We discuss the detection of absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride (HF) along the sight line to the submillimeter continuum sources W49N and W51. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument in dual beam switch mode to observe the 1232.4762 GHz J = 1-0 HF transition in the upper sideband of the band 5a receiver. We detected foreground absorption by HF toward both sources over a wide range of velocities. Optically thin absorption components were detected on both sight lines, allowing us to measure - as opposed to obtain a lower limit on - the column density of HF for the first time. As in previous observations of HF toward the source G10.6-0.4, the derived HF column density is typically comparable to that of water vapor, even though the elemental abundance of oxygen is greater than that of fluorine by four orders of magnitude. We used the rather uncertain N(CH) - N(H-2) relationship derived previously toward diffuse molecular clouds to infer the molecular hydrogen column density in the clouds exhibiting HF absorption. Within the uncertainties, we find that the abundance of HF with respect to H-2 is consistent with the theoretical prediction that HF is the main reservoir of gas-phase fluorine for these clouds. Thus, hydrogen fluoride has the potential to become an excellent tracer of molecular hydrogen, and provides a sensitive probe of clouds of small H-2 column density. Indeed, the observations of hydrogen fluoride reported here reveal the presence of a low column density diffuse molecular cloud along the W51 sight line, at an LSR velocity of similar to 24 km s(-1), that had not been identified in molecular absorption line studies prior to the launch of Herschel.

We report on the detection with the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel satellite of the two hydrogen chloride isotopologues, H35Cl and H37Cl, towards the massive star-forming region W3A. The J=1-0 line of both species was observed with receiver 1b of the HIFI instrument at 625.9 and 624.9 GHz. The different hyperfine components were resolved. The observations were modeled with a non-local, non-LTE radiative transfer model that includes hyperfine line overlap and radiative pumping by dust. Both effects are found to play an important role in the emerging intensity from the different hyperfine components. The inferred H35Cl column density (a few times 1e14 cm^-2), and fractional abundance relative to H nuclei (~7.5e^-10), supports an upper limit to the gas phase chlorine depletion of ~200. Our best-fit model estimate of the H35Cl/H37Cl abundance ratio is ~2.1+/-0.5, slightly lower, but still compatible with the solar isotopic abundance ratio (~3.1). Since both species were observed simultaneously, this is the first accurate estimation of the [35Cl]/[37Cl] isotopic ratio in molecular clouds. Our models indicate that even for large line opacities and possible hyperfine intensity anomalies, the H35Cl and H37Cl J=1-0 integrated line-intensity ratio provides a good estimate of the 35Cl/37Cl isotopic abundance ratio.

A search for the production and non-standard decay of a Higgs boson, h, into four taus through intermediate pseudoscalars, a, is conducted on 683 pb−1 of data collected by the ALEPH experiment at centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 209 GeV. No excess of events above background is observed, and exclusion limits are placed on the combined production cross section times branching ratio, \( {\xi^2} = \frac{{\sigma \left( {{\text{e}^{+} }{\text{e}^{-} } \to {\text{Zh}}} \right)}}{{{\sigma_{\text{SM}}}\left( {{\text{e}^{+} }{\text{e}^{-} } \to {\text{Zh}}} \right)}} \times B\left( {h \to {\text{aa}}} \right) \times B{\left( {{\text{a}} \to {\tau^{+} }{\tau^{-} }} \right)^2} \). For m h < 107 GeV/c 2 and 4 < m a < 10 GeV/c 2, ξ 2 > 1 is excluded at the 95% confidence level.

