119 research outputs found
Electron/pion separation with an Emulsion Cloud Chamber by using a Neural Network
We have studied the performance of a new algorithm for electron/pion
separation in an Emulsion Cloud Chamber (ECC) made of lead and nuclear emulsion
films. The software for separation consists of two parts: a shower
reconstruction algorithm and a Neural Network that assigns to each
reconstructed shower the probability to be an electron or a pion. The
performance has been studied for the ECC of the OPERA experiment [1].
The separation algorithm has been optimized by using a detailed Monte
Carlo simulation of the ECC and tested on real data taken at CERN (pion beams)
and at DESY (electron beams). The algorithm allows to achieve a 90% electron
identification efficiency with a pion misidentification smaller than 1% for
energies higher than 2 GeV
Neutrino physics at accelerators
Present and future neutrino experiments at accelerators are mainly concerned
with understanding the neutrino oscillation phenomenon and its implications.
Here a brief account of neutrino oscillations is given together with a
description of the supporting data. Some current and planned accelerator
neutrino experiments are also explained.Comment: 23 pages, 24 figures. Talk given at the Corfu Summer Institute on
Elementary Particle Physics 200
Renormalization Group Evolution of Dirac Neutrino Masses
There are good reasons why neutrinos could be Majorana particles, but there
exist also a number of very good reasons why neutrinos could have Dirac masses.
The latter option deserves more attention and we derive therefore analytic
expressions describing the renormalization group evolution of mixing angles and
of the CP phase for Dirac neutrinos. Radiative corrections to leptonic mixings
are in this case enhanced compared to the quark mixings because the hierarchy
of neutrino masses is milder and because the mixing angles are larger. The
renormalization group effects are compared to the precision of current and
future neutrino experiments. We find that, in the MSSM framework, radiative
corrections of the mixing angles are for large \tan\beta comparable to the
precision of future experiments.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; error in eq. 8 corrected, references adde
Reconstructing the two right-handed neutrino model
In this paper we propose a low-energy parametrization of the two right-handed
neutrino model, and discuss the prospects to determine experimentally these
parameters in supersymmetric scenarios. In addition, we present exact formulas
to reconstruct the high-energy leptonic superpotential in terms of the
low-energy observables. We also discuss limits of the three right-handed
neutrino model where this procedure applies.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures. Typos corrected, references adde
Neutrino oscillation physics at an upgraded CNGS with large next generation liquid Argon TPC detectors
The determination of the missing element (magnitude and phase) of
the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix is possible via the detection of \numu\to\nue
oscillations at a baseline and energy given by the atmospheric
observations, corresponding to a mass squared difference . While the current optimization of the CNGS
beam provides limited sensitivity to this reaction, we discuss in this document
the physics potential of an intensity upgraded and energy re-optimized CNGS
neutrino beam coupled to an off-axis detector. We show that improvements in
sensitivity to compared to that of T2K and NoVA are possible with
a next generation large liquid Argon TPC detector located at an off-axis
position (position rather distant from LNGS, possibly at shallow depth). We
also address the possibility to discover CP-violation and disentangle the mass
hierarchy via matter effects. The considered intensity enhancement of the CERN
SPS has strong synergies with the upgrade/replacement of the elements of its
injector chain (Linac, PSB, PS) and the refurbishing of its own elements,
envisioned for an optimal and/or upgraded LHC luminosity programme.Comment: 37 pages, 20 figure
Underground Neutrino Detectors for Particle and Astroparticle Science: the Giant Liquid Argon Charge Imaging ExpeRiment (GLACIER)
The current focus of the CERN program is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC),
however, CERN is engaged in long baseline neutrino physics with the CNGS
project and supports T2K as recognized CERN RE13, and for good reasons: a
number of observed phenomena in high-energy physics and cosmology lack their
resolution within the Standard Model of particle physics; these puzzles include
the origin of neutrino masses, CP-violation in the leptonic sector, and baryon
asymmetry of the Universe. They will only partially be addressed at LHC. A
positive measurement of would certainly give a
tremendous boost to neutrino physics by opening the possibility to study CP
