Search for fingerprints of disoriented chiral condensates in cosmic ray showers

Although the generation of disoriented chiral condensates (DCCs), where the order parameter for chiral symmetry breaking is misaligned with respect to the vacuum direction in isospin state, is quite natural in the theory of strong interactions, they have so far eluded experiments in accelerators and cosmic rays. If DCCs are formed in high-energy nuclear collisions, the relevant outcome are very large event-by-event fluctuations in the neutral-to-charged pion fraction. In this note we search for fingerprints of DCC formation in observables of ultra-high energy cosmic ray showers. We present simulation results for the depth of the maximum ($X_{max}$) and number of muons on the ground, evaluating their sensitivity to the neutral-to-charged pion fraction asymmetry produced in the primary interaction.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

The MIDAS experiment: A prototype for the microwave emission of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

Recent measurements suggest that extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) emit signals in the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum caused by the collisions of the free-electrons with the atmospheric neutral molecules in the plasma produced by the passage of the shower. Such emission is isotropic and could allow the detection of air showers with 100% duty cycle and a calorimetric-like energy measurement, a significant improvement over current detection techniques. We have built MIDAS (MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers), a prototype of microwave detector, which consists of a 4.5 m diameter antenna with a cluster of 53 feed-horns in the 4 GHz range. The details of the prototype and first results will be presented.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 12th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD10), Siena, Italy, 7 - 10 June 201

The MIDAS telescope for microwave detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays

We present the design, implementation and data taking performance of the MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers (MIDAS) experiment, a large field of view imaging telescope designed to detect microwave radiation from extensive air showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. This novel technique may bring a tenfold increase in detector duty cycle when compared to the standard fluorescence technique based on detection of ultraviolet photons. The MIDAS telescope consists of a 4.5 m diameter dish with a 53-pixel receiver camera, instrumented with feed horns operating in the commercial extended C-Band (3.4 -- 4.2 GHz). A self-trigger capability is implemented in the digital electronics. The main objectives of this first prototype of the MIDAS telescope - to validate the telescope design, and to demonstrate a large detector duty cycle - were successfully accomplished in a dedicated data taking run at the University of Chicago campus prior to installation at the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figure

Bottom Production

We review the prospects for bottom production physics at the LHC.Comment: 74 pages, Latex, 71 figures, to appear in the Report of the ``1999 CERN Workshop on SM physics (and more) at the LHC'', P. Nason, G. Ridolfi, O. Schneider G.F. Tartarelli, P. Vikas (conveners

Measurement of the form-factor ratios for D+ --> K* l nu

The form factor ratios rv=V(0)/A1(0), r2=A2(0)/A1(0) and r3=A3(0)/A1(0) in the decay D+ --> K* l nu, K* -->K-pi+ have been measured using data from charm hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab. From 3034 (595) signal (background) events in the muon channel, we obtain rv=1.84+-0.11+-0.09, r2=0.75+-0.08+-0.09 and, as a first measurement of r3, we find 0.04+-0.33 +-0.29. The values of the form factor ratios rv and r2 measured for the muon channel are combined with the values of rv and r2 that we have measured in the electron channel. The combined E791 results for the muon and electron channels are rv=1.87+-0.08+-0.07 and r2=0.73+-0.06+-0.08.Comment: 9 pages + 3 figures ; submitted to PL

Search for Rare and Forbidden Dilepton Decays of the D+, Ds, and D0 Charmed Mesons

We report the results of a search for flavor-changing neutral current, lepton-flavor violating, and lepton-number violating decays of D+, Ds, and D0 mesons (and their antiparticles) into modes containing muons and electrons. Using data from Fermilab charm hadroproduction experiment E791, we examine the pi,l,l and K,l,l decay modes of D+ and Ds and the l+l- decay modes of D0. No evidence for any of these decays is found. Therefore, we present branching-fraction upper limits at 90% confidence level for the 24 decay modes examined. Eight of these modes have no previously reported limits, and fourteen are reported with significant improvements over previously published results.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, elsart.cls, epsf.sty, amsmath.sty Submitted to Physics Letters

Mass Splitting and Production of Σc0\Sigma_c^0 and Σc++\Sigma_c^{++} Measured in 500GeV500 {GeV} π−−\pi^- -N Interactions

From a sample of $2722 \pm 78$ $\Lambda_c^+$ decaying to the $pK^-\pi^+$ final state, we have observed, in the hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab, $143 \pm 20$ $\Sigma_c^0$ and $122 \pm 18$ $\Sigma_c^{++}$ through their decays to $\Lambda_c^+ \pi^{\pm}$. The mass difference $M(\Sigma_c^0) - M(\Lambda_c^+$) is measured to be $(167.38\pm 0.29\pm 0.15) {MeV}$; for $M(\Sigma_c^{++}) - M(\Lambda_c^+)$, we find $(167.76\pm 0.29\pm0.15) {MeV}$. The rate of $\Lambda_c^+$ production from decays of the $\Sigma_c$ triplet is (22\pm 2\pm 3) {%} of the total $\Lambda_c^+$ production assuming equal rate of production from all three, as measured for $\Sigma_c^0$ and $\Sigma_c^{++}$. We do not observe a statistically significant $\Sigma_c$ baryon-antibaryon production asymmetry. The $x_F$ and $p_t^2$ spectra of $\Lambda_c^+$ from $\Sigma_c$ decays are observed to be similar to those for all $\Lambda_c^+$'s produced.Comment: 15 pages, uuencoded postscript 3 figures uuencoded, tar-compressed fil

Asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons from 500 GeV/c pi- nucleon interactions as a function of xF and pt**2

We present asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons in Fermilab experiment E791 as a function of xF and pt**2. The data used here consist of 74,000 fully-reconstructed charmed mesons produced by a 500 GeV/c pi- beam on C and Pt foils. The measurements are compared to results of models which predict differences between the production of heavy-quark mesons that have a light quark in common with the beam (leading particles) and those that do not (non-leading particles). While the default models do not agree with our data, we can reach agreement with one of them, PYTHIA, by making a limited number of changes to parameters used

Search for CP Violation in Charged D Meson Decays

We report results of a search for CP violation in the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays D+ -> K- K+ pi+, phi pi+, K*(892)0 K+, and pi- pi+ pi+ based on data from the charm hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab. We search for a difference in the D+ and D- decay rates for each of the final states. No evidence for a difference is seen. The decay rate asymmetry parameters A(CP), defined as the difference in the D+ and D- decay rates divided by the sum of the decay rates, are measured to be: A(CP)(K K pi) = -0.014 +/- 0.029, A(CP)(phi pi) = -0.028 +/- 0.036, A(CP)(K*(892) K) = -0.010 +/- 0.050, and A(CP)(pi pi pi) = -0.017 +/- 0.042.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; Elsevier LaTe

Differential cross sections, charge production asymmetry, and spin-density matrix elements for D*(2010) produced in 500 GeV/c pi^- nucleon interactions

We report differential cross sections for the production of D*(2010) produced in 500 GeV/c pi^- nucleon interactions from experiment E791 at Fermilab, as functions of Feynman-x (x_F) and transverse momentum squared (p_T^2). We also report the D* +/- charge asymmetry and spin-density matrix elements as functions of these variables. Investigation of the spin-density matrix elements shows no evidence of polarization. The average values of the spin alignment are \eta= 0.01 +- 0.02 and -0.01 +- 0.02 for leading and non-leading particles, respectively.Comment: LaTeX2e (elsart.cls). 13 pages, 6 figures (eps files). Submitted to Physics Letters