119221698
On geometrically unified fields and universal constants
We consider the Cartan extension of Riemann geometry as the basis upon which to build the Sciama–Kibble completion of Einstein gravity, developing the most general theory in which torsion and metric have two independent coupling constants: the main problem of the ESK theory was that torsion, having the Newton constant, was negligible beyond the Planck scale, but in this $$\mathrm {ESK}^{2}$$ theory torsion, with its own coupling constant, may be relevant much further Planck scales; further consequences of these torsionally-induced interactions will eventually be discussed.
119247598
From the Torsion Tensor for Spinors to the Weak Forces for Leptons
We consider a geometric approach to field theory in which torsion is present beside gravity and also electrodynamics for the matter field equations, and we develop the consequences of the torsion-spin coupling for the spinor fields; we show that these interactions have the structure of the weak interactions acting among leptons: we discuss the implications for the standard model of fundamental interactions of elementary fields in the perspective of the foundations of unification in theoretical physics.
118141049
Gravitationally Generated Interactions
Starting from a 5D-Riemannian manifold, we show that a reduction mechanism to 4D-spacetimes reproduces Extended Theories of Gravity (ETGs) that are direct generalizations of Einstein's gravity. In this context, the gravitational degrees of freedom can be dealt under the standard of spacetime deformations. Besides, such deformations can be related to the mass spectra of particles. The intrinsic non-linearity of ETGs gives an energy-dependent running coupling, while torsion gives rise to interactions among spinors displaying the structure of the weak forces among fermions. We discuss how this scheme is compatible with the known observational evidence and suggest that eventual discrepancies could be detected in experiments, as ATLAS and CMS, today running at LHC (CERN). We finally discuss the consequences of the present approach in view of unification of physical interactions.
119124702
Dirac fields in f(R)-gravity with torsion
We study f(R)-gravity with torsion in the presence of Dirac massive fields. Using the Bianchi identities, we formulate the conservation laws of the theory and we check the consistency with the matter field equations. Further, we decompose the field equations in torsionless and torsional terms: we show that the nonlinearity of the gravitational Lagrangian reduces to the presence of a scalar field that depends on the spinor field; this additional scalar field gives rise to an effective stress?energy tensor and plays the role of a scale factor modifying the normalization of Dirac fields. Problems for fermions regarding the positivity of energy and the particle?antiparticle duality are discussed.
119153029
Metric-torsional conformal gravity
Abstract When in general geometric backgrounds the metric is accompanied by torsion, the metric conformal properties should correspondingly be followed by analogous torsional conformal properties; however a combined metric torsional conformal structure has never been found which provides a curvature that is both containing metric-torsional degree of freedom and conformally invariant: in this Letter we construct such a metric-torsional conformal curvature. We proceed by building the most general action, then deriving the most general system of field equations; we check their consistency by showing that both conservation laws and trace condition are verified. Final considerations and comments are outlined.
119108946
Dirac spinors in Bianchi-I f(R)-cosmology with torsion
We study Dirac spinors in Bianchi type-I cosmological models, within the framework of torsional f(R)-gravity. We find four types of results: the resulting dynamic behavior of the universe depends on the particular choice of function f(R); some f(R) models do not isotropize and have no Einstein limit, so that they have no physical significance, whereas for other f(R) models isotropization and Einsteinization occur, and so they are physically acceptable, suggesting that phenomenological arguments may select f(R) models that are physically meaningful; the singularity problem can be avoided, due to the presence of torsion; the general conservation laws holding for f(R)-gravity with torsion ensure the preservation of the Hamiltonian constraint, so proving that the initial value problem is well-formulated for these models.
54175840
Beam test results for the SuperB-SVT thin striplet detector
The baseline detector option for the first layer of the SuperB Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT) is a high resistivity double-sided silicon device with short strips (striplets) at 45° angle to the detector's edge. A prototype was tested with a 120 GeV/c pion beam in September 2011 at the SPS-H6 test-beam line at CERN. In this paper studies on efficiency, resolution and cluster size are reported.
