707 research outputs found

    Protons in near earth orbit

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    The proton spectrum in the kinetic energy range 0.1 to 200 GeV was measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during space shuttle flight STS-91 at an altitude of 380 km. Above the geomagnetic cutoff the observed spectrum is parameterized by a power law. Below the geomagnetic cutoff a substantial second spectrum was observed concentrated at equatorial latitudes with a flux ~ 70 m^-2 sec^-1 sr^-1. Most of these second spectrum protons follow a complicated trajectory and originate from a restricted geographic region.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, 7 .eps figure

    Search for antihelium in cosmic rays

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    The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was flown on the space shuttle Discovery during flight STS-91 in a 51.7 degree orbit at altitudes between 320 and 390 km. A total of 2.86 * 10^6 helium nuclei were observed in the rigidity range 1 to 140 GV. No antihelium nuclei were detected at any rigidity. An upper limit on the flux ratio of antihelium to helium of < 1.1 * 10^-6 is obtained.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, 9 .eps figure

    Isotopic Composition of Light Nuclei in Cosmic Rays: Results from AMS-01

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    The variety of isotopes in cosmic rays allows us to study different aspects of the processes that cosmic rays undergo between the time they are produced and the time of their arrival in the heliosphere. In this paper we present measurements of the isotopic ratios 2H/4He, 3He/4He, 6Li/7Li, 7Be/(9Be+10Be) and 10B/11B in the range 0.2-1.4 GeV of kinetic energy per nucleon. The measurements are based on the data collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, AMS-01, during the STS-91 flight in 1998 June.Comment: To appear in ApJ. 12 pages, 11 figures, 6 table

    A Study of Cosmic Ray Secondaries Induced by the Mir Space Station Using AMS-01

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    The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a high energy particle physics experiment that will study cosmic rays in the 100MeV\sim 100 \mathrm{MeV} to 1TeV1 \mathrm{TeV} range and will be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) for at least 3 years. A first version of AMS-02, AMS-01, flew aboard the space shuttle \emph{Discovery} from June 2 to June 12, 1998, and collected 10810^8 cosmic ray triggers. Part of the \emph{Mir} space station was within the AMS-01 field of view during the four day \emph{Mir} docking phase of this flight. We have reconstructed an image of this part of the \emph{Mir} space station using secondary π\pi^- and μ\mu^- emissions from primary cosmic rays interacting with \emph{Mir}. This is the first time this reconstruction was performed in AMS-01, and it is important for understanding potential backgrounds during the 3 year AMS-02 mission.Comment: To be submitted to NIM B Added material requested by referee. Minor stylistic and grammer change

    Study of Z Boson Pair Production in e+e- Collisions at LEP at \sqrt{s}=189 GeV

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    The pair production of Z bosons is studied using the data collected by the L3 detector at LEP in 1998 in e+e- collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. All the visible final states are considered and the cross section of this process is measured to be 0.74 +0.15 -0.14 (stat.) +/- 0.04 (syst.) pb. Final states containing b quarks are enhanced by a dedicated selection and their production cross section is found to be 0.18 +0.09 -0.07 (stat.) +/- 0.02 (syst.) pb. Both results are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions. Limits on anomalous couplings between neutral gauge bosons are derived from these measurements

    Search for Scalar Leptons in e+e- collisions at \sqrt{s}=189 GeV

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    We report the result of a search for scalar leptons in e+e- collisions at 189 GeV centre-of-mass energy at LEP. No evidence for such particles is found in a data sample of 176 pb^{-1}. Improved upper limits are set on the production cross sections for these new particles. New exclusion contours in the parameter space of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model are derived, as well as new lower limits on the masses of these supersymmetric particles. Under the assumptions of common gaugino and scalar masses at the GUT scale, we set an absolute lower limit on the mass of the lightest scalar electron of 65.5 Ge

    Search for Low Scale Gravity Effects in e+e- Collisions at LEP

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    Recent theories propose that quantum gravity effects may be observable at LEP energies via gravitons that couple to Standard Model particles and propagate into extra spatial dimensions. The associated production of a graviton and a photon is searched for as well as the effects of virtual graviton exchange in the processes: e+e- -> gamma gamma, ZZ, WW, mu mu, tau tau, qq and ee No evidence for this new interaction is found in the data sample collected by the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 183 GeV. Limits close to 1 TeV on the scale of this new scenario of quantum gravity are set

    Formation of the ηc\eta_c in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP

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    The two-photon width Γγγ\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma} of the ηc\eta_c meson has been measured with the L3 detector at LEP. The ηc\eta_c is studied in the decay modes π+ππ+π\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-, π+π\pi^+\pi^-K+^+K^-, Ks0_s^0K±π^\pm\pi^\mp, K+^+Kπ0^-\pi^{0}, π+πη\pi^+\pi^-\eta, π+πη\pi^+\pi^-\eta', and ρ+ρ\rho^+\rho^- using an integrated luminosity of 140 pb1^{-1} at s91\sqrt{s} \simeq 91 GeV and of 52 pb1^{-1} at s183\sqrt{s} \simeq 183 GeV. The result is Γγγ(ηc)=6.9±1.7(stat.)±0.8(sys.)±2.0\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma}(\eta_c) = 6.9 \pm 1.7 (stat.) \pm 0.8 (sys.) \pm 2.0(BR) keV. The Q2Q^2 dependence of the ηc\eta_c cross section is studied for Q2<9Q^2 < 9 GeV2^{2}. It is found to be better described by a Vector Meson Dominance model form factor with a J-pole than with a ρ\rho-pole. In addition, a signal of 29±1129 \pm 11 events is observed at the χc0\chi_c0 mass. Upper limits for the two-photon widths of the χc0\chi_c0, χc2\chi_c2, and ηc\eta_c' are also given

    Search for Charginos with a Small Mass Difference with the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle at \sqrt{s} = 189 GeV

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    A search for charginos nearly mass-degenerate with the lightest supersymmetric particle is performed using the 176 pb^-1 of data collected at 189 GeV in 1998 with the L3 detector. Mass differences between the chargino and the lightest supersymmetric particle below 4 GeV are considered. The presence of a high transverse momentum photon is required to single out the signal from the photon-photon interaction background. No evidence for charginos is found and upper limits on the cross section for chargino pair production are set. For the first time, in the case of heavy scalar leptons, chargino mass limits are obtained for any \tilde{\chi}^{+-}_1 - \tilde{\chi}^0_1 mass difference

    Direct Observation of Longitudinally Polarised W Bosons

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    The three different helicity states of W bosons, produced in the reaction e+e- -> W+W- -> l nu q q~ are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays at sqrt{s}=183GeV and 189GeV. The W polarisation is also measured as a function of the scattering angle between the W- and the direction of the e- beam. The analysis demonstrates that W bosons are produced with all three helicities, the longitudinal and the two transverse states. Combining the results from the two center-of-mass energies and with leptonic and hadronic W decays, the fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.261 +/- 0.051(stat.) +/- 0.016(syst.) in agreement with the expectation from the Standard Model
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