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We present a thorough investigation of the physical properties and superconductivity of the binary intermetallic V2Ga5. Electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements show that V2Ga5 enters its superconducting state below Tsc = 3.5 K, with a critical field of Hc2,perp c(Hc2,para c) = 6.5(4.1) kOe. With H perp c, the peak effect was observed in resistivity measurements, indicating the ultrahigh quality of the single crystal studied. The resistivity measurements under high pressure reveal that the Tsc is suppressed linearly with pressure and reaches absolute zero around 20 GPa. Specific heat and muon spin relaxation measurements both indicate that the two-gap s-wave model best describes the superconductivity of V2Ga5. The spectra obtained from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements suggest that two superconducting gaps open at the Fermi surface around the Z and {\Gamma} points. These results are verified by first-principles band structure calculations. We therefore conclude that V2Ga5 is a phonon-mediated two-gap s-wave superconductor, Comment: Some images experience distortion during the conversion process to EPS format

Understanding the nucleon spin structure in the regime where the strong interaction becomes truly strong poses a challenge to both experiment and theory. At energy scales below the nucleon mass of about 1 GeV, the intense interaction among the quarks and gluons inside the nucleon makes them highly correlated. Their coherent behaviour causes the emergence of effective degrees of freedom, requiring the application of non-perturbative techniques, such as chiral effective field theory. Here, we present measurements of the neutron's generalized spin-polarizabilities that quantify the neutron's spin precession under electromagnetic fields at very low energy-momentum transfer squared down to 0.035 GeV$^2$. In this regime, chiral effective field theory calculations are expected to be applicable. Our data, however, show a strong discrepancy with these predictions, presenting a challenge to the current description of the neutron's spin properties., Comment: V1: initial version submitted to Nature Physics. V2: Published version. 16 pages, 7 figures. Additional material: 4 data tables (18 pages) V3: Typo corrected in author list. Paper content unchanged

Background: Measurements of exclusive meson production are a useful tool in the study of hadronic structure. In particular, one can discern the relevant degrees of freedom at different distance scales through these studies. Purpose: To study the transition between non-perturbative and perturbative Quantum Chromodyanmics as the square of four momentum transfer to the struck proton, -t, is increased. Method: Cross sections for the $^1$H(e,e'$\pi^+$)n reaction were measured over the -t range of 0.272 to 2.127 GeV$^2$ with limited azimuthal coverage at fixed beam energy of 4.709 GeV, Q$^2$ of 2.4 GeV$^2$ and W of 2.0 GeV at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) Hall C. Results: The -t dependence of the measured $\pi^+$ electroproduction cross section generally agrees with prior data from JLab Halls B and C. The data are consistent with a Regge amplitude based theoretical model, but show poor agreement with a Generalized Parton Distribution (GPD) based model. Conclusion: The agreement of cross sections with prior data implies small contribution from the interference terms, and the confirmation of the change in t-slopes between the low and high -t regions previously observed in photoproduction indicates the changing nature of the electroproduction reaction in our kinematic regime., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures Physical Review C, in press

Backward-angle meson electroproduction above the resonance region, which was previously ignored, is anticipated to offer unique access to the three quark plus sea component of the nucleon wave function. In this letter, we present the first complete separation of the four electromagnetic structure functions above the resonance region in exclusive omega electroproduction off the proton, e + p -> e' + p + omega, at central Q^2 values of 1.60, 2.45 GeV^2 , at W = 2.21 GeV. The results of our pioneering -u ~ -u min study demonstrate the existence of a unanticipated backward-angle cross section peak and the feasibility of full L/T/LT/TT separations in this never explored kinematic territory. At Q^2 =2.45 GeV^2 , the observed dominance of sigma_T over sigma_L, is qualitatively consistent with the collinear QCD description in the near-backward regime, in which the scattering amplitude factorizes into a hard subprocess amplitude and baryon to meson transition distribution amplitudes (TDAs): universal non-perturbative objects only accessible through backward angle kinematics.

The spin-structure functions $g_1$ and $g_2$, and the spin-dependent partial cross-section $\sigma_\mathrm{TT}$ have been extracted from the polarized cross-sections differences, $\Delta \sigma_{\parallel}\hspace{-0.06cm}\left(\nu,Q^{2}\right)$ and $\Delta \sigma_{\perp}\hspace{-0.06cm}\left(\nu,Q^{2}\right)$ measured for the $\vec{^\textrm{3}\textrm{He}}(\vec{\textrm{e}},\textrm{e}')\textrm{X}$ reaction, in the E97-110 experiment at Jefferson Lab. Polarized electrons with energies from 1.147 to 4.404 GeV were scattered at angles of 6$^{\circ}$ and 9$^{\circ}$ from a longitudinally or transversely polarized $^{3}$He target. The data cover the kinematic regions of the quasi-elastic, resonance production and beyond. From the extracted spin-structure functions, the first moments $\overline{\Gamma_1}\hspace{-0.06cm}\left(Q^{2}\right)$, $\Gamma_2\hspace{-0.06cm}\left(Q^{2}\right)$ and $I_{\mathrm{TT}}\hspace{-0.06cm}\left(Q^{2}\right)$ are evaluated with high precision for the neutron in the $Q^2$ range from 0.035 to 0.24~GeV$^{2}$. The comparison of the data and the chiral effective field theory predictions reveals the importance of proper treatment of the $\Delta$ degree of freedom for spin observables., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Version published in Phys. Lett. B

