrm{N}$ reaction and by $30\%$ for ${}^{13}\mathrm{C}(p,\gamma){}^{14}\mathrm{N}$. We provide the most precise value up to now of $(3.6 \pm 0.4)$ in the $20-140\,\mathrm{MK}$ range for the lowest possible ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}/{}^{13}\mathrm{C}$ ratio that can be produced during H burning in giant stars., Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett

A setup designed to study photonuclear reactions at astrophysical energies - an active target Time Projection Chamber was developed and constructed at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. The device was successfully employed in two experiments at the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow, in which {\gamma}- and neutron-induced reactions with CO2 gas target were measured. The reaction products were detected and their momenta reconstructed. Preliminary results are shown., Comment: Presented at Zakopane Conference on Nuclear Physics 2022

We observed reduction of multiple Coulomb scattering of 855 MeV electrons within a Si crystalline plate w.r.t. an amorphous plate with the same mass thickness. The reduction owed to complete or partial suppression of the coherent part of multiple scattering in a crystal vs crystal orientation with the beam. Experimental data were collected at Mainz Mikrotron and critically compared to theoretical predictions and Monte Carlo simulations. Our results highlighted maximal 7 % reduction of the r.m.s. scattering angle at certain beam alignment with the [100] crystal axes. However, partial reduction was recorded over a wide range of alignment of the electron beam with the crystal up to 15 deg. This evidence may be relevant to refine the modelling of multiple scattering in crystals for currently used software, which is interesting for detectors in nuclear, medical, high energy physics., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the European Physical Journal C

A new approach to the study of the transition point in a class of two dimensional Wess-Zumino models is presented. The method is based on the calculation of rigorous lower bounds on the ground state energy density in the infinite lattice limit. Such bounds are useful in the discussion of supersymmetry phase transition. The transition point is then determined and compared with recent results based on large-scale Green Function Monte Carlo simulations with good agreement., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Talk presented at Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum VI, Villasimius, Sardinia, Italy, September 21-25, 2004

The spectrum of D=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills quantum mechanics is computed with high accuracy in all channels of angular momentum and fermion number. Localized and non-localized states coexists in certain channels as a consequence of the supersymmetric interactions with flat valleys. All states fall into well identifiable supermultiplets providing an explicit realization of supersymmetry on the spectroscopic level. An accidental degeneracy among some supermultiplets has been found. Regularized Witten index converges to a time-independent constant which agrees with earlier calculations., Comment: 47 pages, 17 figures, version 2: one reference added, acknowledgments modified

We improve the theoretical estimates of the critical exponents for the three-dimensional Heisenberg universality class. We find gamma=1.3960(9), nu=0.7112(5), eta=0.0375(5), alpha=-0.1336(15), beta=0.3689(3), and delta=4.783(3). We consider an improved lattice phi^4 Hamiltonian with suppressed leading scaling corrections. Our results are obtained by combining Monte Carlo simulations based on finite-size scaling methods and high-temperature expansions. The critical exponents are computed from high-temperature expansions specialized to the phi^4 improved model. By the same technique we determine the coefficients of the small-magnetization expansion of the equation of state. This expansion is extended analytically by means of approximate parametric representations, obtaining the equation of state in the whole critical region. We also determine a number of universal amplitude ratios., Comment: 40 pages, final version. In publication in Phys. Rev. B

Three-dimensional spin models of the Ising and XY universality classes are studied by a combination of high-temperature expansions and Monte Carlo simulations applied to improved Hamiltonians. The critical exponents and the critical equation of state are determined to very high precision., Comment: 7 pages, contribution to the 2nd Conference on the Exact Renormalization Group, Roma, September 2000

Three-dimensional spin models of the Ising and XY universality classes are studied by a combination of high-temperature expansions and Monte Carlo simulations. Critical exponents are determined to very high precision. Scaling amplitude ratios are computed via the critical equation of state. Our results are compared with other theoretical computations and with experiments, with special emphasis on the lambda transition of 4He., Comment: Lattice 2000 (Spin Models), 4 pages

In three-dimensional O(N) models, we investigate the low-momentum behavior of the two-point Green's function G(x) in the critical region of the symmetric phase. We consider physical systems whose criticality is characterized by a rotational-invariant fixed point. Several approaches are exploited, such as strong-coupling expansion of lattice non-linear O(N) sigma models, 1/N-expansion, field-theoretical methods within the phi^4 continuum formulation. In non-rotational invariant physical systems with O(N)-invariant interactions, the vanishing of space-anisotropy approaching the rotational-invariant fixed point is described by a critical exponent rho, which is universal and is related to the leading irrelevant operator breaking rotational invariance. At N=\infty one finds rho=2. We show that, for all values of $N\geq 0$, $\rho\simeq 2$. Non-Gaussian corrections to the universal low-momentum behavior of G(x) are evaluated, and found to be very small., Comment: 65 pages, revtex

