204 research outputs found
Position Sensing from Charge Dispersion in Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors with a Resistive Anode
Micro-pattern gas detectors, such as the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and
the Micromegas need narrow high density anode readout elements to achieve good
spatial resolution. A high-density anode readout would require an unmanageable
number of electronics channels for certain potential micro-detector
applications such as the Time Projection Chamber. We describe below a new
technique to achieve good spatial resolution without increasing the electronics
channel count in a modified micro-detector outfitted with a high surface
resistivity anode readout structure. The concept and preliminary measurements
of spatial resolution from charge dispersion in a modified GEM detector with a
resistive anode are described below.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Nucl. Inst. Meth; typo in eqn 4
corrected, fig 2 updated accordingl
Spatial resolution of a GEM readout TPC using the charge dispersion signal
A large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is being considered for the
central charged particle tracker for the detector for the proposed
International Linear Collider (ILC). To meet the ILC-TPC spatial resolution
challenge of ~100 microns with a manageable number of readout pads and channels
of electronics, Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGD) are being developed which
could use pads comparable in width to the proportional-wire/cathode-pad TPC. We
have built a prototype GEM readout TPC with 2 mm x 6 mm pads using the new
concept of charge dispersion in MPGDs with a resistive anode. The dependence of
transverse resolution on the drift distance has been measured for small angle
tracks in cosmic ray tests without a magnetic field for Ar/CO2 (90:10). The
GEM-TPC resolution with charge dispersion readout is significantly better than
previous measurements carried out with conventional direct charge readout
techniques.Comment: 5 figures, 10 page
Resolution studies of cosmic-ray tracks in a TPC with GEM readout
A large volume TPC is a leading candidate for the central tracking detector
at a future high energy linear collider. To improve the resolution a new
readout based on micro-pattern gas detectors is being developed. Measurements
of the spatial resolution of cosmic-ray tracks in a GEM TPC are presented. We
find that the resolution suffers if the readout pads are too wide with respect
to the charge distribution at the readout plane due to insufficient charge
sharing. For narrow pads of 2 x 6 mm**2 we measure a resolution of 100
micometer at short drift distances in the absence of an axial magnetic field.
The dependence of the spatial resolution as a function of drift distance allows
the determination of the underlying electron statistics. Our results show that
the present technique uses about half the statistical power available from the
number of primary electrons. The track angle effect is observed as expected.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, version as published in Nucl. Inst. Met
Cosmological CMBR dipole in open universes ?
The observed CMBR dipole is generally interpreted as a Doppler effect arising
from the motion of the Earth relative to the CMBR frame. An alternative
interpretation, proposed in the last years, is that the dipole results from
ultra-large scale isocurvature perturbations. We examine this idea in the
context of open cosmologies and show that the isocurvature interpretation is
not valid in an open universe, unless it is extremely close to a flat universe,
.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, 6 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Analogue Models for T and CPT Violation in Neutral-Meson Oscillations
Analogue models for CP violation in neutral-meson systems are studied in a
general framework. No-go results are obtained for models in classical mechanics
that are nondissipative or that involve one-dimensional oscillators. A complete
emulation is shown to be possible for a two-dimensional oscillator with
rheonomic constraints, and an explicit example with spontaneous T and CPT
violation is presented. The results have implications for analogue models with
electrical circuits.Comment: 9 page
Quintessence and Gravitational Waves
We investigate some aspects of quintessence models with a non-minimally
coupled scalar field and in particular we show that it can behave as a
component of matter with . We study the
properties of gravitational waves in this class of models and discuss their
energy spectrum and the cosmic microwave background anisotropies they induce.
We also show that gravitational waves are damped by the anisotropic stress of
the radiation and that their energy spectrum may help to distinguish between
inverse power law potential and supergravity motivated potential. We finish by
a discussion on the constraints arising from their density parameter
\Omega_\GW.Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, fianl version, accepted for publication in PR
Scale of Homogeneity of the Universe from WMAP
We review the physics of the Grishchuck-Zel'dovich effect which describes the
impact of large amplitude, super-horizon gravitational field fluctuations on
the Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy power spectrum. Using the latest
determination of the spectrum by WMAP, we infer a lower limit on the present
length-scale of such fluctuations of 3927 times the cosmological particle
horizon (at the 95% confidence level).Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D. Brief Repor
A measurement of the tau mass and the first CPT test with tau leptons
We measure the mass of the tau lepton to be 1775.1+-1.6(stat)+-1.0(syst.) MeV
using tau pairs from Z0 decays. To test CPT invariance we compare the masses of
the positively and negatively charged tau leptons. The relative mass difference
is found to be smaller than 3.0 10^-3 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.
Measurement of the B0 Lifetime and Oscillation Frequency using B0->D*+l-v decays
The lifetime and oscillation frequency of the B0 meson has been measured
using B0->D*+l-v decays recorded on the Z0 peak with the OPAL detector at LEP.
The D*+ -> D0pi+ decays were reconstructed using an inclusive technique and the
production flavour of the B0 mesons was determined using a combination of tags
from the rest of the event. The results t_B0 = 1.541 +- 0.028 +- 0.023 ps, Dm_d
= 0.497 +- 0.024 +- 0.025 ps-1 were obtained, where in each case the first
error is statistical and the second systematic.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
First Measurement of Z/gamma* Production in Compton Scattering of Quasi-real Photons
We report the first observation of Z/gamma* production in Compton scattering
of quasi-real photons. This is a subprocess of the reaction e+e- to
e+e-Z/gamma*, where one of the final state electrons is undetected.
Approximately 55 pb-1 of data collected in the year 1997 at an e+e-
centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV with the OPAL detector at LEP have been
analysed. The Z/gamma* from Compton scattering has been detected in the
hadronic decay channel. Within well defined kinematic bounds, we measure the
product of cross-section and Z/gamma* branching ratio to hadrons to be
(0.9+-0.3+-0.1) pb for events with a hadronic mass larger than 60 GeV,
dominated by (e)eZ production. In the hadronic mass region between 5 GeV and 60
GeV, dominated by (e)egamma* production, this product is found to be
(4.1+-1.6+-0.6) pb. Our results agree with the predictions of two Monte Carlo
event generators, grc4f and PYTHIA.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, 5 eps figures included, submitted to Physics Letters
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