408 research outputs found
Absolute measurement of the nitrogen fluorescence yield in air between 300 and 430 nm
The nitrogen fluorescence induced in air is used to detect ultra-high energy
cosmic rays and to measure their energy. The precise knowledge of the absolute
fluorescence yield is the key quantity to improve the accuracy on the cosmic
ray energy. The total yield has been measured in dry air using a 90Sr source
and a [300-430 nm] filter. The fluorescence yield in air is 4.23 0.20
photons per meter when normalized to 760 mmHg, 15 degrees C and with an
electron energy of 0.85 MeV. This result is consistent with previous
experiments made at various energies, but with an accuracy improved by a factor
of about 3. For the first time, the absolute continuous spectrum of nitrogen
excited by 90Sr electrons has also been measured with a spectrometer. Details
of this experiment are given in one of the author's PhD thesis [32].Comment: accepted for publication in NIM
Micromegas in a Bulk
In this paper we present a novel way to manufacture the bulk Micromegas
detector. A simple process based on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) technology
is employed to produce the entire sensitive detector. Such fabrication process
could be extended to very large area detectors made by the industry. The low
cost fabrication together with the robustness of the electrode materials will
make it extremely attractive for several applications ranging from particle
physics and astrophysics to medicineComment: 6 pages, 4 figure
The current status of orbital experiments for UHECR studies
Two types of orbital detectors of extreme energy cosmic rays are being
developed nowadays: (i) TUS and KLYPVE with reflecting optical systems
(mirrors) and (ii) JEM-EUSO with high-transmittance Fresnel lenses. They will
cover much larger areas than existing ground-based arrays and almost uniformly
monitor the celestial sphere. The TUS detector is the pioneering mission
developed in SINP MSU in cooperation with several Russian and foreign
institutions. It has relatively small field of view (+/-4.5 deg), which
corresponds to a ground area of 6.4x10^3 sq.km. The telescope consists of a
Fresnel-type mirror-concentrator (~2 sq.m) and a photo receiver (a matrix of
16x16 photomultiplier tubes). It is to be deployed on the Lomonosov satellite,
and is currently at the final stage of preflight tests. Recently, SINP MSU
began the KLYPVE project to be installed on board of the Russian segment of the
ISS. The optical system of this detector contains a larger primary mirror (10
sq.m), which allows decreasing the energy threshold. The total effective field
of view will be at least +/-14 degrees to exceed the annual exposure of the
existing ground-based experiments. Several configurations of the detector are
being currently considered. Finally, JEM-EUSO is a wide field of view (+/-30
deg) detector. The optics is composed of two curved double-sided Fresnel lenses
with 2.65 m external diameter, a precision diffractive middle lens and a pupil.
The ultraviolet photons are focused onto the focal surface, which consists of
nearly 5000 multi-anode photomultipliers. It is developed by a large
international collaboration. All three orbital detectors have multi-purpose
character due to continuous monitoring of various atmospheric phenomena. The
present status of development of the TUS and KLYPVE missions is reported, and a
brief comparison of the projects with JEM-EUSO is given.Comment: 18 pages; based on the rapporteur talk given by M.I. Panasyuk at
ECRS-2014; v2: a few minor language issues fixed thanks to the editor; to be
published in the proceeding
Neutrinos in a spherical box
In the present paper we study some neutrino properties as they may appear in
the low energy neutrinos emitted in triton decay with maximum neutrino energy
of 18.6 keV. The technical challenges to this end can be achieved by building a
very large TPC capable of detecting low energy recoils, down to a a few tenths
of a keV, within the required low background constraints. More specifically We
propose the development of a spherical gaseous TPC of about 10-m in radius and
a 200 Mcurie triton source in the center of curvature. One can list a number of
exciting studies, concerning fundamental physics issues, that could be made
using a large volume TPC and low energy antineutrinos: 1) The oscillation
length involving the small angle of the neutrino mixing matrix, directly
measured in this disappearance experiment, is fully contained inside the
detector. Measuring the counting rate of neutrino-electron elastic scattering
as a function of the distance of the source will give a precise and unambiguous
measurement of the oscillation parameters free of systematic errors. In fact
first estimates show that even with a year's data taking a sensitivity of a few
percent for the measurement of the above angle will be achieved. 2) The low
energy detection threshold offers a unique sensitivity for the neutrino
magnetic moment which is about two orders of magnitude beyond the current
experimental limit. 3) Scattering at such low neutrino energies has never been