Precision experimental tests of the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) are one of our best hopes for discovering what new physics lies beyond the SM (BSM). Key in the search for new physics is the connection between theory and experiment. Forging this connection for searches involving low-energy hadronic or nuclear environments requires the use of a non-perturbative theoretical tool, lattice QCD. We present two recent lattice QCD calculations by the CalLat collaboration relevant for new physics searches: the nucleon axial coupling, $g_A$, whose precise value as predicted by the SM could help point to new physics contributions to the so-called "neutron lifetime puzzle", and hadronic matrix elements of short-ranged operators relevant for neutrinoless double beta decay searches., Comment: Plenary talk presented CIPANP2018. 11 pages, 3 figures

Detecting concrete surface damages is a vital task for maintaining the structural health and reliability of highway bridges. Currently, most of these tasks are conducted manually which could be cumbersome and time-consuming. Recent rapid advancement in convolution neural network has enabled the development of deep learning-based visual inspection techniques for detecting multiple structural damages. However, most deep learning-based techniques are built on two-stage, proposal-driven detectors and using less complex image data, which is not promising to promote practical applications and integration within intelligent autonomous inspection systems. In this study, a faster, simpler single-stage detector is proposed based on YOLOv3 for detecting multiple concrete damages of highway bridges. To realize this, a bridge damage dataset consisting of field inspection images is prepared. These images have large variations in damage appearance and monitoring scene and are labeled with four types of concrete damages: crack, pop-out, spalling and exposed rebar. The original YOLOv3 is further improved by introducing a novel transfer learning method, Batch Renormalization and Focal Loss. The improved YOLOv3 is evaluated in terms of average precision and speed. The results show that the improved YOLOv3 has a detection accuracy of up to 80%. Its performance is about 13% better than the original YOLOv3., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

The experiment E94-107 in Hall A at Jefferson Lab started a systematic study of high resolution hypernuclear spectroscopy in the 0p-shell region of nuclei such as the hypernuclei produced in electroproduction on 9Be, 12C and 16O targets. In order to increase counting rates and provide unambiguous kaon identification two superconducting septum magnets and a ring-imaging Cherenkov detector were added to the Hall A standard equipment. The high-quality beam, the good spectrometers and the new experimental devices allowed us to obtain very good results. For the first time, measurable strength with sub-MeV energy resolution was observed for the core-excited states of Lambda 12B. A high-quality Lambda 16N hypernuclear spectrum was likewise obtained. A first measurement of the Lambda binding energy for Lambda 16N, calibrated against the elementary reaction on hydrogen, was obtained with high precision, 13.76 +/- 0.16 MeV. Similarly, the first Lambda 9Li hypernuclear spectrum shows general agreement with theory (distorted-wave impulse approximation with the SLA and BS3 electroproduction models and shell-model wave functions). Some disagreement exists with respect to the relative strength of the states making up the first multiplet. A Lambda separation energy of 8.36 MeV was obtained, in agreement with previous results. It has been shown that the electroproduction of hypernuclei can provide information complementary to that obtained with hadronic probes and the gamma-ray spectroscopy technique., Comment: 27 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Physical Review C

Observation of neutrinoless double beta decay, a lepton number violating process that has been proposed to clarify the nature of neutrino masses, has spawned an enormous world-wide experimental effort. Relating nuclear decay rates to high-energy, beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics requires detailed knowledge of non-perturbative QCD effects. Using lattice QCD, we compute the necessary matrix elements of short-range operators, which arise due to heavy BSM mediators, that contribute to this decay via the leading order $\pi^- \to \pi^+$ exchange diagrams. Utilizing our result and taking advantage of effective field theory methods will allow for model-independent calculations of the relevant two-nucleon decay, which may then be used as input for nuclear many-body calculations of the relevant experimental decays. Contributions from short-range operators may prove to be equally important to, or even more important than, those from long-range Majorana neutrino exchange., Comment: Published version. Corrected missing term in chiral expansion, added supplemental material, updated references. The Jupyter notebook (DOI:10.5281/zenodo.1243313) accompanying this work can be found on github https://github.com/callat-qcd/project_0vbb

