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Azimuthal modulations in lepton and heavy-quark pair production in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) of highly charged ions are investigated. The modulations in the azimuthal angles of the sum and difference of the transverse momenta of the pair of particles in the final state, as well as of the transverse impact parameter, arise from the collisions of unpolarized and polarized photons. A full description of the cross section in terms of Generalized Transverse Momentum Dependent parton distributions (GTMDs) for photons is given including a careful consideration of the Fourier transform to impact parameter space. In particular, this leads to a feed-in mechanism among harmonics of different orders, which in principle generates harmonics of all (even) orders. Wherever comparable, our analytical results for the azimuthal modulations agree with those presented in other papers on this topic. Compared to these other works, we separate effects that arise from the anisotropies of the GTMDs from those that do not and retain terms proportional to the mass of the produced particles, as they are relevant for muon, charm and bottom quark production. We show that the normalized differential cross section changes considerably with the produced particle mass, which should be discernible in UPCs at RHIC and LHC. For the numerical results we adopt several models for the photon GTMD correlator, and find that all of them are in fairly good agreement with each other and with UPC data from STAR. We also present results for various azimuthal modulations for RHIC kinematics and compare $e^+ e^-$ production with the production of heavier particles. These results exhibit interesting mass-dependent features in the asymmetries that may help study the anisotropies arising from the underlying photon GTMD description., Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures

The physics case for quarkonium-production studies accessible at the US Electron Ion Collider is described., Comment: Latex, 84 pages. Review prepared for Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics

Within the framework of transverse momentum dependent factorization in combination with nonrelativistic QCD, we study charmonium and bottomonium production in hadronic collisions. We focus on quarkonium states with even charge conjugation, for which the color-singlet production mechanism is expected to be also dominant in the small transverse momentum region, $q_T^2 \ll 4 M_{c,b}^2$. It is shown that the distributions of linearly polarized gluons inside unpolarized, longitudinally and transversely polarized protons contribute to the cross sections for scalar and pseudoscalar quarkonia in a very distinctive, parity-dependent way, whereas their effects on higher angular momentum states are strongly suppressed. We derive analytical expressions for single and double spin asymmetries, which would allow for the direct extraction of the gluon transverse momentum dependent distributions, mirroring the phenomenological studies of the Drell-Yan processes aimed at the extraction of their quark counterparts. By adopting Gaussian models for the gluon TMDs, which fulfill without saturating everywhere their positivity bounds, we provide numerical predictions for the transverse single-spin asymmetries. These observables could be measured at LHCSpin, the fixed target experiment planned at the LHC., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

By investigating the soft gluon radiation in the $J/\psi$ plus jet photoproduction at the electron-ion collider (EIC), we demonstrate that the azimuthal angular correlations between the leading jet and heavy quarkonium provide a unique probe to the production mechanism of the latter. In particular, a significant $\cos(\phi)$ asymmetry is found for the color-singlet channel, whereas it vanishes or has an opposite sign for color-octet production, depending on the jet transverse momentum. Numerical results of $\cos(\phi)$ and $\cos(2\phi)$ asymmetries employing both the color-singlet model and the nonrelativistic QCD approach are presented for typical kinematics at the future EIC., Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, 1 table

It has been shown previously that the transverse momentum dependent (TMD) factorization of heavy quarkonium production requires a TMD shape function. Its perturbative tail can be extracted by matching the cross sections valid at low and high transverse momenta. In this article we compare the order-$\alpha_s$ TMD expressions with the order-$\alpha_s^2$ collinear ones for $J/\psi$ production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS), employing nonrelativistic QCD in both cases. In contrast to previous studies, we find that the small transverse momentum limit of the collinear expressions contain discontinuities. We demonstrate how to properly deal with them and include their finite contributions to the TMD shape functions. Moreover, we show that soft gluon emission from the low transverse momentum Born diagrams provide the same leading order TMD shape functions as required for the matching. Their revised perturbative tails have a less divergent behaviour as compared to the TMD fragmentation functions of light hadrons. Finally, we investigate the universality of TMD shape functions in heavy quarkonium production, identify the need for process dependent factorization and discuss the phenomenological implications., Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, final version published in JHEP

