1,670 research outputs found
New results from the Pierre Auger Observatory
Recent results from the Auger Observatory on the energy spectrum of high-energy cosmic rays and on the search for correlation with extragalactic objects are presented and discussed. The excess of high-energy events with arrival
direction pointing to the region of Centaurus A is discussed in some detail
Total cross section and luminosity
The measurement of the total cross section and of the machine luminosity is the first objective of the experiment TOTEM [1] [2]. The total cross section will be measured with the luminosity independent method based on the simultaneous measurement of low momentum transfer elastic scattering and of the rate of inelastic interactions with fully inclusive trigger. Elastic scattering events will be detected with the Roman pot technique using a suitable machine optics obtained by properly tuning the quadrupoles in the intersection region. The measurement of the total cross section will be followed in due course by the study of elastic scattering at large momentum transfer and of diffractive processes
High-energy scattering of protons by nuclei
The theory of high-energy hadron-nucleus collisions is discussed by means of the multiple-diffraction theory. Effects of the Coulomb field are accounted for in elastic scattering by light and heavy nuclei. Inelastic scattering is treated by means of the shadowed single collision approximation at small momentum trans- fer and the corresponding multiple collision expansion at large momentum trans- fers. The theory is compared with the measurements of Bellettini et al. on pro- ton-nucleus scattering at 20 GeV/c by finding density distributions for the nuclei which provide least-squares fits to the data. The nucleon densities found are closely comparable in dimensions to the known charge densities. The predicted sums of the angular distributions of elastic and inelastic scattering reproduce the experimental angular distributions fairly closely
LATTES: a novel detector concept for a gamma-ray experiment in the Southern hemisphere
The Large Array Telescope for Tracking Energetic Sources (LATTES), is a novel
concept for an array of hybrid EAS array detectors, composed of a Resistive
Plate Counter array coupled to a Water Cherenkov Detector, planned to cover
gamma rays from less than 100 GeV up to 100 TeVs. This experiment, to be
installed at high altitude in South America, could cover the existing gap in
sensitivity between satellite and ground arrays.
The low energy threshold, large duty cycle and wide field of view of LATTES
makes it a powerful tool to detect transient phenomena and perform long term
observations of variable sources. Moreover, given its characteristics, it would
be fully complementary to the planned Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) as it
would be able to issue alerts.
In this talk, a description of its main features and capabilities, as well as
results on its expected performance, and sensitivity, will be presented.Comment: Proceedings of the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2017), Busan, South Korea. Presented by R. Concei\c{c}\~{a}o. 8 pages;
v2: correct affiliation + journal referenc
LATTES: A new gamma-ray detector concept for South America
Currently the detection of Very High Energy gamma-rays for astrophysics rely on the measurement of the Extensive Air Showers (EAS) either using Cherenkov detectors or EAS arrays with larger field of views but also larger energy thresholds. In this talk we present a novel hybrid detector concept for a EAS array with an improved sensitivity in the lower energies (~ 100 GeV). We discuss its main features, capabilities and present preliminary results on its expected perfomances and sensitivities.This wide field of view experiment is planned to be installed at high altitude in South America making it a complementary project to the planned Cherenkov telescope experiments and a powerful tool to trigger further observations of variable sources and to detect transients phenomena
Leading-particle suppression in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions
Parton energy loss effects in heavy-ion collisions are studied with the Monte
Carlo program PQM (Parton Quenching Model) constructed using the BDMPS
quenching weights and a realistic collision geometry. The merit of the approach
is that it contains only one free parameter that is tuned to the high-pt
nuclear modification factor measured in central Au-Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN}
= 200 GeV. Once tuned, the model is coherently applied to all the high-pt
observables at 200 GeV: the centrality evolution of the nuclear modification
factor, the suppression of the away-side jet-like correlations, and the
azimuthal anisotropies for these observables. Predictions for the
leading-particle suppression at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 62.4