The $^{1}H$($e,e^\prime K^+$)$\Lambda$ reaction was studied as a function of the Mandelstam variable $-t$ using data from the E01-004 (FPI-2) and E93-018 experiments that were carried out in Hall C at the 6 GeV Jefferson Lab. The cross section was fully separated into longitudinal and transverse components, and two interference terms at four-momentum transfers $Q^2$ of 1.00, 1.36 and 2.07 GeV$^2$. The kaon form factor was extracted from the longitudinal cross section using the Regge model by Vanderhaeghen, Guidal, and Laget. The results establish the method, previously used successfully for pion analyses, for extracting the kaon form factor. Data from 12 GeV Jefferson Lab experiments are expected to have sufficient precision to distinguish between theoretical predictions, for example recent perturbative QCD calculations with modern parton distribution amplitudes. The leading-twist behavior for light mesons is predicted to set in for values of $Q^2$ between 5-10 GeV$^2$, which makes data in the few GeV regime particularly interesting. The $Q^2$ dependence at fixed $x$ and $-t$ of the longitudinal cross section we extracted seems consistent with the QCD factorization prediction within the experimental uncertainty.

We calculate in three-flavor lattice QCD the short-distance hadronic matrix elements of all five $\Delta C=2$ four-fermion operators that contribute to neutral $D$-meson mixing both in and beyond the Standard Model. We use the MILC Collaboration's $N_f = 2+1$ lattice gauge-field configurations generated with asqtad-improved staggered sea quarks. We also employ the asqtad action for the valence light quarks and use the clover action with the Fermilab interpretation for the charm quark. We analyze a large set of ensembles with pions as light as $M_\pi \approx 180$ MeV and lattice spacings as fine as $a\approx 0.045$ fm, thereby enabling good control over the extrapolation to the physical pion mass and continuum limit. We obtain for the matrix elements in the $\overline{\text{MS}}$-NDR scheme using the choice of evanescent operators proposed by Beneke \emph{et al.}, evaluated at 3 GeV, $\langle D^0|\mathcal{O}_i|\bar{D}^0 \rangle = \{0.0805(55)(16), -0.1561(70)(31), 0.0464(31)(9), 0.2747(129)(55), 0.1035(71)(21)\}~\text{GeV}^4$ ($i=1$--5). The errors shown are from statistics and lattice systematics, and the omission of charmed sea quarks, respectively. To illustrate the utility of our matrix-element results, we place bounds on the scale of CP-violating new physics in $D^0$~mixing, finding lower limits of about 10--50$\times 10^3$ TeV for couplings of $\mathrm{O}(1)$. To enable our results to be employed in more sophisticated or model-specific phenomenological studies, we provide the correlations among our matrix-element results. For convenience, we also present numerical results in the other commonly-used scheme of Buras, Misiak, and Urban., Comment: Published version, 42 pages, 18 figures

We calculate---for the first time in three-flavor lattice QCD---the hadronic matrix elements of all five local operators that contribute to neutral $B^0$- and $B_s$-meson mixing in and beyond the Standard Model. We present a complete error budget for each matrix element and also provide the full set of correlations among the matrix elements. We also present the corresponding bag parameters and their correlations, as well as specific combinations of the mixing matrix elements that enter the expression for the neutral $B$-meson width difference. We obtain the most precise determination to date of the SU(3)-breaking ratio $\xi = 1.206(18)(6)$, where the second error stems from the omission of charm sea quarks, while the first encompasses all other uncertainties. The threefold reduction in total uncertainty, relative to the 2013 Flavor Lattice Averaging Group results, tightens the constraint from $B$ mixing on the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) unitarity triangle. Our calculation employs gauge-field ensembles generated by the MILC Collaboration with four lattice spacings and pion masses close to the physical value. We use the asqtad-improved staggered action for the light valence quarks, and the Fermilab method for the bottom quark. We use heavy-light meson chiral perturbation theory modified to include lattice-spacing effects to extrapolate the five matrix elements to the physical point. We combine our results with experimental measurements of the neutral $B$-meson oscillation frequencies to determine the CKM matrix elements $|V_{td}| = 8.00(34)(8) \times 10^{-3}$, $|V_{ts}| = 39.0(1.2)(0.4) \times 10^{-3}$, and $|V_{td}/V_{ts}| = 0.2052(31)(10)$, which differ from CKM-unitarity expectations by about 2$\sigma$. These results and others from flavor-changing-neutral currents point towards an emerging tension between weak processes that are mediated at the loop and tree levels., Comment: 75 pp, 17 figs. Ver 2 fixes typos; corrects mistakes resulting in slight changes to results, correlation matrices; updates decay constants to agree with recent PDG update; corrects uncertainties for tree-level CKM matrix elements used in comparison, slightly reducing tensions; includes additional analyses that support mostly-nonperturbative matching; expands discussion of isospin-breaking effects

