[Laura-announce] New version (v3r0) of Laura++ package released

[laura at projects.hepforge.org]

Dear Laura++ users,

We would like to announce the release of v3r0 of the Laura++ package.

This version contains the following new major features:

* The ability to float the parameters of resonance lineshapes
  - resonance masses, widths, Blatt-Weisskopf barrier radii, as well as all parameters specific to particular models can be floated
  - the various examples have been updated to demonstrate how this is done
  - the mechanism for caching the integrals information to speed up fits with floating parameters can cause large memory usage under certain circumstances
  - methods have been added to allow the user to better tune the integration grid if you have such issues

* Incoherent resonances can be added to the signal model e.g. for very narrow D* states or even J/psi or D, etc.
  - these currently must be added to the signal model after all coherent contributions (to be addressed in future releases)
  - currently these can be described by Gaussian resolution functions (more shapes to be added in future releases)

* The code also now compiles with ROOT 6
  - while everything compiles, it has not yet been extensively tested, so this is still considered experimental

A number of other changes have occurred:

* Introduce a change in the implementation of the helicity flip for neutral parent decays 
  - prior to this change the helicity was flipped for any neutral resonance in the decay of a neutral particle
  - now the flip no longer occurs in flavour-specific decays (such as Bs0 -> D0bar K- pi+ or B0 -> K+ pi- pi0) since it is only required in flavour-conjugate modes (such as B0 -> KS pi+ pi-)
  - this does not affect any physical results but it does contribute a pi phase flip to some odd-spin resonances (for example K*(892)0 in Bs0->D0barKpi)

* The K-matrix code has been improved to give better behaviour for some phase-space factors

* The particle and resonance masses and widths have been updated to PDG 2014

* An experimental hybrid model-independent partial wave "lineshape" has been added
  - allows a given partial wave, e.g. S-wave, to be described by a series of magnitude and phase values, which are interpolated with splines to give a continuous amplitude
  - this is considered experimental but has been included to allow users to test it and provide feedback to the developers

Please see the doc/release.notes file for a full record of the changes.

The new version can be downloaded from the download page:
http://www.hepforge.org/downloads/laura
or checked out from svn.

The doxygen documentation is available on the webpage:
http://laura.hepforge.org/doc/doxygen/v3r0/

Many thanks,
The Laura++ Developers