111127502
The front-end chip of the SuperB SVT detector
Abstract The asymmetric e + e − collider SuperB is designed to deliver a high luminosity, greater than 10 36 cm − 2 s − 1 , with moderate beam currents and a reduced center of mass boost with respect to earlier B-Factories. The innermost detector is the Silicon Vertex Tracker which is made of 5 layers of double sided silicon strip sensors plus a layer 0, that can be equipped with short striplets detectors in a first phase of the experiment. In order to achieve an overall track reconstruction efficiency above 98% it is crucial to optimize both analog and digital readout circuits. The readout architecture being developed for the front-end chips will be able to cope with the very high rates expected in the first layer. The digital readout will be optimized to be fully efficient for hit rates up to 2 MHz/strip, including large margins on the maximum expected background rates, but can potentially accommodate higher rates with a proper tuning of the buffer depth. The readout is based on a triggered architecture where each of the 128 strip channel is provided with a dedicated digital buffer. Each buffer collects the digitized charge information by means of a 4-bit TOT, storing it in conjunction with the related time stamp. The depth of buffers was dimensioned considering the expected trigger latency and hit rate including suitable safety margins. Every buffer is connected to a highly parallelized circuit handling the trigger logic, rejecting expired data in the buffers and channeling the parallel stream of triggered hits to the common output of the chip. The presented architecture has been modeled by HDL language and investigated with a Monte Carlo hit generator emulating the analog front-end behavior. The simulations showed that even applying the highest stressing conditions, about 2 MHz per strip, the efficiency of the digital readout remained above 99.8%.
54028581
Recent developments on CMOS MAPS for the SuperB Silicon Vertex Tracker
Abstract In the design of the Silicon Vertex Tracker for the high luminosity SuperB collider, very challenging requirements are set by physics and background conditions on its innermost Layer0: small radius (about 1.5 cm), resolution of 10 – 15 μ m in both coordinates, low material budget 1 % X 0 , and the ability to withstand a background hit rate of several tens of MHz / cm 2 . Thanks to an intense R&D program the development of Deep NWell CMOS MAPS (with the ST Microelectronics 130 nm process) has reached a good level of maturity and allowed for the first time the implementation of thin CMOS sensors with similar functionalities as in hybrid pixels, such as pixel-level sparsification and fast time stamping. Further MAPS performance improvements are currently under investigation with two different approaches: the INMAPS CMOS process, featuring a quadruple well and a high resistivity substrate, and 3D CMOS MAPS, realized with vertical integration technology. In both cases specific features of the processes chosen can improve charge collection efficiency, with respect to a standard DNW MAPS design, and allow to implement a more complex in-pixel logic in order to develop a faster readout architecture. Prototypes of MAPS matrix, suitable for application in the SuperB Layer0, have been realized with the INMAPS 180 nm process and the 130 nm Chartered/Tezzaron 3D process and results of their characterization will be presented in this paper.
120546156
A radiation tolerant phototube power supply for the electromagnetic calorimeter of the HERA-B experiment
Abstract The design of the phototube power supply for the HERA- B Electromagnetic Calorimeter is presented. A choice of the solution on the basis of the Cockcroft–Walton voltage multiplier is validated. Schematics developed are discussed. A special section describes the behaviour of the crucial components under irradiation since radiation tolerance becomes one of the most important items in the severe HERA- B radiation environment. Finally, performance achieved is presented.
16866620
Analysis of charmonium production at fixed-target experiments in the NRQCD approach
We present an analysis of the existing data on charmonium hadro-production based on non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) calculations at the next-to-leading order (NLO). All the data on J/psi and psi' production in fixed-target experiments and on pp collisions at low energy are included. We find that the amount of color octet contribution needed to describe the data is about 1/10 of that found at the Tevatron.