Neutral-meson mixing is loop suppressed in the Standard Model, leading to the possibility of enhanced sensitivity to new physics. The uncertainty in Standard Model predictions for $B$-meson oscillation frequencies is dominated by theoretical uncertainties within the short-distance $B$-meson hadronic matrix elements, motivating the need for improved precision. In $D$-meson mixing, the Standard Model short-distance contributions are further suppressed by the GIM mechanism allowing for the possibility of large new physics enhancements. A first-principle determination of the $D$-meson short-distance hadronic matrix elements will allow for model-discrimination between the new physics theories. I review recently published and ongoing lattice calculations of hadronic matrix elements in $B$ and $D$-meson mixing with emphasis on the Fermilab lattice and MILC collaboration effort on the determination of the $B$ and $D$-meson mixing hadronic matrix elements using the methods of lattice QCD., Comment: Talk presented at CIPANP2015. 8 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX

Background: Measurements of forward exclusive meson production at different squared four-momenta of the exchanged virtual photon, $Q^2$, and at different four-momentum transfer, t, can be used to probe QCD's transition from meson-nucleon degrees of freedom at long distances to quark-gluon degrees of freedom at short scales. Ratios of separated response functions in $\pi^-$ and $\pi^+$ electroproduction are particularly informative. The ratio for transverse photons may allow this transition to be more easily observed, while the ratio for longitudinal photons provides a crucial verification of the assumed pole dominance, needed for reliable extraction of the pion form factor from electroproduction data. Method: Data were acquired with 2.6-5.2 GeV electron beams and the HMS+SOS spectrometers in Jefferson Lab Hall C, at central $Q^2$ values of 0.6, 1.0, 1.6 GeV$^2$ at W=1.95 GeV, and $Q^2$=2.45 GeV$^2$ at W=2.22 GeV. There was significant coverage in $\phi$ and $\epsilon$, which allowed separation of $\sigma_{L,T,LT,TT}$. Results: $\sigma_L$ shows a clear signature of the pion pole, with a sharp rise at small -t. In contrast, $\sigma_T$ is much flatter versus t. The longitudinal/transverse ratios evolve with $Q^2$ and t, and at the highest $Q^2$=2.45 GeV$^2$ show a slight enhancement for $\pi^-$ production compared to $\pi^+$. The $\pi^-/\pi^+$ ratio for transverse photons exhibits only a small $Q^2$-dependence, following a nearly universal curve with t, with a steep transition to a value of about 0.25, consistent with s-channel quark knockout. The $\sigma_{TT}/\sigma_T$ ratio also drops rapidly with $Q^2$, qualitatively consistent with s-channel helicity conservation. The $\pi^-/\pi^+$ ratio for longitudinal photons indicates a small isoscalar contamination at W=1.95 GeV, consistent with what was observed in our earlier determination of the pion form factor at these kinematics., Comment: 25 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables

We report on the status of our calculation of the hadronic matrix elements for neutral $B$-meson mixing with asqtad sea and valence light quarks and using the Wilson clover action with the Fermilab interpretation for the $b$ quark. We calculate the matrix elements of all five local operators that contribute to neutral $B$-meson mixing both in and beyond the Standard Model. We use MILC ensembles with $N_f=2+1$ dynamical flavors at four different lattice spacings in the range $a \approx 0.045$--$0.12$~fm, and with light sea-quark masses as low as 0.05 times the physical strange quark mass. We perform a combined chiral-continuum extrapolation including the so-called wrong-spin contributions in simultaneous fits to the matrix elements of the five operators. We present a complete systematic error budget and conclude with an outlook for obtaining final results from this analysis., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, presented at the 32nd International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2014), 23-28 June, 2014, Columbia University, New York, NY

We present an update on our calculation of the short-distance $D^0$-meson mixing hadronic matrix elements. The analysis is performed on the MILC collaboration's $N_f=2+1$ asqtad configurations. We use asqtad light valence quarks and the Sheikoleslami-Wohlert action with the Fermilab interpretation for the valence charm quark. SU(3), partially quenched, rooted, staggered heavy-meson chiral perturbation theory is used to extrapolate to the chiral-continuum limit. Systematic errors arising from the chiral-continuum extrapolation, heavy-quark discretization, and quark-mass uncertainties are folded into the statistical errors from the chiral-continuum fits with methods of Bayesian inference. A preliminary error budget for all five operators is presented., Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, LATTICE2014 proceedings

