The energy spectrum of all-particle cosmic rays around the knee region observed with the Tibet-III air-shower array

We have already reported the first result on the all-particle spectrum around the knee region based on data from 2000 November to 2001 October observed by the Tibet-III air-shower array. In this paper, we present an updated result using data set collected in the period from 2000 November through 2004 October in a wide range over 3 decades between $10^{14}$ eV and $10^{17}$ eV, in which the position of the knee is clearly seen at around 4 PeV. The spectral index is -2.68 $\pm$ 0.02(stat.) below 1PeV, while it is -3.12 $\pm$ 0.01(stat.) above 4 PeV in the case of QGSJET+HD model, and various systematic errors are under study now.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Advances in space researc

Moon Shadow by Cosmic Rays under the Influence of Geomagnetic Field and Search for Antiprotons at Multi-TeV Energies

We have observed the shadowing of galactic cosmic ray flux in the direction of the moon, the so-called moon shadow, using the Tibet-III air shower array operating at Yangbajing (4300 m a.s.l.) in Tibet since 1999. Almost all cosmic rays are positively charged; for that reason, they are bent by the geomagnetic field, thereby shifting the moon shadow westward. The cosmic rays will also produce an additional shadow in the eastward direction of the moon if cosmic rays contain negatively charged particles, such as antiprotons, with some fraction. We selected 1.5 x10^{10} air shower events with energy beyond about 3 TeV from the dataset observed by the Tibet-III air shower array and detected the moon shadow at $\sim 40 \sigma$ level. The center of the moon was detected in the direction away from the apparent center of the moon by 0.23$^\circ$ to the west. Based on these data and a full Monte Carlo simulation, we searched for the existence of the shadow produced by antiprotons at the multi-TeV energy region. No evidence of the existence of antiprotons was found in this energy region. We obtained the 90% confidence level upper limit of the flux ratio of antiprotons to protons as 7% at multi-TeV energies.Comment: 13pages,4figures; Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

Measurements of the observed cross sections for exclusive light hadron production in e^+e^- annihilation at \sqrt{s}= 3.773 and 3.650 GeV

By analyzing the data sets of 17.3 pb$^{-1}$ taken at $\sqrt{s}=3.773$ GeV and 6.5 pb$^{-1}$ taken at $\sqrt{s}=3.650$ GeV with the BESII detector at the BEPC collider, we have measured the observed cross sections for 12 exclusive light hadron final states produced in $e^+e^-$ annihilation at the two energy points. We have also set the upper limits on the observed cross sections and the branching fractions for $\psi(3770)$ decay to these final states at 90% C.L.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figur

Search for the Rare Decays J/Psi --> Ds- e+ nu_e, J/Psi --> D- e+ nu_e, and J/Psi --> D0bar e+ e-

We report on a search for the decays J/Psi --> Ds- e+ nu_e + c.c., J/Psi --> D- e+ nu_e + c.c., and J/Psi --> D0bar e+ e- + c.c. in a sample of 5.8 * 10^7 J/Psi events collected with the BESII detector at the BEPC. No excess of signal above background is observed, and 90% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions are set: B(J/Psi --> Ds- e+ nu_e + c.c.)<4.8*10^-5, B(J/Psi --> D- e+ nu_e + c.c.) D0bar e+ e- + c.c.)<1.1*10^-5Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Measurements of psi(2S) decays to octet baryon-antibaryon pairs

With a sample of 14 million psi(2S) events collected by the BESII detector at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC), the decay channels psi(2S)->p p-bar, Lambda Lambda-bar, Sigma0 Sigma0-bar, Xi Xi-bar are measured, and their branching ratios are determined to be (3.36+-0.09+-0.24)*10E-4, (3.39+-0.20+-0.32)*10E-4, (2.35+-0.36+-0.32)*10E-4, (3.03+-0.40+-0.32)*10E-4, respectively. In the decay psi(2S)->p p-bar, the angular distribution parameter alpha is determined to be 0.82+-0.17+-0.04.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Spallation reactions. A successful interplay between modeling and applications

