Bias-Free Estimation in Multicomponent Maximum Likelihood Fits with Component-Dependent Templates

The possibility of strong biases in a multicomponent Maximum Likelihood fits with component-dependent templates has been demonstrated in some toy problems. We discuss here in detail a problem of practical interest, particle identification based on time-of-flight or dE/dx information. We show that large biases can occur in estimating particle fractions in a sample if differences between the momentum spectra of particles are ignored, and we present a more robust fit technique, allowing bias-free estimation even when the particle spectra in the sample are unknown.Comment: May 2006, 4 pages, 6 figures To appear in the proceedings of PHYSTATO5: Statistical Problems in Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Oxford, England, United Kingdom, 12-15 Sep 200

A Statistical Prescription to Estimate Properly Normalized Distributions of Different Particle Species

We describe a statistical method to avoid biased estimation of the content of different particle species. We consider the case when the particle identification information strongly depends on some kinematical variables, whose distributions are unknown and different for each particles species. We show that the proposed procedure provides properly normalized and completely data-driven estimation of the unknown distributions without any a priori assumption on their functional form. Moreover, we demonstrate that the method can be generalized to any kinematical distribution of the particles

The GALILEO GALILEI small-satellite mission with FEEP thrusters (GG)

The Equivalence Principle, formulated by Einstein generalizing Galileo’s and Newton’s work, is a fundamental principle of modern physics. As such it should be tested as accurately as possible. Its most direct consequence, namely the Universality of Free Fall, can be tested in space, in a low Earth orbit, the crucial advantage being that the driving signal is about three orders of magnitude stronger than on Earth. GALILEO GALILEI (GG) is a small space mission designed for such a high-accuracy test. At the time of print, GG has been selected by ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) as a candidate for the next small Italian mission. Ground tests of the proposed apparatus now indicate that an accuracy of 1 part in 1017 is within the reach of this small mission

Abatement of thermal noise due to internal damping in 2D oscillators with rapidly rotating test masses.

Mechanical oscillators can be sensitive to very small forces. Low frequency effects are up-converted to higher frequency by rotating the oscillator. We show that for 2-dimensional oscillators rotating at frequency much higher than the signal the thermal noise force due to internal losses and competing with it is abated as the square root of the rotation frequency. We also show that rotation at frequency much higher than the natural one is possible if the oscillator has 2 degrees of freedom, and describe how this property applies also to torsion balances. In addition, in the 2D oscillator the signal is up-converted above resonance without being attenuated as in the 1D case, thus relaxing requirements on the read out. This work indicates that proof masses weakly coupled in 2D and rapidly rotating can play a major role in very small force physics experiments

Measurement of the Helicity Fractions of W Bosons from Top Quark Decays Using Fully Reconstructed top-antitop Events with CDF II

We present a measurement of the fractions F_0 and F_+ of longitudinally polarized and right-handed W bosons in top quark decays using data collected with the CDF II detector. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of approximately 318 pb -1. We select ttbar candidate events with one lepton, at least four jets, and missing transverse energy. Our helicity measurement uses the decay angle theta*, which is defined as the angle between the momentum of the charged lepton in the W boson rest frame and the W momentum in the top quark rest frame. The cos(theta*) distribution in the data is determined by full kinematic reconstruction of the ttbar candidates. We find F_0 = 0.85 +0.15 -0.22 (stat) +- 0.06 (syst) and F_+ = 0.05 +0.11 -0.05 (stat) +- 0.03 (syst), which is consistent with the standard model prediction. We set an upper limit on the fraction of right-handed W bosons of F_+ < 0.26 at the 95% confidence level.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Search for the Higgs boson in events with missing transverse energy and b quark jets produced in proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV

We search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with an electroweak vector boson in events with no identified charged leptons, large imbalance in transverse momentum, and two jets where at least one contains a secondary vertex consistent with the decay of b hadrons. We use ~1 fb-1 integrated luminosity of proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV recorded by the CDF II experiment at the Tevatron. We find 268 (16) single (double) b-tagged candidate events, where 248 +/- 43 (14.4 +/- 2.7) are expected from standard model background processes. We place 95% confidence level upper limits on the Higgs boson production cross section for several Higgs boson masses ranging from 110 GeV/c2 to 140 GeV/c2. For a mass of 115 GeV/c2 the observed (expected) limit is 20.4 (14.2) times the standard model prediction.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Observation and Mass Measurement of the Baryon Ξb−\Xi^-_b

We report the observation and measurement of the mass of the bottom, strange baryon $\Xi^-_b$ through the decay chain $\Xi^-_b \to J/\psi \Xi^-$, where $J/\psi \to \mu^+ \mu^-$, $\Xi^- \to \Lambda \pi^-$, and $\Lambda \to p \pi^-$. Evidence for observation is based on a signal whose probability of arising from the estimated background is 6.6 x 10^{-15}, or 7.7 Gaussian standard deviations. The $\Xi^-_b$ mass is measured to be $5792.9\pm 2.5$ (stat.) $\pm 1.7$ (syst.) MeV/$c^2$.Comment: Minor text changes for the second version. Accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

First Measurement of the W Boson Mass in Run II of the Tevatron

We present a measurement of the W boson mass using 200/pb of data collected in pbar p collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV by the CDF II detector at Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron. With a sample of 63964 W -> e nu candidates and 51128 W -> mu nu candidates, we measure M_W = (80413 +- 34 (stat) +- 34 (syst) = 80413 +- 48) MeV/c^2. This is the most precise single measurement of the W boson mass to date.Comment: published version in PR

Polarizations of J/psi and psi(2S) Mesons Produced in ppbar Collisions at 1.96 TeV

We have measured the polarizations of \jpsi and \psiprime mesons as functions of their transverse momentum \pt when they are produced promptly in the rapidity range $|y|<0.6$ with \pt \geq 5 \pgev. The analysis is performed using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of about 800 \ipb collected by the CDF II detector. For both vector mesons, we find that the polarizations become increasingly longitudinal as \pt increases from 5 to 30 \pgev. These results are compared to the predictions of nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics and other contemporary models. The effective polarizations of \jpsi and \psiprime mesons from $B$-hadron decays are also reported.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, published in Physical Review Letter

Search for Third Generation Vector Leptoquarks in p anti-p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We describe a search for a third generation vector leptoquark (VLQ3) that decays to a b quark and tau lepton using the CDF II detector and 322 pb^(-1) of integrated luminosity from the Fermilab Tevatron. Vector leptoquarks have been proposed in many extensions of the standard model (SM). Observing a number of events in agreement with SM expectations, assuming Yang-Mills (minimal) couplings, we obtain the most stringent upper limit on the VLQ3 pair production cross section of 344 fb (493 fb) and lower limit on the VLQ3 mass of 317 GeV/c^2 (251 GeV/c^2) at 95% C.L.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PR