We investigate the relation between on-shell and zero-momentum non-perturbative quantities entering the parametrization of the two-point Green's function of two-dimensional non-linear O(N) sigma models. We present accurate estimates of ratios of mass-scales and renormalization constants, obtained by an analysis of the strong-coupling expansion of the two-point Green's function. These ratios allow to connect exact known on-shell results with typical zero-momentum lattice evaluations. Our results are supported by the 1/N-expansion., Comment: 10 pages, revtex

The renormalized zero-momentum four-point coupling $g_r$ of $O(N)$-invariant scalar field theories in $d$ dimensions is studied by applying the $1/N$ expansion and strong coupling analysis. The $O(1/N)$ correction to the $\beta$-function and to the fixed point value $g_r^*$ are explictly computed. Strong coupling series for lattice non-linear $\sigma$ models are analyzed near criticality in $d=2$ and $d=3$ for several values of $N$ and the corresponding values of $g_r^*$ are extracted. Large-$N$ and strong coupling results are compared with each other, finding a good general agreement. For small $N$ the strong coupling analysis in 2-d gives the best determination of $g^*_r$ to date (or comparable for $N=2,3$ with the available Monte Carlo estimates), and in 3-d it is consistent with available $\phi^4$ field theory results., Comment: 4 pages, to be published in the Proceedings of Lattice 95, Postscript file

The large-N saddle-point equations for the principal chiral models defined on a d-1 dimensional simplex are derived from the external field problem for unitary integrals. The saddle point equation are studied analytically and numerically in many relevant instances, including d=4 and $d\rightarrow\infty$, with special attention to the critical domain, which is found to correspond to $\beta_c=1/d$ for all d. Related models (chiral chains) are discussed and large-N solutions are analyzed., Comment: 47 pages + 4 figures in an uuencoded file

Two dimensional large-N chiral models on the square and honeycomb lattices are investigated by a strong coupling analysis. Strong coupling expansion turns out to be predictive for the evaluation of continuum physical quantities, to the point of showing asymptotic scaling. Indeed in the strong coupling region a quite large range of beta values exists where the fundamental mass agrees, within about 5% on the square lattice and about 10% on the honeycomb lattice, with the continuum predictions in the %%energy scheme., Comment: 16 pages, Revtex, 8 uuencoded postscript figures

We investigate the large-N critical behavior of 2-d lattice chiral models by Monte Carlo simulations of U(N) and SU(N) groups at large N. Numerical results confirm strong coupling analyses, i.e. the existence of a large-N second order phase transition at a finite $\beta_c$., Comment: 12 pages, Revtex, 8 uuencoded postscript figures

Two dimensional $N=\infty$ lattice chiral models are investigate by a strong coupling analysis. Strong coupling expansion turns out to be predictive for the evaluation of continuum physical quantities, to the point of showing asymptotic scaling (within 5\%)., Comment: 3 pages, PostScript file, contribution to conference LATTICE '94

A general precedure is outlined for an algorithmic implementation of the strong coupling expansion of lattice chiral models on arbitrary lattices. A symbolic character expansion in terms of connected values of group integrals on skeleton diagrams may be obtained by a fully computerized approach., Comment: 2 pages, PostScript file, contribution to conference LATTICE '94

We present preliminary results on the proton spin structure function at zero momentum, in the quenched approximation. Our calculation makes use of a nonperturbative means of determining the multiplicative renormalization of the topological charge density., Comment: REVTEX, 6 pages, 1 PS figure attached. Pisa preprint IFUP-TH-14/94

We calculate the free energy of SU(N) gauge theories on the lattice, to three loops. Our result, combined with Monte Carlo data for the average plaquette, gives a more precise estimate of the gluonic condensate., Comment: 5 pages + 2 figures (PostScript); report no. IFUP-TH 17/93

We present a scheme for the analytic computation of renormalization functions on the lattice, using a symbolic manipulation computer language. Our first nontrivial application is a new three-loop result for the topological susceptibility., Comment: 15 pages + 2 figures (PostScript), report no. IFUP-TH 31/92

We present some new three-loop results in lattice gauge theories, for the Free Energy and for the Topological Susceptibility. These results are an outcome of a scheme which we are developing (using a symbolic manipulation language), for the analytic computation of renormalization functions on the lattice., Comment: (Contribution to Lattice-92 conference). 4 pages

In the lattice CP(N) models we studied the problems related to the measure of the topological susceptibility and the string tension . We perfomed numerical simulations at N=4 and N=10. In order to test the universality, we adopted two different lattice formulations. Scaling and universality tests led to the conclusion that at N=10 the geometrical approach gives a good definition of lattice topological susceptibility. On the other hand, N=4 proved not to be large enough to suppress the unphysical configurations, called dislocations, contributing to the topological susceptibility. We obtained other determinations of the topological susceptibility by the field theoretical method, wich relies on a local definition of the lattice topological charge density, and the cooling method. They gave quite consistent results, showing scaling and universality. The large-N expansion predicts an exponential area law behavior for sufficiently large Wilson loops, which implies confinement, due to the dynamical matter fields and absence of the screening phenomenon. We determined the string tension, without finding evidence of screening effects., Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, IFUP-TH 34/92