Technical Design Report for the PANDA Micro Vertex Detector

This document illustrates the technical layout and the expected performance of the Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) of the PANDA experiment. The MVD will detect charged particles as close as possible to the interaction zone. Design criteria and the optimisation process as well as the technical solutions chosen are discussed and the results of this process are subjected to extensive Monte Carlo physics studies. The route towards realisation of the detector is outlined

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Solenoid and Dipole Spectrometer Magnets

This document is the Technical Design Report covering the two large spectrometer magnets of the PANDA detector set-up. It shows the conceptual design of the magnets and their anticipated performance. It precedes the tender and procurement of the magnets and, hence, is subject to possible modifications arising during this process

Physics Performance Report for PANDA Strong Interaction Studies with Antiprotons

To study fundamental questions of hadron and nuclear physics in interactions of antiprotons with nucleons and nuclei, the universal PANDA detector will be build. Gluonic excitations, the physics of strange and charm quarks and nucleon structure studies will be performed with unprecedented accuracy thereby allowing high-precision tests of the strong interaction. The proposed PANDA detector is a state-of-the-art internal target detector at the HESR at FAIR allowing the detection and identifcation of neutral and charged particles generated within the relevant angular and energy range. This report presents a summary of the physics accessible at PANDA and what performance can be expected

The K2-ESPRINT Project VI: K2-105 b, a Hot-Neptune around a Metal-rich G-dwarf

We report on the confirmation that the candidate transits observed for the star EPIC 211525389 are due to a short-period Neptune-sized planet. The host star, located in K2 campaign field 5, is a metal-rich ([Fe/H] = 0.26$\pm$0.05) G-dwarf (T_eff = 5430$\pm$70 K and log g = 4.48$\pm$0.09), based on observations with the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) on the Subaru 8.2m telescope. High-spatial resolution AO imaging with HiCIAO on the Subaru telescope excludes faint companions near the host star, and the false positive probability of this target is found to be <$10^{-6}$ using the open source vespa code. A joint analysis of transit light curves from K2 and additional ground-based multi-color transit photometry with MuSCAT on the Okayama 1.88m telescope gives the orbital period of P = 8.266902$\pm$0.000070 days and consistent transit depths of $R_p/R_\star \sim 0.035$ or $(R_p/R_\star)^2 \sim 0.0012$. The transit depth corresponds to a planetary radius of $R_p = 3.59_{-0.39}^{+0.44} R_{\oplus}$, indicating that EPIC 211525389 b is a short-period Neptune-sized planet. Radial velocities of the host star, obtained with the Subaru HDS, lead to a 3\sigma\ upper limit of 90 $M_{\oplus} (0.00027 M_{\odot})$ on the mass of EPIC 211525389 b, confirming its planetary nature. We expect this planet, newly named K2-105 b, to be the subject of future studies to characterize its mass, atmosphere, spin-orbit (mis)alignment, as well as investigate the possibility of additional planets in the system.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, PASJ accepte

Technical Design Report for PANDA Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMC)

This document presents the technical layout and the envisaged performance of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMC) for the PANDA target spectrometer. The EMC has been designed to meet the physics goals of the PANDA experiment. The performance figures are based on extensive prototype tests and radiation hardness studies. The document shows that the EMC is ready for construction up to the front-end electronics interface

Is the solar spectrum latitude dependent? An investigation with SST/TRIPPEL

Context: In studies of the solar spectrum relative to spectra of solar twin stars, it has been found that the chemical composition of the Sun seems to depart systematically from those of the twins. One possible explanation is that the effect is due to the special aspect angle of the Sun when observed from Earth, as compared with the aspect angles of the twins. Thus, a latitude dependence of the solar spectrum, even with the heliocentric angle constant, could lead to effects of the type observed. Aim: We explore a possible variation in the strength of certain spectral lines, used in the comparisons between the composition of the Sun and the twins, at loci on the solar disk with different latitudes but at constant heliocentric angle. Methods: We use the TRIPPEL spectrograph at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope on La Palma to record spectra in five spectral regions in order to compare different locations on the solar disk at a heliocentric angle of 45 deg. Equivalent widths and other parameters are measured for fifteen different lines representing nine atomic species. Results: The relative variations in equivalent widths at the equator and at solar latitude 45 deg are found to be less than 1.5 % for all spectral lines studied. Translated to elemental abundances as they would be measured from a terrestrial and a hypothetical pole-on observer, the difference is estimated to be within 0.005 dex in all cases. Conclusion: It is very unlikely that latitude effects could cause the reported abundance difference between the Sun and the solar twins. The accuracy obtainable in measurements of small differences in spectral line strengths between different solar disk positions is very high.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

Toxic metal enrichment and boating intensity: sediment records of antifoulant copper in shallow lakes of eastern England

Tributyltin (TBT), an aqueous biocide derived from antifouling paint pollution, is known to have impacted coastal marine ecosystems, and has been reported in the sediment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a network of rivers and shallow lakes in eastern England. In the marine environment, the 1987 TBT ban has resulted in expanded use of alternative biocides, raising the question of whether these products too have impacted the Broads ecosystem and freshwaters in general. Here we examine the lake sediment record in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads for contamination by copper (Cu) (as an active biocide agent) and zinc (Zn) (as a component of booster biocides), to assess their occurrence and potential for causing environmental harm in freshwater ecosystems. We find that, after the introduction of leisure boating, there is a statistically significant difference in Cu enrichment between heavily and lightly boated sites, while no such difference exists prior to this time. At the heavily boated sites the onset of Cu enrichment coincides with a period of rapid increase in leisure boating. Such enrichment is maintained to the present day, with some evidence of continued increase. We conclude that Cu-based antifouling has measurably contaminated lakes exposed to boating, at concentrations high enough to cause ecological harm. Similar findings can be expected at other boated freshwater ecosystems elsewhere in the world