The spallation reactions are a type of nuclear reaction which occur in space by interaction of the cosmic rays with interstellar bodies. The first spallation reactions induced with an accelerator took place in 1947 at the Berkeley cyclotron (University of California) with 200 MeV deuterons and 400 MeV alpha beams. They highlighted the multiple emission of neutrons and charged particles and the production of a large number of residual nuclei far different from the target nuclei. The same year R. Serber describes the reaction in two steps: a first and fast one with high-energy particle emission leading to an excited remnant nucleus, and a second one, much slower, the de-excitation of the remnant. In 2010 IAEA organized a worskhop to present the results of the most widely used spallation codes within a benchmark of spallation models. If one of the goals was to understand the deficiencies, if any, in each code, one remarkable outcome points out the overall high-quality level of some models and so the great improvements achieved since Serber. Particle transport codes can then rely on such spallation models to treat the reactions between a light particle and an atomic nucleus with energies spanning from few tens of MeV up to some GeV. An overview of the spallation reactions modeling is presented in order to point out the incomparable contribution of models based on basic physics to numerous applications where such reactions occur. Validations or benchmarks, which are necessary steps in the improvement process, are also addressed, as well as the potential future domains of development. Spallation reactions modeling is a representative case of continuous studies aiming at understanding a reaction mechanism and which end up in a powerful tool.Comment: 59 pages, 54 figures, Revie

Measurement of the B0-anti-B0-Oscillation Frequency with Inclusive Dilepton Events

The $B^0$-$\bar B^0$ oscillation frequency has been measured with a sample of 23 million \B\bar B pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we select events in which both B mesons decay semileptonically and use the charge of the leptons to identify the flavor of each B meson. A simultaneous fit to the decay time difference distributions for opposite- and same-sign dilepton events gives $\Delta m_d = 0.493 \pm 0.012{(stat)}\pm 0.009{(syst)}$ ps$^{-1}$.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Anomalous Line-Shape of Cross Sections for e+e−→Hadronse^+e^- \to {\rm Hadrons} in the Center-of-Mass Energy Region between 3.650 and 3.872 GeV

We observe an obvious anomalous line-shape of the $e^+e^- \to {\rm hadrons}$ total cross sections in the energy region between 3.700 and 3.872 GeV from the data samples taken with the BES-II detector at the BEPC Collider. Re-analysis of the data shows that it is inconsistent with the explanation for only one simple $\psi(3770)$ resonance with a statistical significance of $7\sigma$. The anomalous line-shape may be explained by two possible enhancements of the inclusive hadron production near the center-of-mass energies of 3.764 GeV and 3.779 GeV, indicating that either there is likely a new structure in addition to the $\psi(3770)$ resonance around 3.773 GeV, or there are some physics effects reflecting the $D\bar D$ production dynamics

Direct measurement of the absolute branching fraction for D+→Kˉ0μ+νμD^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu and determination of Γ(D0→K−μ+νμ)/Γ(D+→Kˉ0μ+νμ) \Gamma (D^0 \to K^-\mu^+\nu_\mu)/\Gamma (D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu)

The absolute branching fraction for the decay $D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu$ is determined using $5321 \pm 149 \pm160$ singly tagged $D^-$ sample from the data collected around 3.773 GeV with the BESII detector at the BEPC collider. In the system recoiling against the singly tagged $D^-$ mesons, $28.7 \pm 6.4$ events for $D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu$ are observed. These yield the absolute branching fraction to be $BF(D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu) = (10.3\pm2.3\pm0.8)$. The ratio of the two partial widths for the decays $D^0 \to K^-\mu^+\nu_\mu$ and $D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu$ is determined to be $\Gamma (D^0 \to K^-\mu^+\nu_\mu)/\Gamma (D^+ \to {\bar K}^0\mu^+\nu_\mu) = 0.87 \pm 0.24 \pm 0.15$.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

First observation of J/\psi and \psi(2S) decaying to n K^0_S\bar\Lambda +c.c

The decays of \jpsi and \psip to ${n}{K^0_S}\bar{\Lambda}+c.c.$ are observed and measured for the first time, and the perturbative QCD ``12%'' rule is tested, based on $5.8 \times 10^7$ \jpsi and $1.4 \times 10^7$ \psip events collected with BESII detector at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider. No obvious enhancement near $n\bar{\Lambda}$ threshold in \jpsi \to {n}{K^0_S}\bar{\Lambda}+c.c. is observed, and the upper limit on the branching ratio of \jpsi \to {K^0_S} X, X \to n \bar \Lambda is determined.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure