A compact start time counter using plastic scintillators readout with MPPC arrays for the WASA-FRS HypHI experiment

9 pags., 12 figs.We have developed a compact detector for measuring beam particles using plastic scintillators readout through Multi-Pixel Photon Counters, which is employed for hypernuclear measurements in the WASA-FRS experiment at GSI. The Time-of-Flight resolution of the newly-developed detector has been investigated in relation to the overvoltage with respect to the breakdown voltage, a maximum counting rate of approximately 3×106/s per segment, and a maximum beam charge of Z = 6. The evaluated Time-of-Flight resolutions between the neighboring segments of the detector range from 44.6±1.3 ps to 100.3±3.6 ps (σ) depending on the segment, overvoltage values, and beam intensity. It is also observed that the Time-of-Flight resolution is inversely correlated to the beam atomic charge (Z).The WASA-FRS project is supported by the JSPS KAKENHI, Japan (Grant Numbers JP18H01242), the JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (Grant No. JP20K14499), the JSPS Fostering Joint International Research (B) (Grant No. JP20KK0070), Proyectos I+D+i 2020 ref: PID2020-118009GA-I00 ; grant 2019- T1/TIC-13194 of the program Atracción de Talento Investigador of the Community of Madrid, the Regional Government of Galicia under the Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant No. ED481D-2021-018, the ‘‘Ramón y Cajal’’ program under the Grant No. RYC2021-031989-I, the SciMat and qLife Priority Research Areas budget under the program Excellence Initiative - Research University at the Jagiellonian University and the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824093. The project is also supported by the JustusLiebig-Universität (JLU), Gießen, Germany, and GSI, Germany under the JLU-GSI strategic Helmholtz partnership agreement. This research is supported in part by the ExtreMe Matter Institute EMMI at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany.Peer reviewe

Search for η′-mesic nuclei in 12C{}^{12} C reaction with the WASA detector at GSI-FRS

We conducted an experimental search for η′ -mesic nuclei, bound systems of an η' meson and a nucleus, in 12C(p, dp) reactions. We measured the missing mass in the (p, d) reaction to obtain the mass spectrum of the reaction product near the η′ emission threshold. Forward-emitted deuterons were momentum-analyzed in the FRS of GSI. We installed a nearly 4π detector WASA near the 12C target to effectively select formation and decay of the η′ -mesic nuclei. We are presently finalizing the analysis

Search for η'-mesic nuclei in 12C(p, dp) reaction with the WASA detector at GSI-FRS

We conducted an experimental search for η′-mesic nuclei, bound systems of an η′ meson and a nucleus, in 12C(p, dp) reactions. We measured the missing mass in the (p, d) reaction to obtain the mass spectrum of the reaction product near the η′ emission threshold. Forward-emitted deuterons were momentum-analyzed in the FRS of GSI. We installed a nearly 4π detector WASA near the 12C target to effectively select formation and decay of the η′-mesic nuclei. We are presently finalizing the analysis

The WASA-FRS project at GSI and its perspective

A novel technique to study bound states of exotic hadrons in subatomic nuclei, such as hypernuclei and mesic nuclei, has been developed by employing the Fragment Separator FRS and the WASA central detector at GSI. Two experiments, S447 for studying light hypernuclei, especially hypertriton and a Λnn bound state, and S490 for searching for η’ mesic-nuclei, were recently performed. Data analyses are currently in progress, and light charged particles such as protons and π± are clearly observed and identified in the both experiments. For S447, light nuclear fragments that can also be residual nuclei from decays of hypernuclei of interests have been analysed by the FRS, and a momentum resolution, Δp/p, of 5×10−4 has been achieved. Further data analyses are to be completed. The WASA-FRS project will be continued and extended with the FRS at FAIR Phase 0, and upgrading of the WASA magnet and detectors is currently in progress. Furthermore, construction of a larger detector system with the Super-FRS at FAIR Phase 1 is also under consideration.</p

Study of light hypernuclei in Europe: The hypertriton and nnΛ puzzles

The current understanding of light hypernuclei, which are sub-atomic nuclei with strangeness, is being challenged and studied in detail by several European research groups and collaborations. In recent years, studies of hypernuclei using high-energy heavy ion beams have reported unexpected results on the three-body hypernuclear state 3ΛH, named the hypertriton. For some time, reports of a shorter lifetime and larger binding energy than what was previously accepted have created a puzzling situation for its theoretical description; this is known as the "hypertriton puzzle". With the inclusion of the most recent experimental measurements, the current status of the hypertriton puzzle is evolving. Additionally, the possible neutral bound state of a Λ hyperon with two neutrons, nnΛ, has raised questions about our understanding of the formation of light hypernuclei either in bound or resonance states. These results have initiated several ongoing experimental programs all over the world to study these three-body hypernuclear states precisely. We are studying these light hypernuclear states by employing heavy ion beams at 2AGeV on a fixed carbon target with the WASA detector system and the Fragment Separator (FRS) at GSI. The WASA-FRS experimental campaign was performed during the first quarter of 2022, and this paper presents a short overview of the campaign and how it seeks to tackle the hypertriton and nnΛ puzzles. Data analysis is ongoing, and several preliminary results will be reported

Studies of three-and four-body hypernuclei with heavy-ion beams, nuclear emulsions and machine learning

Interests on few-body hypernuclei have been increased by recent results of experiments employing relativistic heavy ion beams. Some of the experiments have revealed that the lifetime of the lightest hypernucleus, hypertriton, is significantly shorter than 263 ps which is expected by considering the hypertriton to be a weakly-bound system. The STAR collaboration has also measured the hypertriton binding energy, and the deduced value is contradicting to its formerly known small binding energy. These measurements have indicated that the fundamental physics quantities of the hypertriton such as its lifetime and binding energy have not been understood, therefore, they have to be measured very precisely. Furthermore, an unprecedented Lambda nn bound state observed by the HypHI collaboration has to be studied in order to draw a conclusion whether or not such a bound state exists. These three-body hypernuclear states are studied by the heavy-ion beam data in the WASA-FRS experiment and by analysing J-PARC E07 nuclear emulsion data with machine learning