Well-defined molecular brushes bearing polypeptides as side chains were prepared by a "grafting through" synthetic strategy with two-dimensional control over the brush molecular architectures. By integrating N-carboxyanhydride ring-opening polymerizations (NCA ROPs) and ring-opening metathesis polymerizations (ROMPs), desirable segment lengths of polypeptide side chains and polynorbornene brush backbones were independently constructed in controlled manners. The N2 flow accelerated NCA ROP was utilized to prepare polypeptide macromonomers with different lengths initiated from a norbornene-based primary amine, and those macromonomers were then polymerized via ROMP. It was found that a mixture of dichloromethane and an ionic liquid were required as the solvent system to allow for construction of molecular brush polymers having densely-grafted peptide chains emanating from a polynorbornene backbone, poly(norbornene-graft-poly(β-benzyl-l-aspartate)) (P(NB-g-PBLA)). Highly efficient postpolymerization modification was achieved by aminolysis of PBLA side chains for facile installment of functional moieties onto the molecular brushes.

The multi-staged XENON program at INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso aims to detect dark matter with two-phase liquid xenon time projection chambers of increasing size and sensitivity. The XENONnT experiment is the latest detector in the program, planned to be an upgrade of its predecessor XENON1T. It features an active target of 5.9 tonnes of cryogenic liquid xenon (8.5 tonnes total mass in cryostat). The experiment is expected to extend the sensitivity to WIMP dark matter by more than an order of magnitude compared to XENON1T, thanks to the larger active mass and the significantly reduced background, improved by novel systems such as a radon removal plant and a neutron veto. This article describes the XENONnT experiment and its sub-systems in detail and reports on the detector performance during the first science run.

We describe searches for B meson decays to the charmless vector-vector final states ωK* and ωρ in 89 × 106 BB̄ pairs produced in e+e- annihilation at √s = 10.58 GeV. We measure the following branching fractions in units of 10 -6: B(B0 → ωK*0) = 3.4 -1.6+1.8 ± 0.4(<6.0), B(B+ → ωK*+) = 3.5-2.0+2.5 ± 0.7(<7.4), B(B0 → ωρ0) = 0.6 -1.1+1.3 ± 0.4(<3.3), and B(B+ → ωρ+) = 12.6-3.3+3.7 ± 1.6. The first error quoted is statistical, the second systematic, and the upper limits are defined at 90% confidence level. For B+ → ωρ+ we also measure the longitudinal spin alignment fraction fL = 0.88-0.15+0.12 ± 0.03 and charge asymmetry Ach = (5 ± 26 ± 2)%. © 2005 The American Physical Society.

We present a measurement of the time-dependent CP-violating (CPV) asymmetries in B0-->K(0)(S)pi(0) decays based on 124x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. In a sample containing 122+/-16 signal decays, we obtain the magnitudes of the direct CPV asymmetry CK(0)(S)(pi(0))=0.40(+0.27)(-0.28)+/-0.09 and of the CPV asymmetry in the interference between mixing and decay SK(0)(S)(pi(0))=0.48(+0.38)(-0.47)+/-0.06 where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.

We report the results of a search for T, CP, CPT, and violation in B0-B0 mixing using an inclusive dilepton sample collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II factory. Using a sample of 232 x 10(6) BB pairs, we measure the T and CP violation parameter |q/p| - 1 = (-0.8 +/- 2.7(stat) +/- 1.9(syst) x 10(-3), and the CPT and CP parameters Imz = (13.9 +/- 7.3(stat) +/- 3.2(syst)) x 10(-3) and Delta Gamma x Rez = (7.1 +/- 3.9(stat) +/- 2.0(stat)) x 10(-3) ps(-1). The statistical correlation between the measurements of Imz and Delta Gamma x Rez is 76%.

We present the result of a search for the charmless two-body baryonic decay B0→ppmacr; in a sample of 88 million Y(4S)→BB̄ decays collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory. We use Cherenkov radiation to identify protons cleanly, and determine the signal yield with a maximum-likelihood fit technique using kinematic and topological information. We find no evidence for a signal and place a 90% confidence-level upper limit of B(B0→ pp̄)<2.7× 10-7. © 2004 The American Physical Society.

A search for charmed baryons decaying to D(0)p reveals two states: the Lambdac(2880)+ baryon and a previously unobserved state at a mass of [2939.8+/-1.3(stat)+/-1.0(syst)] MeV/c2 and with an intrinsic width of [17.5+/-5.2(stat)+/-5.9(syst)] MeV. Consistent and significant signals are observed for the K(-)pi(+) and K(-)pi(+)pi(-)pi(+) decay modes of the D0 in 287 fb(-1) annihilation data recorded by the BABAR detector at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. There is no evidence in the D+p spectrum of doubly charged partners. The mass and intrinsic width of the Lambdac(2880)+ baryon and relative yield of the two baryons are also measured.

We present measurements of the branching fractions for the three-body decays B0 --> D(*)-/+K0pi+/- and their resonant submodes B0 --> D(*)-/+K*+/-using a sample of approximately 88 x 10(6) BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric energy storage ring. We measure: B(B0 --> D-/+K0pi+/-) = (4.9 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K0pi+/-) = (3.0 +/- 0.7stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = (4.6 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.5syst) x 10(-4), B(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = (3.2 +/- 0.6stat +/- 0.3syst) x 10(-4). From these measurements we determine the fractions of resonant events to be f(B0 --> D-/+K*+/-) = 0.63 +/- 0.08stat +/- 0.04syst and f(B0 --> D*-/+K*+/-) = 0.72 +/- 0.14stat +/-0.05syst.