and 5500 GeV are calculated. The limits of the eikonal approximation in the
BDMPS approach, when applied to finite-energy partons, are discussed.Comment: 28 pages, 14 figures, final version, accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
On the rise of proton-proton cross-sections at high energies
The rise of the total, elastic and inelastic hadronic cross sections at high
energies is investigated by means of an analytical parametrization, with the
exponent of the leading logarithm contribution as a free fit parameter. Using
derivative dispersion relations with one subtraction, two different fits to
proton-proton and antiproton-proton total cross section and rho parameter data
are developed, reproducing well the experimental information in the energy
region 5 GeV - 7 TeV. The parametrization for the total cross sections is then
extended to fit the elastic (integrated) cross section data in the same energy
region, with satisfactory results. From these empirical results we extract the
energy dependence of several physical quantities: inelastic cross section,
ratios elastic/total, inelastic/total cross sections, ratio
total-cross-section/elastic-slope, elastic slope and optical point. All data,
fitted and predicted, are quite well described. We find a statistically
consistent solution indicating: (1) an increase of the hadronic cross sections
with the energy faster than the log-squared bound by Froissart and Martin; (2)
asymptotic limits 1/3 and 2/3 for the ratios elastic/total and inelastic/total
cross sections, respectively, a result in agreement with unitarity. These
indications corroborate recent theoretical arguments by Ya. I. Azimov on the
rise of the total cross section.Comment: 35 pages, 12 figures, discussions improved with further
clarifications, references added and updated, one note added, results and
conclusions unchanged. Version to be published in J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part.
Phy
Effects of azimuth-symmetric acceptance cutoffs on the measured asymmetry in unpolarized Drell-Yan fixed target experiments
Fixed-target unpolarized Drell-Yan experiments often feature an acceptance
depending on the polar angle of the lepton tracks in the laboratory frame.
Typically leptons are detected in a defined angular range, with a dead zone in
the forward region. If the cutoffs imposed by the angular acceptance are
independent of the azimuth, at first sight they do not appear dangerous for a
measurement of the cos(2\phi)-asymmetry, relevant because of its association
with the violation of the Lam-Tung rule and with the Boer-Mulders function. On
the contrary, direct simulations show that up to 10 percent asymmetries are
produced by these cutoffs. These artificial asymmetries present qualitative
features that allow them to mimic the physical ones. They introduce some
model-dependence in the measurements of the cos(2\phi)-asymmetry, since a
precise reconstruction of the acceptance in the Collins-Soper frame requires a
Monte Carlo simulation, that in turn requires some detailed physical input to
generate event distributions. Although experiments in the eighties seem to have
been aware of this problem, the possibility of using the Boer-Mulders function
as an input parameter in the extraction of Transversity has much increased the
requirements of precision on this measurement. Our simulations show that the
safest approach to these measurements is a strong cutoff on the Collins-Soper
polar angle. This reduces statistics, but does not necessarily decrease the
precision in a measurement of the Boer-Mulders function.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure
Confronting models on cosmic ray interactions with particle physics at LHC energies
Inelastic pp collisions are dominated by soft (low momentum transfer) physics
where perturbative QCD cannot be fully applied. A deep understanding of both
soft and semi-hard processes is crucial for predictions of minimum bias and
underlying events of the now coming on line pp Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Moreover, the interaction of cosmic ray particles entering in the atmosphere is
extremely sensitive to these soft processes and consequently cannot be
formulated from first principles. Because of this, air shower analyses strongly
rely on hadronic interaction models, which extrapolate collider data several
orders of magnitude. A comparative study of Monte Carlo simulations of pp
collisions (at the LHC center-of-mass energy ~ 14 TeV) using the most popular
hadronic interaction models for ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (SIBYLL and QGSJET)
and for collider physics (the PYTHIA multiparton model) is presented. The most
relevant distributions are studied including those observables from diffractive
events with the aim of discriminating between the different models.Comment: 8 pages revtex, 8 figures, added reference
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