The spin structure of the proton at low xx and low Q2Q^2 in two-dimensional bins from COMPASS

The longitudinal double spin asymmetries $A_1^p$ and the spin dependent structure function of the proton $g_1^p$ were extracted from COMPASS data in the region of low Bjorken scaling variable $x$ and low photon virtuality $Q^2$. The data were taken in 2007 and 2011 from scattering of polarised muons off polarised protons, resulting in a sample that is 150 times larger than the one from the previous experiment SMC that pioneered studies in this kinematic region. For the first time, $A_1^p$ and $g_1^p$ were evaluated in this region in two-dimensional bins of kinematic variables: $(x,Q^2)$, $(\nu ,Q^2)$, $(x,\nu)$ and $(Q^2,x)$. The following kinematic region was investigated: $4\times 10^{-5}<x<4\times 10^{-2}$, $0.001$~(GeV/$c$)$^2<Q^2<1$~(GeV/$c$)$^2$ and $14$~GeV$<\nu <194$~GeV. The obtained results were confronted with theoretical models.Peer Reviewe

Longitudinal double spin asymmetry A1pA_1^p and spin-dependent structure function g1pg_1^p of the proton at low xx and low Q2Q^2 from COMPASS

The COMPASS experiment at CERN has collected a large sample of events of inelastic scattering of longitudinally polarised muons off longitudinally polarised protons in the non-perturbative region (four-momentum transfer squared $Q^2<1$ GeV$^2$/$c^2$), with a Bjorken scaling variable in the range $4\times 10^{-5}<x<4\times 10^{-2}$. The data set is two orders of magnitude larger than the similar sample collected by the SMC experiment. These data complement our data for polarised deuterons. They allow the accurate determination of the longitudinal double spin asymmetry $A_1^p$ and of the spin-dependent structure function $g_1^p$ of the proton in the region of low $x$ and low $Q^2$. The preliminary results of the analysis of these data yield non zero and positive asymmetries and of the structure function $g_1^p$. This is the first time that spin effects are observed at such low $x$.Peer Reviewe

Control Systems: an Application to a High Energy Physics Experiment (COMPASS)

The Detector Control System (DCS) of the COMPASS experiment at CERN is presented. The experiment has a high level of complexity and flexibility and a long time of operation, that constitute a challenge for its full monitorisation and control. A strategy to use a limited number of standardised, cost-effective, industrial solutions of hardware and software was pursued. When such solutions were not available or could not be used, customised solutions were developed.Peer Reviewe

Impact of dried brewers’ grains supplementation on performance, metabolism and meat quality of broiler chickens

The objective was to evaluate increasing levels of dried brewers’ grains (DBG) in feed for broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days old and their effect on performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphometry, carcass characteristics and meat quality. The design was completely randomized with six treatments, which consisted of various levels of DBG inclusion, namely 0 (no inclusion), 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 g/kg with seven replications and 17 animals per experimental unit, totalling 714 male broilers. Performance parameters, blood biochemical profile, morphology of the intestinal epithelium (duodenum), and carcass yield and composition were evaluated. Feed intake was not changed by DBG inclusion levels. Nor were weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Serum cholesterol levels were not influenced, and there were no effects on triglyceride, uric acid and creatinine levels. Enzyme aspartate aminotransferase showed a quadratic effect, as did alanine aminotransferase, with higher values at 79.5 and 63.9 g/kg DBG inclusion, respectively. No changes in carcass yield and relative organ weight were observed. The composition of the carcass in ether extract showed a quadratic effect, as fat deposition rate, with lowest values at 62.8 and 62.4 g/kg of DBG inclusion levels, respectively. Crude protein levels in carcass reduced linearly, as did fat deposition rate. The parameters of intestinal morphology and meat quality were not changed. Dried brewers’ grains can be included in broiler diet from 1 to 21 days at levels up to 100 g/kg without influencing the metabolic parameters and broiler performance. Keywords: alternative feed, blood, by-product, intestinal villi, performanc

Effects of feed particle size on energy values for broiler chickens at various ages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various geometric mean diameters (GMDs) of particles of corn, pelleted soybean meal and a corn-soy mixture in the proportion of 70% and 30%, respectively, on the nutritional value of the feeds. The study evaluated energy consumption, the contents of apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and AME corrected for nitrogen balance (AMEn) and the metabolizability coefficients for broiler chickens at various ages. A total of 540 Cobb 500 male broilers were housed in metabolic cages (experimental units). Trials were performed separately with each feed. A completely randomized design was used with four treatments, namely corn with 573, 636, 851, and 1012 μm GMDs; pelleted soybean meal with 538, 550, 665, and 741 μm GMDs; and the corn-soy mixture with 627, 658, 893, and 1040 μm GMDs. Birds were evaluated on days 1 - 10, 11 - 20, 21 - 30, and 31 - 40. Larger GMDs resulted in lower energy consumption. From 1 to 10 days, birds consumed less metabolizable energy than older birds. Birds fed corn from days 1 to 10 had higher metabolizable energy (P &lt;0.05) with increasing GMD up to 1042 μm. However, the results varied, depending on the feed and its combinations. The use of coarse particles could reduce the costs of grinding, and would have few effects on the metabolizable energy of broiler chickens

Measurement of azimuthal hadron asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering off unpolarised nucleons

Spin-averaged asymmetries in the azimuthal distributions of positive and negative hadrons produced in deep inelastic scattering were measured using the CERN SPS longitudinally polarised muon beam at 160 GeV/c and a 6 LiD target. The amplitudes of the three azimuthal modulations cos⁡ϕh , cos⁡2ϕh and sin⁡ϕh were obtained binning the data separately in each of the relevant kinematic variables x , z or pTh and binning in a three-dimensional grid of these three variables. The amplitudes of the cos⁡ϕh and cos⁡2ϕh modulations show strong kinematic dependencies both for positive and negative hadrons.Peer Reviewe

Measurement of the charged-pion polarizability

The COMPASS collaboration at CERN has investigated pion Compton scattering, π-γ→π-γ, at center-of-mass energy below 3.5 pion masses. The process is embedded in the reaction π-Ni→π-γNi, which is initiated by 190 GeV pions impinging on a nickel target. The exchange of quasireal photons is selected by isolating the sharp Coulomb peak observed at smallest momentum transfers, Q2&lt;0.0015  (GeV/c)2. From a sample of 63 000 events, the pion electric polarizability is determined to be απ=(2.0±0.6stat±0.7syst)×10-4  fm3 under the assumption απ=-βπ, which relates the electric and magnetic dipole polarizabilities. It is the most precise measurement of this fundamental low-energy parameter of strong interaction that has been addressed since long by various methods with conflicting outcomes. While this result is in tension with previous dedicated measurements, it is found in agreement with the expectation from chiral perturbation theory. An additional measurement replacing pions by muons, for which the cross-section behavior is unambiguously known, was performed for an independent estimate of the systematic uncertainty.Peer Reviewe

Interplay among transversity induced asymmetries in hadron leptoproduction

In the fragmentation of a transversely polarized quark several left-right asymmetries are possible for the hadrons in the jet. When only one unpolarized hadron is selected, it exhibits an azimuthal modulation known as Collins effect. When a pair of oppositely charged hadrons is observed, three asymmetries can be considered, a di-hadron asymmetry and two single hadron asymmetries. In lepton deep inelastic scattering on transversely polarized nucleons all these asymmetries are coupled with the transversity distribution. From the high statistics COMPASS data on oppositely charged hadron-pair production we have investigated for the first time the dependence of these three asymmetries on the difference of the azimuthal angles of the two hadrons. The similarity of transversity induced single and di-hadron asymmetries is discussed. A new analysis of the data allows to establish quantitative relationships among them, providing for the first time strong experimental indication that the underlying fragmentation mechanisms are all driven by a common physical process.Peer Reviewe

Transverse-momentum-dependent Multiplicities of Charged Hadrons in Muon-Deuteron Deep Inelastic Scattering

A semi-inclusive measurement of charged hadron multiplicities in deep inelastic muon scattering off an isoscalar target was performed using data collected by the COMPASS Collaboration at CERN. The following kinematic domain is covered by the data: photon virtuality Q2>1  (GeV/c)2, invariant mass of the hadronic system W>5  GeV/c2, Bjorken scaling variable in the range 0.003<x<0.4, fraction of the virtual photon energy carried by the hadron in the range 0.2<z<0.8, and square of the hadron transverse momentum with respect to the virtual photon direction in the range 0.02  (GeV/c)2<PhT2<3  (GeV/c)2. The multiplicities are presented as a function of PhT2 in three-dimensional bins of x, Q2, z and compared to previous semi-inclusive measurements. We explore the small-PhT2 region, i.e. PhT2<1  (GeV/c)2, where hadron transverse momenta are expected to arise from nonperturbative effects, and also the domain of larger PhT2, where contributions from higher-order perturbative QCD are expected to dominate. The multiplicities are fitted using a single-exponential function at small PhT2 to study the dependence of the average transverse momentum ⟨PhT2⟩ on x, Q2 and z. The power-law behavior of the multiplicities at large PhT2 is investigated using various functional forms. The fits describe the data reasonably well over the full measured range.Peer Reviewe