A 12-m diameter radio telescope will be deployed to the Summit Station in Greenland to provide direct confirmation of a Super Massive Black Hole (SMBH) by observing its shadow image in the active galaxy M87. The telescope (Greenland Telescope: GLT) is to become one of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) stations at sub-millimeter (submm) regime, providing the longest baseline > 9,000 km to achieve an exceptional angular resolution of 20 micro arc sec at 350 GHz, which will enable us to resolve the shadow size of ~40 micro arc sec. The triangle with the longest baselines formed by the GLT, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii will play a key role for the M87 observations. We have been working on the image simulations based on realistic conditions for a better understanding of the possible observed images. In parallel, retrofitting of the telescope and the site developments are in progress. Based on three years of opacity monitoring at 225 GHz, our measurements indicate that the site is excellent for submm observations, comparable to the ALMA site. The GLT is also expected to make single-dish observations up to 1.5 THz., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Radio Science journal

In the absence of accurate data on the free two-body hyperon-nucleon interaction, the spectra of hypernuclei can provide information on the details of the effective hyperon-nucleon interaction. Electroproduction of the hypernucleus Lambda-9Li has been studied for the first time with sub-MeV energy resolution in Hall A at Jefferson Lab on a 9Be target. In order to increase the counting rate and to provide unambiguous kaon identification, two superconducting septum magnets and a Ring Imaging CHerenkov detector (RICH) were added to the Hall A standard equipment. The cross section to low-lying states of Lambda-9Li is concentrated within 3 MeV of the ground state and can be fitted with four peaks. The positions of the doublets agree with theory while a disagreement could exist with respect to the relative strengths of the peaks in the doublets. A Lambda separation energy of 8.36 +- 0.08 (stat.) +- 0.08 (syst.) MeV was measured, in agreement with an earlier experiment., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures

The study of exclusive $\pi^{\pm}$ electroproduction on the nucleon, including separation of the various structure functions, is of interest for a number of reasons. The ratio $R_L=\sigma_L^{\pi^-}/\sigma_L^{\pi^+}$ is sensitive to isoscalar contamination to the dominant isovector pion exchange amplitude, which is the basis for the determination of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data. A change in the value of $R_T=\sigma_T^{\pi^-}/\sigma_T^{\pi^+}$ from unity at small $-t$, to 1/4 at large $-t$, would suggest a transition from coupling to a (virtual) pion to coupling to individual quarks. Furthermore, the mentioned ratios may show an earlier approach to pQCD than the individual cross sections. We have performed the first complete separation of the four unpolarized electromagnetic structure functions above the dominant resonances in forward, exclusive $\pi^{\pm}$ electroproduction on the deuteron at central $Q^2$ values of 0.6, 1.0, 1.6 GeV$^2$ at $W$=1.95 GeV, and $Q^2=2.45$ GeV$^2$ at $W$=2.22 GeV. Here, we present the $L$ and $T$ cross sections, with emphasis on $R_L$ and $R_T$, and compare them with theoretical calculations. Results for the separated ratio $R_L$ indicate dominance of the pion-pole diagram at low $-t$, while results for $R_T$ are consistent with a transition between pion knockout and quark knockout mechanisms., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Particle and heat transport in tokamak edge is investigated by guiding center orbit following calculation. The guiding center equation is solved for both electrons and ions in the presence of magnetic perturbation. It is suggested that the remnants of the magnetic islands play a role in characterizing the radial transport. The transport coefficient is estimated which also demonstrate local structure in the vicinity of magnetic islands.

We present the status of our calculation of hadronic matrix elements for $D$- and $B$-meson mixing. We use a large set of the MILC collaboration's $N_f=2+1$ asqtad ensembles, which includes lattice spacings in the range $a\approx0.12$-0.045 fm, and up/down to strange quark mass ratios as low as 0.05. The asqtad action is also employed for the light valence quarks. For the heavy quarks we use the Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action with the Fermilab interpretation. Our calculation covers the complete set of five local operators needed to describe $B$-meson mixing in the Standard Model and Beyond. In the charm sector, our calculation of local mixing matrix elements may be used to constrain new physics models. We present final correlator fit results on the full data set for the $B$-meson mixing project and preliminary fit results for the $D$-meson mixing project., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Lattice 2013 proceedings

We present new experimental results of the $^3$He spin structure function $g_2$ in the resonance region at $Q^2$ values between 1.2 and 3.0 (GeV/c)$^2$. Spin dependent moments of the neutron were then extracted. Our main result, the resonance contribution to the neutron $d_2$ matrix element, was found to be small at $$=2.4 (GeV/c)$^2$ and in agreement with the Lattice QCD calculation. The Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule for $^3$He and the neutron was tested with the measured data and using the Wandzura-Wilczek relation for the low $x$ unmeasured region. A small deviation was observed at $Q^2$ values between 0.5 and 1.2 (GeV/c)$^2$ for the neutron.