We present a detailed phenomenological study of $J/\psi$ polarization in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering processes, focusing on the kinematics accessible at the future Electron-Ion Collider. We show theoretical estimates for the standard polarization parameters for different frames usually adopted in the literature, in the large $P_T$ region, namely $P_T\gg \Lambda_\text{QCD}$, where collinear factorization is expected to hold. We adopt both the Color Singlet Model and the Nonrelativistic QCD approach, paying special attention to the role of different sets of Long Distance Matrix Elements. Finally we present a preliminary analysis of some frame independent polarization invariants., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures

We study the polar and azimuthal decay angular distributions of $J/\psi$ mesons produced in semi-inclusive, deep-inelastic electron-proton scattering. For the description of the quarkonium formation mechanism, we adopt the framework of nonrelativistic QCD, with the inclusion of the intermediate color-octet channels that are suppressed at most by a factor $v^4$ in the velocity parameter $v$ relative to the leading color-singlet channel. We put forward factorized expressions for the helicity structure functions in terms of transverse momentum dependent gluon distributions and shape functions, which are valid when the $J/\psi$ transverse momentum is small with respect to the hard scale of the process. By requiring that such expressions correctly match with the collinear factorization results at high transverse momentum, we determine the perturbative tails of the shape functions and find them to be independent of the $J/\psi$ polarization. In particular, we focus on the $\cos 2\phi$ azimuthal decay asymmetry, which originates from the distribution of linearly polarized gluons inside an unpolarized proton. We therefore suggest a novel experiment for the extraction of this so-far unknown parton density that could be performed, in principle, at the future Electron-Ion Collider., Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures; final version to appear in JHEP

We consider the transverse single-spin asymmetry (SSA) for $J/\psi$ production in $p^\uparrow p \to J/\psi + X$ within a TMD approach in non-relativistic QCD. Extending a previous study [1], we employ here the color-gauge invariant generalized parton model (CGI-GPM), in which spin and intrinsic transverse momentum effects are taken into account, together with leading-order initial- and final-state interactions (ISIs and FSIs). We find that, even when the heavy-quark pair is produced in a color-octet state, ISIs and FSIs lead to a nonvanishing SSA, allowing, in principle, to test the process dependence of the gluon Sivers function (GSF). We show that of the two independent contributions, due to the so-called $f$- and $d$-type GSFs, appearing in the CGI-GPM, the $d$-type one turns out to be dynamically suppressed. Therefore, as already found adopting the Color-Singlet Model approach for the $J/\psi$ formation [2], only the $f$-type GSF could play a role in phenomenology. A comparison with the corresponding results obtained in the generalized parton model, without the inclusion of ISIs and FSIs, is also carried out., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures (18 plots), 8 tables

A statistical model is proposed which ascribes the Z^0 mass to the screening properties of the neutrino Fermi sea (neutrino vacuum). Concerning the fermion masses, some puzzling features of the Higgs mechanism are examined. Arguments are advanced, based on the Zitterbevegung theory of the electron substructure, showing that in low energy experiments electron behaves as an extended distribution of charge, though its size comes out less than 10^-16 cm in high energy experiments. This might be a clue for explaining the origin of fermion masses without resorting to Higgs field.

Topics concerning dark energy and the accelerating expansion of universe are briefly reported. Arguments about the quantum fluctuations of vacuum are examined in order to decide if the Casimir force really is a laboratory evidence of dark energy.

Arguments are proposed which show how images hardly perceptible as hided in a clouding backgound can be revealed utilizing special patterns drawn by means of a simple mathematical procedure. Possible applications might be found in medical radiology.

