CP violation and mass hierarchy at medium baselines in the large theta(13) era

The large value of theta(13) recently measured by rector and accelerator experiments opens unprecedented opportunities for precision oscillation physics. In this paper, we reconsider the physics reach of medium baseline superbeams. For theta(13) ~ 9 degree we show that facilities at medium baselines -- i.e. L ~ O(1000 km) -- remain optimal for the study of CP violation in the leptonic sector, although their ultimate precision strongly depends on experimental systematics. This is demonstrated in particular for facilities of practical interest in Europe: a CERN to Gran Sasso and CERN to Phyasalmi nu_mu beam based on the present SPS and on new high power 50 GeV proton driver. Due to the large value of theta(13), spectral information can be employed at medium baselines to resolve the sign ambiguity and determine the neutrino mass hierarchy. However, longer baselines, where matter effects dominate the nu_mu->nu_e transition, can achieve much stronger sensitivity to sign(Delta m^2) even at moderate exposures.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, version to appear in EPJ

Totem: a case study in HEP

It is being proved that the neurochip \Totem{} is a viable solution for high quality and real time computational tasks in HEP, including event classification, triggering and signal processing. The architecture of the chip is based on a "derivative free" algorithm called Reactive Tabu Search (RTS), highly performing even for low precision weights. ISA, VME or PCI boards integrate the chip as a coprocessor in a host computer. This paper presents: 1) the state of the art and the next evolution of the design of \Totem{}; 2) its ability in the Higgs search at LHC as an example.Comment: Latex, elsart.sty, 5 pages, talk presented by I.Lazzizzera at CHEP97 (Berlin, April 1997

Searching the Higgs with the Neurochip TOTEM

We show that neural network classifiers can be helpful in discriminating Higgs production events from the huge background at LHC, assuming the case of a mass value $M_H \sim 200$ GeV. We use the high performance neurochip TOTEM, trained by the Reactive Tabu Search algorithm (RTS), which could be used for on-line purposes. Two different sets of input variables are compared.Comment: 4 pages,1 figure, requres espcrc2.sty and epsfig.sty. Work prsented in The 5th Topical Seminar on ``The irresistible rise of the Standard Model'', San Miniato, Tuscany, Italy, April 21-25 199

Investigation of in the full hadronic final state at CDF with a neural network approach

Abstract In this work we present the results of a neural network (NN) approach to the measurement of the t t production cross-section and top mass in the all-hadronic channel, analyzing data collected at the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experiment. We have used a hardware implementation of a feed forward neural network, TOTEM , the product of a collaboration of INFN (Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare)—IRST (Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica)—University of Trento, Italy. Particular attention has been payed to the evaluation of the systematics specifically related to the NN approach. The results are consistent with those obtained at CDF by conventional data selection techniques

The OPERA magnetic spectrometer

The OPERA neutrino oscillation experiment foresees the construction of two magnetized iron spectrometers located after the lead-nuclear emulsion targets. The magnet is made up of two vertical walls of rectangular cross section connected by return yokes. The particle trajectories are measured by high precision drift tubes located before and after the arms of the magnet. Moreover, the magnet steel is instrumented with Resistive Plate Chambers that ease pattern recognition and allow a calorimetric measurement of the hadronic showers. In this paper we review the construction of the spectrometers. In particular, we describe the results obtained from the magnet and RPC prototypes and the installation of the final apparatus at the Gran Sasso laboratories. We discuss the mechanical and magnetic properties of the steel and the techniques employed to calibrate the field in the bulk of the magnet. Moreover, results of the tests and issues concerning the mass production of the Resistive Plate Chambers are reported. Finally, the expected physics performance of the detector is described; estimates rely on numerical simulations and the outcome of the tests described above.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures, presented at the 2003 IEEE-NSS conference, Portland, OR, USA, October 20-24, 200

On the High-Temperature Behaviour of the Closed Superstring

The high-temperature expansion for closed superstring one-loop free energy is studied. The Laurent series representation is obtained and its sum is analytically continued in order to investigate the nature of the critical (Hagedorn) temperature. It is found that beyond this critical temperature the statistical sum contribution of the free energy is finite but has an imaginary part, signalling a possible metastability of the system.Comment: 7 pages, UTF32

Prospect for Charge Current Neutrino Interactions Measurements at the CERN-PS

Tensions in several phenomenological models grew with experimental results on neutrino/antineutrino oscillations at Short-Baseline (SBL) and with the recent, carefully recomputed, antineutrino fluxes from nuclear reactors. At a refurbished SBL CERN-PS facility an experiment aimed to address the open issues has been proposed [1], based on the technology of imaging in ultra-pure cryogenic Liquid Argon (LAr). Motivated by this scenario a detailed study of the physics case was performed. We tackled specific physics models and we optimized the neutrino beam through a full simulation. Experimental aspects not fully covered by the LAr detection, i.e. the measurements of the lepton charge on event-by-event basis and their energy over a wide range, were also investigated. Indeed the muon leptons from Charged Current (CC) (anti-)neutrino interactions play an important role in disentangling different phenomenological scenarios provided their charge state is determined. Also, the study of muon appearance/disappearance can benefit of the large statistics of CC muon events from the primary neutrino beam. Results of our study are reported in detail in this proposal. We aim to design, construct and install two Spectrometers at "NEAR" and "FAR" sites of the SBL CERN-PS, compatible with the already proposed LAr detectors. Profiting of the large mass of the two Spectrometers their stand-alone performances have also been exploited.Comment: 70 pages, 38 figures. Proposal submitted to SPS-C, CER

Glass resistive plate chambers in the OPERA experiment

Abstract OPERA is an underground neutrino oscillation experiment to search for ν τ appearance from a pure ν μ beam produced at CERN. To flag the events due to the neutrino interactions with the rock surrounding the OPERA detector, a large VETO system, based on the use of Glass Resistive Plate Chambers (GRPC) has been realized. We describe the detectors, the tests performed before the installation in the underground laboratories and the monitor system for the water pollution in the GRPC gas mixture

Prospects for the measurement of muon-neutrino disappearance at the FNAL-Booster

Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle $\theta_{13}$ in the standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However, puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small $L/E$, which will be able to put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos, or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. This proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites, Near and Far. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible with the CERN project for a new more performant neutrino beam, which will nicely extend the physics results achievable at the Booster. The possible FNAL experiment will allow to clarify the current $\nu_{\mu}$ disappearance tension with $\nu_e$ appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale. Instead, a new CERN neutrino beam would allow a further span in the parameter space together with a refined control of systematics and, more relevant, the measurement of the antineutrino sector, by upgrading the spectrometer with detectors currently under R&D study.Comment: 76 pages, 52 figure

Procedure for short-lived particle detection in the OPERA experiment and its application to charm decays

The OPERA experiment, designed to perform the first observation of $\nu_\mu \rightarrow \nu_\tau$ oscillations in appearance mode through the detection of the $\tau$ leptons produced in $\nu_\tau$ charged current interactions, has collected data from 2008 to 2012. In the present paper, the procedure developed to detect $\tau$ particle decays, occurring over distances of the order of 1 mm from the neutrino interaction point, is described in detail. The results of its application to the search for charmed hadrons are then presented as a validation of the methods for $\nu_\tau$ appearance detection