In this fluid dynamics video, we show current findings on the morphology of an oil-water interface in a torsional flow produced by rotating the upper lid of a cylindrical tank. This video was submitted as part of the Gallery of Fluid Motion 2012 which is showcase of fluid dynamics videos., Comment: 1 video is included

We have measured the beam-normal single-spin asymmetry $A_n$ in the elastic scattering of 1-3 GeV transversely polarized electrons from $^1$H and for the first time from $^4$He, $^{12}$C, and $^{208}$Pb. For $^1$H, $^4$He and $^{12}$C, the measurements are in agreement with calculations that relate $A_n$ to the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange amplitude including inelastic intermediate states. Surprisingly, the $^{208}$Pb result is significantly smaller than the corresponding prediction using the same formalism. These results suggest that a systematic set of new $A_n$ measurements might emerge as a new and sensitive probe of the structure of heavy nuclei., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PRL. v3: fixed one author name and affiliation, otherwise no change

Virtual Compton Scattering (VCS) on the proton has been studied at Jefferson Lab using the exclusive photon electroproduction reaction (e p --> e p gamma). This paper gives a detailed account of the analysis which has led to the determination of the structure functions P_LL-P_TT/epsilon and P_LT, and the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities (GPs) alpha_E(Q^2) and beta_M(Q^2) at values of the four-momentum transfer squared Q^2= 0.92 and 1.76 GeV^2. These data, together with the results of VCS experiments at lower momenta, help building a coherent picture of the electric and magnetic GPs of the proton over the full measured Q^2-range, and point to their non-trivial behavior., Comment: version 2: modified according to PRC Editor's and Referee's recommendations. Archival paper for the E93-050 experiment at JLab Hall A. 28 pages, 23 figures, 5 cross-section tables. To be submitted to Phys.Rev.C

We measured the gradient of the Casimir force between an Au sphere and a plate made of ferromagnetic metal (Ni). It is demonstrated that the magnetic properties influence the force magnitude. This opens prospective opportunities for the control of the Casimir force in nanotechnology and for obtaining Casimir repulsion by using ferromagnetic dielectrics., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B

We present measurement results for the gradient of the Casimir force between an Au-coated sphere and an Au-coated plate obtained by means of an atomic force microscope operated in a frequency shift technique. This experiment was performed at a pressure of 3x10^{-8} Torr with hollow glass sphere of 41.3 mcm radius. Special attention is paid to electrostatic calibrations including the problem of electrostatic patches. All calibration parameters are shown to be separation-independent after the corrections for mechanical drift are included. The gradient of the Casimir force was measured in two ways with applied compensating voltage to the plate and with different applied voltages and subsequent subtraction of electric forces. The obtained mean gradients are shown to be in mutual agreement and in agreement with previous experiments performed using a micromachined oscillator. The obtained data are compared with theoretical predictions of the Lifshitz theory including corrections beyond the proximity force approximation. An independent comparison with no fitting parameters demonstrated that the Drude model approach is excluded by the data at a 67% confidence level over the separation region from 235 to 420 nm. The theoretical approach using the generalized plasma-like model is shown to be consistent with the data over the entire measurement range. Corrections due to the nonlinearity of oscillator are calculated and the application region of the linear regime is determined. A conclusion is made that the results of several performed experiments call for a thorough analysis of the basics of the theory of dispersion forces., Comment: 35 pages, 14 figures, 1 table; to appear in Phys. Rev. B

Additional information is provided on the effect of the significant (up to 35%) reduction in the magnitude of the Casimir force between an Au-coated sphere and an indium tin oxide film which was observed after UV treatment of the latter. A striking feature of this effect is that the reduction is not accompanied with a corresponding variation of the dielectric permittivity, as confirmed by direct ellipsometry measurements. The measurement data are compared with computations using the Lifshitz theory. It is shown that the data for the untreated sample are in a very good agreement with theory taking into account the free charge carriers in the indium tin oxide. The data for the UV-treated sample exclude the theoretical results obtained with account of free charge carriers. These data are found to be in a very good agreement with theory disregarding the free charge carriers in an indium tin oxide film. A possible theoretical explanation of our observations as a result of phase transition of indium tin oxide from metallic to dielectric state is discussed in comparison with other related experiments., Comment: Plenary talk at the 10th International Conference "Quantum Field Theory Under the Influence of External Conditions" (Benasque, Spain, 2011), 15 pages, 7 figures