We report the detection of the ground state N, J = 1, 3/2 -> 1, 1/2 doublet of the methylidyne radical CH at similar to 532 GHz and similar to 536 GHz with the Herschel/ HIFI instrument along the sight-line to the massive star-forming regions G10.6-0.4 (W31C), W49N, and W51. While the molecular cores associated with these massive star-forming regions show emission lines, clouds in the diffuse interstellar medium are detected in absorption against the strong submillimeter background. The combination of hyperfine structure with emission and absorption results in complex profiles, with overlap of the different hyperfine components. The opacities of most of the CH absorption features are linearly correlated with those of CCH, CN, and HCO+ in the same velocity intervals. In specific narrow velocity intervals, the opacities of CN and HCO+ deviate from the mean trends, giving rise to more opaque absorption features. We propose that CCH can be used as another tracer of the molecular gas in the absence of better tracers, with [CCH]/[H-2] similar to 3.2 +/- 1.1 x 10(-8). The observed [CN]/[CH], [CCH]/[CH] abundance ratios suggest that the bulk of the diffuse matter along the lines of sight has gas densities nH = n(H) + 2n(H-2) ranging between 100 and 1000 cm(-3).

The radiometer on a chip (ROC) integrates whole wafers together to p rovide a robust, extremely powerful way of making submillimeter rece ivers that provide vertically integrated functionality. By integratin g at the wafer level, customizing the interconnects, and planarizing the transmission media, it is possible to create a lightweight asse mbly performing the function of several pieces in a more conventiona l radiometer.

The ZZ production cross section is measured from a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 452 pb−1, collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP at centre-of-mass energies from 192 to 209 GeV. Individual cross sections, extracted at six centre-of-mass energies, are found to be in agreement with Standard Model calculations. The results are used to set limits on anomalous neutral gauge couplings.

We report on the development of a cryogenic test bench for millimetre, sub-millimeter and terahertz MMIC Schottky mixers. The test set-up is used to measure an 874 GHz MMIC membrane sub-harmonic mixers at 300 and 120 K of ambient temperature, in vacuum environment. When cooled to temperatures compatible with passive cooling in space (120 K range), a DSB receiver noise temperature of approx. 3500 K with best value at 3000 K is obtained in the frequency range 850-910 GHz. Based on the latter topology, sub-harmonic mixer design has been extended up to 2 THz. It uses a novel custom Schottky electrical Schottky model compatible with ADS software suite to take into account effects related to the plasma resonance in doped GaAs at terahertz frequencies. Predicted performance is presented for room temperature operation.

Le concept « d'aliénation mentale » au sens étymologique et philosophique veut dire « un processus subjectif par lequel un individu devient étranger à lui-même ». L'aliénation recouvre le sentiment d'impuissance (ne pas pouvoir influencer le cours des événements), l'absence de reconnaissance des normes sociales conduisant vers un isolement mental et social, enfin le manque de sens (ne pas comprendre le monde dans lequel on vit). Suivant Engels et Marx, comme le malade mental, le travailleur moderne est aussi touché par une forme d'aliénation, cette fois objective. Comme la maladie mentale, le travail fait de l'homme un étranger à lui-même et conduit à de multiples formes d'asservissement, par l'absence de pouvoir sur sa conduite, par l'obéissance aveugle à des normes sociales, et par la réification dans le produit aliéné du travail de son essence humaine conduisant à la perte de sens (Rosner, 1967).

Cross sections, angular distributions and forward-backward asymmetries are presented, of two-fermion events produced in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies from 189 to 209 GeV at LEP, measured with the ALEPH detector. Results for e+e-, mu+mu-, tau+tau-, qq, bb and cc production are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Constraints are set on scenarios of new physics such as four-fermion contact interactions, leptoquarks, Z' bosons, TeV-scale quantum gravity and R-parity violating squarks and sneutrinos.

Inclusive beauty-quark production in two-photon collisions has been measured at LEP using an integrated luminosity of 698 pb-1 collected by the ALEPH detector with sqrt(s) between 130 and 209 GeV. The b quarks were identified using lifetime information. The cross section is found to be sigma(e+ e- --> e+ e- b \bar{b} X) = (5.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.8 (syst)) pb which is consistent with Next-to-Leading Order QCD.