69 research outputs found
Light response of pure CsI calorimeter crystals painted with wavelength-shifting lacquer
We have measured scintillation properties of pure CsI crystals used in the
shower calorimeter built for a precise determination of the pi+ -> pi0 e+ nu
decay rate at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). All 240 individual crystals
painted with a special wavelength-shifting solution were examined in a
custom-build detection apparatus (RASTA=radioactive source tomography
apparatus) that uses a 137Cs radioactive gamma source, cosmic muons and a light
emitting diode as complementary probes of the scintillator light response. We
have extracted the total light output, axial light collection nonuniformities
and timing responses of the individual CsI crystals. These results predict
improved performance of the 3 pi sr PIBETA calorimeter due to the painted
lateral surfaces of 240 CsI crystals. The wavelength-shifting paint treatment
did not affect appreciably the total light output and timing resolution of our
crystal sample. The predicted energy resolution for positrons and photons in
the energy range of 10-100 MeV was nevertheless improved due to the more
favorable axial light collection probability variation. We have compared
simulated calorimeter ADC spectra due to 70 MeV positrons and photons with a
Monte Carlo calculation of an ideal detector light response.Comment: Elsevier LaTeX, 35 pages in e-print format, 15 Postscript Figures and
4 Tables, also available at
http://pibeta.phys.virginia.edu/~pibeta/subprojects/csipro/tomo/rasta.p
Gauge Unification in Supersymmetric Intersecting Brane Worlds
We show that contrary to first expectations realistic three generation
supersymmetric intersecting brane world models give rise to phenomenologically
interesting predictions about gauge coupling unification. Assuming the most
economical way of realizing the matter content of the MSSM via intersecting
branes we obtain a model independent relation among the three gauge coupling
constants at the string scale. In order to correctly reproduce the
experimentally known values of sin^2[theta_W(M_z)] and alpha_s(M_z) this
relation leads to natural gauge coupling unification at a string scale close to
the standard GUT scale 2 x 10^16 GeV. Additional vector-like matter can push
the unification scale up to the Planck scale.Comment: 18 pages, harvmac & 3 figures; v2: one ref. adde
Design, Commissioning and Performance of the PIBETA Detector at PSI
We describe the design, construction and performance of the PIBETA detector
built for the precise measurement of the branching ratio of pion beta decay,
pi+ -> pi0 e+ nu, at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The central part of the
detector is a 240-module spherical pure CsI calorimeter covering 3*pi sr solid
angle. The calorimeter is supplemented with an active collimator/beam degrader
system, an active segmented plastic target, a pair of low-mass cylindrical wire
chambers and a 20-element cylindrical plastic scintillator hodoscope. The whole
detector system is housed inside a temperature-controlled lead brick enclosure
which in turn is lined with cosmic muon plastic veto counters. Commissioning
and calibration data were taken during two three-month beam periods in
1999/2000 with pi+ stopping rates between 1.3*E3 pi+/s and 1.3*E6 pi+/s. We
examine the timing, energy and angular detector resolution for photons,
positrons and protons in the energy range of 5-150 MeV, as well as the response
of the detector to cosmic muons. We illustrate the detector signatures for the
assorted rare pion and muon decays and their associated backgrounds.Comment: 117 pages, 48 Postscript figures, 5 tables, Elsevier LaTeX, submitted
to Nucl. Instrum. Meth.
Warped Wilson Line DBI Inflation
We propose a novel inflationary scenario in string theory in which the
inflaton field is a 'Wilson line' degree of freedom in the worldvolume of a
probe Dp-brane, in a warped flux compactification. Kinetic terms for Wilson
line fields on the world volume of a D-brane take a nonstandard
Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) form. Thus, we work in the framework of DBI inflation.
This extends the original slow roll Wilson line inflationary scenario, where
only the quadratic piece was considered. Warped DBI Wilson line inflation
offers an attractive alternative to ordinary (position field) DBI inflation,
inasmuch as observational and theoretical constraints get considerably relaxed.
Besides the standard large non-Gaussianities in DBI scenarios, it is also
possible to achieve an observable amount of gravitational waves.Comment: v3: Typos corrected, Published in JCAP; 21 page
Large-Eddy Simulations of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in Heliophysics and Astrophysics
We live in an age in which high-performance computing is transforming the way we do science. Previously intractable problems are now becoming accessible by means of increasingly realistic numerical simulations. One of the most enduring and most challenging of these problems is turbulence. Yet, despite these advances, the extreme parameter regimes encountered in space physics and astrophysics (as in atmospheric and oceanic physics) still preclude direct numerical simulation. Numerical models must take a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach, explicitly computing only a fraction of the active dynamical scales. The success of such an approach hinges on how well the model can represent the subgrid-scales (SGS) that are not explicitly resolved. In addition to the parameter regime, heliophysical and astrophysical applications must also face an equally daunting challenge: magnetism. The presence of magnetic fields in a turbulent, electrically conducting fluid flow can dramatically alter the coupling between large and small scales, with potentially profound implications for LES/SGS modeling. In this review article, we summarize the state of the art in LES modeling of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ows. After discussing the nature of MHD turbulence and the small-scale processes that give rise to energy dissipation, plasma heating, and magnetic reconnection, we consider how these processes may best be captured within an LES/SGS framework. We then consider several special applications in heliophysics and astrophysics, assessing triumphs, challenges,and future directions
Experimental confirmation of efficient island divertor operation and successful neoclassical transport optimization in Wendelstein 7-X
We present recent highlights from the most recent operation phases of Wendelstein 7-X, the most advanced stellarator in the world. Stable detachment with good particle exhaust, low impurity content, and energy confinement times exceeding 100 ms, have been maintained for tens of seconds. Pellet fueling allows for plasma phases with reduced ion-temperature-gradient turbulence, and during such phases, the overall confinement is so good (energy confinement times often exceeding 200 ms) that the attained density and temperature profiles would not have been possible in less optimized devices, since they would have had neoclassical transport losses exceeding the heating applied in W7-X. This provides proof that the reduction of neoclassical transport through magnetic field optimization is successful. W7-X plasmas generally show good impurity screening and high plasma purity, but there is evidence of longer impurity confinement times during turbulence-suppressed phases.EC/H2020/633053/EU/Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon 2020 through a Joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium/ EUROfusio
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