We present complete results of the experiment on measuring the Casimir force between an Au-coated sphere and an untreated or, alternatively, UV-treated indium tin oxide film deposited on a quartz substrate. Measurements were performed using an atomic force microscope in a high vacuum chamber. The measurement system was calibrated electrostatically. Special analysis of the systematic deviations is performed, and respective corrections in the calibration parameters are introduced. The corrected parameters are free from anomalies discussed in the literature. The experimental data for the Casimir force from two measurement sets for both untreated and UV-treated samples are presented. The experimental errors are determined at a 95% confidence level. It is demonstrated that the UV treatment of an I TO plate results in a significant decrease in the magnitude of the Casimir force (from 21% to 35% depending on separation). However, ellipsometry measurements of the imaginary parts of dielectric permittivities of the untreated and UV-treated samples did not reveal any significant differences. The experimental data are compared with computations in the framework of the Lifshitz theory. It is found that the data for the untreated sample are in a very good agreement with theoretical results taking into account the free charge carriers in an ITO film. For the UV-treated sample the data exclude the theoretical results obtained with account of free charge carriers. These data are in a very good agreement with computations disregarding the contribution of free carriers. According to the explanation provided, this is caused by the phase transition of the ITO film from metallic to dielectric state caused by the UV treatment. Possible applications of the discovered phenomenon in nanotechnology are discussed., Comment: 30 pages, 19 figures, 1 table

A significant decrease in the magnitude of the Casimir force (from 21% to 35%) was observed after an indium tin oxide (ITO) sample interacting with an Au sphere was subjected to the UV treatment. Measurements were performed by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) in high vacuum. The experimental results are compared with theory, and a hypothetical explanation for the observed phenomenon is proposed., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

The dielectric properties of Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$ magnetic nanoparticles with an insulating coating layer of SiO$_{2}$ were investigated. At high temperatures, the changes of the dielectric constant and loss induced by the magnetic field are opposite in sign and strongly frequency-dependent, which originates from extrinsic magnetodielectric coupling-the Maxwell-Wagner effect combined with magnetoresistance. And the interface defects leads to the obvious hysteresis phenomena observed in the measurements. On the other hand, the strong coupling of dielectric and magnetic properties at low temperatures contradicts the Maxwell-Wagner model, suggesting the intrinsic magnetodielectric coupling. Our observations are consistent with the recent polarization switching measurements, which confirm the low-temperature multiferroic state existing in highly-lossy Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$. And the core/shell nanostructure may provide a new route to achieve applicable magnetoelectric materials with low loss., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, published in Journal of Applied Physics

Precise measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio $R = \mu_p G_E^p/G_M^p$ using the polarization transfer method at Jefferson Lab have revolutionized the understanding of nucleon structure by revealing the strong decrease of $R$ with momentum transfer $Q^2$ for $Q^2 \gtrsim 1$ GeV$^2$, in strong disagreement with previous extractions of $R$ from cross section measurements. In particular, the polarization transfer results have exposed the limits of applicability of the one-photon-exchange approximation and highlighted the role of quark orbital angular momentum in the nucleon structure. The GEp-II experiment in Jefferson Lab's Hall A measured $R$ at four $Q^2$ values in the range 3.5 GeV$^2 \le Q^2 \le 5.6$ GeV$^2$. A possible discrepancy between the originally published GEp-II results and more recent measurements at higher $Q^2$ motivated a new analysis of the GEp-II data. This article presents the final results of the GEp-II experiment, including details of the new analysis, an expanded description of the apparatus and an overview of theoretical progress since the original publication. The key result of the final analysis is a systematic increase in the results for $R$, improving the consistency of the polarization transfer data in the high-$Q^2$ region. This increase is the result of an improved selection of elastic events which largely removes the systematic effect of the inelastic contamination, underestimated by the original analysis., Comment: 30 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev. C

Updated results of the experiment E94-107 hypernuclear spectroscopy in Hall A of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab), are presented. The experiment provides high resolution spectra of excitation energy for 12B_\Lambda, 16N_\Lambda, and 9Li_\Lambda hypernuclei obtained by electroproduction of strangeness. A new theoretical calculation for 12B_\Lambda, final results for 16N_\Lambda, and discussion of the preliminary results of 9Li_\Lambda are reported., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to the proceedings of Hyp-X Conference

The kaon electroproduction reaction 1H(e,e'K+)Lambda was studied as a function of the virtual-photon four-momentum, Q2, total energy, W, and momentum transfer, t, for different values of the virtual- photon polarization parameter. Data were taken at electron beam energies ranging from 3.40 to 5.75 GeV. The center of mass cross section was determined for 21 kinematics corresponding to Q2 of 1.90 and 2.35 GeV2 and the longitudinal, sigmaL, and transverse, sigmaT, cross sections were separated using the Rosenbluth technique at fixed W and t. The separated cross sections reveal a flat energy dependence at forward kaon angles not satisfactorily described by existing electroproduction models. Influence of the kaon pole on the cross sections was investigated by adopting an off-shell form factor in the Regge model which better describes the observed energy dependence of sigmaT and sigmaL., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Physical Review C, Rapid Communications