violation in the lepton sector and the determination of the neutrino mass
hierarchy with upgraded conventional super-beams. These experiments (so called
``Phase II'') require, in addition to an upgraded beam power, next generation
very massive neutrino detectors with excellent energy resolution and high
detection efficiency in a wide neutrino energy range, to cover 1st and 2nd
oscillation maxima, and excellent particle identification and
background suppression. Two generations of large water Cherenkov
detectors at Kamioka (Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande) have been extremely
successful. And there are good reasons to consider a third generation water
Cherenkov detector with an order of magnitude larger mass than Super-Kamiokande
for both non-accelerator (proton decay, supernovae, ...) and accelerator-based
physics. On the other hand, a very massive underground liquid Argon detector of
about 100 kton could represent a credible alternative for the precision
measurements of ``Phase II'' and aim at significantly new results in neutrino
astroparticle and non-accelerator-based particle physics (e.g. proton decay).Comment: 31 pages, 14 figure
The detection of neutrino interactions in the emulsion/lead target of the OPERA experiment
The OPERA neutrino detector in the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (LNGS)
was designed to perform the first detection of neutrino oscillations in
appearance mode through the study of oscillations. The
apparatus consists of an emulsion/lead target complemented by electronic
detectors and it is placed in the high energy long-baseline CERN to LNGS beam
(CNGS) 730 km away from the neutrino source. Runs with CNGS neutrinos were
successfully carried out in 2007 and 2008 with the detector fully operational
with its related facilities for the emulsion handling and analysis. After a
brief description of the beam and of the experimental setup we report on the
collection, reconstruction and analysis procedures of first samples of neutrino
interaction events
Weakness of accelerator bounds on electron superluminality without a preferred frame
The reference laboratory bounds on superluminality of the electron are
obtained from the absence of in-vacuo Cherenkov processes and the
determinations of synchrotron radiated power for LEP electrons. It is usually
assumed that these analyses establish the validity of a standard
special-relativistic description of the electron with accuracy of at least a
few parts in , and in particular this is used to exclude electron
superluminality with such an accuracy. We observe that these bounds rely
crucially on the availability of a preferred frame. In-vacuo-Cherenkov
processes are automatically forbidden in any theory with "deformed Lorentz
symmetry", relativistic theories that, while different from Special Relativity,
preserve the relativity of inertial frames. Determinations of the synchrotron
radiated power can be used to constrain the possibility of Lorentz-symmetry
deformation, but provide rather weak bounds, which in particular for electron
superluminality we establish to afford us no more constraining power than for
an accuracy of a few parts in . We argue that this observation can have
only a limited role in the ongoing effort of analysis of the anomaly
tentatively reported by the OPERA collaboration, but we stress that it could
provide a valuable case study for assessing the limitations of "indirect" tests
of fundamental laws of physics.Comment: LaTex, 6 page
Emulsion sheet doublets as interface trackers for the OPERA experiment
New methods for efficient and unambiguous interconnection between electronic
counters and target units based on nuclear photographic emulsion films have
been developed. The application to the OPERA experiment, that aims at detecting
oscillations between mu neutrino and tau neutrino in the CNGS neutrino beam, is
reported in this paper. In order to reduce background due to latent tracks
collected before installation in the detector, on-site large-scale treatments
of the emulsions ("refreshing") have been applied. Changeable Sheet (CSd)
packages, each made of a doublet of emulsion films, have been designed,
assembled and coupled to the OPERA target units ("ECC bricks"). A device has
been built to print X-ray spots for accurate interconnection both within the
CSd and between the CSd and the related ECC brick. Sample emulsion films have
been extensively scanned with state-of-the-art automated optical microscopes.
Efficient track-matching and powerful background rejection have been achieved
in tests with electronically tagged penetrating muons. Further improvement of
in-doublet film alignment was obtained by matching the pattern of low-energy
electron tracks. The commissioning of the overall OPERA alignment procedure is
in progress.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figure
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