Poltergeist accounts concern at least four kinds of strange spontaneous manifestations, such as burning of materials, failures of electric equipments, rapping noises and movements of objects. A simple analysis of phenomenology of these disturbances shows that they might have a common origin, that is, a reduction in strength of molecular bonds due to an enhancement in polarization of vacuum which decreases the actual electron charge. Arguments based on Prigogine' nonequilibrium thermodynamics are proposed, which show how transformations in brain of some pubescent childs or young womans might be the cause of these effects., Comment: 8 pages, no figures

Simple arguments based on uncertainty principle and Dirac's equation are examined which show that electron behaves either as a point-like charge or as an extended distribution according as high- or low-energy experiments are considered.

It is shown that the electron Zitterbewegung, that is, the high-frequency microscopic oscillatory motion of electron about its centre of mass, originates a spatial distribution of charge. This allows the point-like electron behave like a particle of definite size whose self-energy, that is, energy of its electromagnetic field, owns a finite value. This has implications for the electron mass, which, in principle, might be derived from Zitterbewegung physics.

We deal with a model for high-temperature superconductivity which maintains that in cuprates electrons running in the copper oxide layers, found in lattice of these materials, form spin-singlet bonds with electrons running in the neighbouring layers. This model reutilizes the BCS scheme, but with the essential difference that the electron pairs are characterized by equal, rather than opposite, momenta as in Cooper pairs. In the present paper, we consider the electron pair formation and a peculiar canonical transformation analogous to the transformation once applied to the theory of pairing correlations in nuclear matter. It is shown that the quasi-particle energy spectrum remains that of the BCS theory, including the linear relationship between forbidden energy gap and critical temperature. The model is also applied to superconductivity of some copperless perovskites of mixed stoichiometry, whose features are of special worth in understanding the mechanism of the phenomenon. The possibility of enhancing critical temperature in cuprates by inserting monovalent ions into the lattice is considered.

We deal with a model for high-temperature superconductivity which maintains that in cuprates spin-singlet bonds are formed between electrons running in the neighbouring layers of copper oxide found in lattice of these materials. This model reutilizes the BCS scheme, but with the essential difference that the electron pairs are characterized by equal, rather than opposite, momenta as in Cooper pairs. In the present paper, we consider the electron pair formation and a peculiar canonical transformation analogous to the transformation once applied to the theory of pairing correlations in nuclear matter. It is shown that the quasi-particle energy spectrum remains that of the BCS theory, including the linear relationship between forbidden energy gap and critical temperature. The model is also applied to superconductivity of some copperless perovskites of mixed stoichiometry, whose features are of special worth in understanding the mechanism of the phenomenon. The possibility of enhancing critical temperature in cuprates by inserting monovalent ions into the lattice is considered, Comment: Submitted to Physica C

We present high angular resolution interferometric observations of the 3 and 1.3mm continuum emission, and HCO+(1-0) and SiO(2-1)v=0 lines, obtained with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory millimeter-wave array, toward two hot cores (HCs) associated with two well known ultracompact (UC) HII regions: G29.96-0.02 and G31.41+0.31. These HCs are believed to host young forming massive stars which have been suggested to be surrounded by massive rotating accretion disks. The aim of these new observations is to study the structure and kinematics of the molecular clumps surrounding the HCs and nearby UCHII regions at moderately high angular resolution. Our observations reveal that the clumps within which the HCs and UCHII regions are embedded have a complex kinematical structure. The total mass of the clumps is estimated to be in the range 1000-3000 Msun, consistent with previous findings. Our observations also show compelling evidence that the clump in G29.96-0.02 is contracting onto the HC position, suggesting that the accretion process onto the massive young stellar object embedded in the HC is still ongoing. In these objects the kinematical structure that we observe is also compatible with the presence of a massive rotating disk within the HC, even though we cannot prove this suggestion with our data. The case of G31.41+0.31 is more complicated, and our data, although consistent with the presence of an inner disk and an infalling envelope around it, do not have the required spatial resolution to resolve the different structures., Comment: 13 pages, 15 figs, A&A in press