Study of timing characteristics of a 3 m long plastic scintillator counter using waveform digitizers

A plastic scintillator bar with dimensions 300 cm x 2.5 cm x 11 cm was exposed to a focused muon beam to study its light yield and timing characteristics as a function of position and angle of incidence. The scintillating light was read out at both ends by photomultiplier tubes whose pulse shapes were recorded by waveform digitizers. Results obtained with the WAVECATCHER and SAMPIC digitizers are analyzed and compared. A discussion of the various factors affecting the timing resolution is presented. Prospects for applications of plastic scintillator technology in large-scale particle physics detectors with timing resolution around 100 ps are provided in light of the results

Baby MIND Experiment Construction Status

Baby MIND is a magnetized iron neutrino detector, with novel design features, and is planned to serve as a downstream magnetized muon spectrometer for the WAGASCI experiment on the T2K neutrino beam line in Japan. One of the main goals of this experiment is to reduce systematic uncertainties relevant to CP-violation searches, by measuring the neutrino contamination in the anti-neutrino beam mode of T2K. Baby MIND is currently being constructed at CERN, and is planned to be operational in Japan in October 2017.Comment: Poster presented at NuPhys2016 (London, 12-14 December 2016). 4 pages, LaTeX, 7 figure

Synchronization of the Distributed Readout Frontend Electronics of the Baby MIND Detector

Baby MIND is a new downstream muon range detector for the WGASCI experiment. This article discusses the distributed readout system and its timing requirements. The paper presents the design of the synchronization subsystem and the results of its test

Baby MIND: A magnetised spectrometer for the WAGASCI experiment

The WAGASCI experiment being built at the J-PARC neutrino beam line will measure the difference in cross sections from neutrinos interacting with a water and scintillator targets, in order to constrain neutrino cross sections, essential for the T2K neutrino oscillation measurements. A prototype Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND), called Baby MIND, is being constructed at CERN to act as a magnetic spectrometer behind the main WAGASCI target to be able to measure the charge and momentum of the outgoing muon from neutrino charged current interactions.Comment: Poster presented at NuPhys2016 (London, 12-14 December 2016). Title + 4 pages, LaTeX, 6 figure

The Baby MIND spectrometer for the J-PARC T59(WAGASCI) experiment

The Baby MIND spectrometer is designed to measure the momentum and charge of muons from neutrino interactions in water and hydrocarbon targets at the J-PARC T59 (WAGASCI) experiment. The WAGASCI experiment will measure the ratio of neutrino charged current interaction cross-sections on water and hydrocarbon aiming at reducing systematic errors in neutrino oscillation analyses at T2K. Construction of the Baby MIND detector within the CERN Neutrino Platform framework was completed in June 2017, where it underwent full commissioning and characterization on a charged particle beam line at the Proton Synchrotron experimental hall

The Baby MIND spectrometer for the J-PARC T59(WAGASCI) experiment

The Baby MIND spectrometer is designed to measure the momentum and charge of muons from neutrino interactions in water and hydrocarbon targets at the J-PARC T59 (WAGASCI) experiment. The WAGASCI experiment will measure the ratio of neutrino charged current interaction cross-sections on water and hydrocarbon aiming at reducing systematic errors in neutrino oscillation analyses at T2K. Construction of the Baby MIND detector within the CERN Neutrino Platform framework was completed in June 2017, where it underwent full commissioning and characterization on a charged particle beam line at the Proton Synchrotron experimental hall

Search for π⁰ decays to invisible particles

The NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS reports a study of a sample of 4 × 109 tagged π0 mesons from K+ → π+π0(γ), searching for the decay of the π0 to invisible particles. No signal is observed in excess of the expected background fluctuations. An upper limit of 4.4 × 10−9 is set on the branching ratio at 90% confidence level, improving on previous results by a factor of 60. This result can also be interpreted as a model- independent upper limit on the branching ratio for the decay K+ → π+X, where X is a particle escaping detection with mass in the range 0.110–0.155 GeV/c2 and rest lifetime greater than 100 ps. Model-dependent upper limits are obtained assuming X to be an axion-like particle with dominant fermion couplings or a dark scalar mixing with the Standard Model Higgs boson

Physics beyond the standard model with kaons at NA62

The NA62 experiment at CERN Super Proton Synchrotron was designed to measure BR(K+ \u2192 \u3c0+\u3bdv\u304) with an in-fight technique, never used before for this measurement. This decay is characterised by a very precise prediction in the Standard Model. Its branching ratio, which is expected to be less than 10-10, is one of the best candidates to indicate indirect effects of new physics beyond SM at the highest mass scales. NA62 result on K+ \u2192 \u3c0+\u3bdv\u304 from the full 2016 data set is described. Also a search for an invisible dark photon A\u2032 has been performed, exploiting the efficient photon-veto capability and high resolution tracking of the NA62. The signal stems from the chain K+ \u2192 \u3c0+\u3c00 followed by \u3c00 \u2192 A\u2032\u3b3. No significant statistical excess has been identified. Upper limits on the dark photon coupling to the ordinary photon as a function of the dark photon mass have been set, improving on the previous limits over the mass range 60 - 110 MeV/c2