studied and any departure from the expected behavior may be an indication of
new physics beyond the standard model. In this work we mainly focus on the
various theoretical issues involved including a precise determination of the
Weinberg angle at very low momentum transfer.Comment: 16 Pages, LaTex, 7 figures, talk given at NANP 2003, Dubna, Russia,
June 23, 200
Progress on a spherical TPC for low energy neutrino detection
The new concept of the spherical TPC aims at relatively large target masses
with low threshold and background, keeping an extremely simple and robust
operation. Such a device would open the way to detect the neutrino-nucleus
interaction, which, although a standard process, remains undetected due to the
low energy of the neutrino-induced nuclear recoils. The progress in the
development of the fist 1 m prototype at Saclay is presented. Other physics
goals of such a device could include supernova detection, low energy neutrino
oscillations and study of non-standard properties of the neutrino, among
others.Comment: 3 pages, talk given at the 9th Workshop on Topics in Astroparticle
and Underground Physics, Zaragoza, September 10-1
Antimatter and Matter Production in Heavy Ion Collisions at CERN (The NEWMASS Experiment NA52)
Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light
(anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity.
Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by
more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different
spectrometer rigidities. Together with previous data taking at a rigidity of
-20 GeV/c we obtained 10^6 antiprotons 10^3 antideuterons and two antihelium3
without centrality requirements. We measured nuclei and antinuclei
(p,d,antiprotons, antideuterons) near midrapidity covering an impact parameter
range of b=2-12 fm. Our results strongly indicate that nuclei and antinuclei
are mainly produced via the coalescence mechanism. However the centrality
dependence of the antibaryon to baryon ratios show that antibaryons are
diminished due to annihilation and breakup reactions in the hadron dense
environment. The volume of the particle source extracted from coalescence
models agrees with results from pion interferometry for an expanding source.
The chemical and thermal freeze-out of nuclei and antinuclei appear to coincide
with each other and with the thermal freeze-out of hadrons.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference
on 'Fundamental Issues in Elementary Matter' Bad Honnef, Germany, Sept.
25-29, 200
On the electromagnetic energy resolution of Cherenkov-fiber calorimeters
Electromagnetic calorimeters which sample the Cherenkov radiation of shower particles in optical fibers operate in a markedly different manner from calorimeters which rely on the dE/dx of shower particles. The well-understood physics of electromagnetic shower development is applied to the case of Cherenkov-fiber calorimetry (also known as quartz fiber calorimetry) and the results of systematically performed studies are considered in detail to derive an understanding of the critical parameters involved in energy measurement using such calorimeters. A quantitative parameterization of Cherenkov-fiber calorimetry electromagnetic energy resolution is proposed and compared with existing experimental results
Demonstration designs for the remediation of space debris from the International Space Station
Quartz fiber calorimetry
The fundamentals of a new electromagnetic and hadronic sampling calorimetry based on the detection of Cherenkov light generated in quartz optical fibers are presented. Optical fibers transport light only in a selected angular range which results in a non-obvious and absolutely unique characteristic for this new technique: showers of very narrow visible energy. In addition, the technique is characterized by radiation resistance measured in Gigarads and nanosecond signal duration. Combined, these properties make quartz fiber calorimetry a very promising technique for high intensity heavy ion experiments and for the high pseudorapidity regions of high intensity collider experiments. The results of beam tests and simulations are used to illustrate the basic properties and peculiar characteristics of this recent development
Centrality dependence of K+ produced in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon
The NA52 collaboration searches for a discontinuous behaviour of charged
kaons produced in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV as a function of the impact
parameter, which could reveal a hadron to quark-gluon plasma (QGP) phase
transition. The K+ yield is found to grow proportional to the number of
participating ('wounded') nucleons N, above N=100. Previous NA52 data agree
with the above finding and show a discontinuous behaviour in the kaon
centrality dependence near N=100, marking the onset of strangeness enhancement
-over e.g. p+A data at the same \sqrt{s}- in a chemically equilibrated phase.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the XXXth International Conference
on High Energy Physics, 27 July - 2 August, 2000, Osaka, Japa
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