An experimental study of the 16O(e,e'K^+)16N_Lambda reaction has been performed at Jefferson Lab. A thin film of falling water was used as a target. This permitted a simultaneous measurement of the p(e,e'K^+)Lambda,Sigma_0 exclusive reactions and a precise calibration of the energy scale. A ground-state binding energy of 13.76 +/- 0.16 MeV was obtained for 16N_Lambda with better precision than previous measurements on the mirror hypernucleus 16O_Lambda. Precise energies have been determined for peaks arising from a Lambda in s and p orbits coupled to the p_{1/2} and p_{3/2} hole states of the 15N core nucleus., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables

Cross sections for the reaction ${^1}$H($e,e'\pi^+$)$n$ were measured in Hall C at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) using the CEBAF high-intensity, continous electron beam in order to determine the charged pion form factor. Data were taken for central four-momentum transfers ranging from $Q^2$=0.60 to 2.45 GeV$^2$ at an invariant mass of the virtual photon-nucleon system of $W$=1.95 and 2.22 GeV. The measured cross sections were separated into the four structure functions $\sigma_L$, $\sigma_T$, $\sigma_{LT}$, and $\sigma_{TT}$. The various parts of the experimental setup and the analysis steps are described in detail, including the calibrations and systematic studies, which were needed to obtain high precision results. The different types of systematic uncertainties are also discussed. The results for the separated cross sections as a function of the Mandelstam variable $t$ at the different values of $Q^2$ are presented. Some global features of the data are discussed, and the data are compared with the results of some model calculations for the reaction ${^1}$H($e,e'\pi^+$)$n$., Comment: 26 pages, 23 figures

The charged pion form factor, Fpi(Q^2), is an important quantity which can be used to advance our knowledge of hadronic structure. However, the extraction of Fpi from data requires a model of the 1H(e,e'pi+)n reaction, and thus is inherently model dependent. Therefore, a detailed description of the extraction of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data obtained recently at Jefferson Lab is presented, with particular focus given to the dominant uncertainties in this procedure. Results for Fpi are presented for Q^2=0.60-2.45 GeV^2. Above Q^2=1.5 GeV^2, the Fpi values are systematically below the monopole parameterization that describes the low Q^2 data used to determine the pion charge radius. The pion form factor can be calculated in a wide variety of theoretical approaches, and the experimental results are compared to a number of calculations. This comparison is helpful in understanding the role of soft versus hard contributions to hadronic structure in the intermediate Q^2 regime., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures

An experiment measuring electroproduction of hypernuclei has been performed in Hall A at Jefferson Lab on a $^{12}$C target. In order to increase counting rates and provide unambiguous kaon identification two superconducting septum magnets and a Ring Imaging CHerenkov detector (RICH) were added to the Hall A standard equipment. An unprecedented energy resolution of less than 700 keV FWHM has been achieved. Thus, the observed \lam{12}{B} spectrum shows for the first time identifiable strength in the core-excited region between the ground-state {\it s}-wave $\Lambda$ peak and the 11 MeV {\it p}-wave $\Lambda$ peak., Comment: Paper submitted to Physical Review Letters

We propose two novel experiments on the measurement of the Casimir force acting between a gold coated sphere and semiconductor plates with markedly different charge carrier densities. In the first of these experiments a patterned Si plate is used which consists of two sections of different dopant densities and oscillates in the horizontal direction below a sphere. The measurement scheme in this experiment is differential, i.e., allows the direct high-precision measurement of the difference of the Casimir forces between the sphere and sections of the patterned plate or the difference of the equivalent pressures between Au and patterned parallel plates with static and dynamic techniques, respectively. The second experiment proposes to measure the Casimir force between the same sphere and a VO${}_2$ film which undergoes the insulator-metal phase transition with the increase of temperature. We report the present status of the interferometer based variable temperature apparatus developed to perform both experiments and present the first results on the calibration and sensitivity. The magnitudes of the Casimir forces and pressures in the experimental configurations are calculated using different theoretical approaches to the description of optical and conductivity properties of semiconductors at low frequencies proposed in the literature. It is shown that the suggested experiments will aid in the resolution of theoretical problems arising in the application of the Lifshitz theory at nonzero temperature to real materials. They will also open new opportunities in nanotechnology., Comment: 23 pages of the text, 2 tables, and captions of 12 figures (to appear in Phys. Rev. A)

The H(e,e'pi+)n cross section was measured at four-momentum transfers of Q2=1.60 and 2.45 GeV2 at an invariant mass of the photon nucleon system of W=2.22 GeV. The charged pion form factor (F_pi) was extracted from the data by comparing the separated longitudinal pion electroproduction cross section to a Regge model prediction in which F_pi is a free parameter. The results indicate that the pion form factor deviates from the charge-radius constrained monopole form at these values of Q2 by one sigma, but is still far from its perturbative Quantum Chromo-Dynamics prediction., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters