Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

FASTBUS Standard Routines implementation for Fermilab embedded processor boards

In collaboration with CEBAF, Fermilab's Online Support Department and the CDF experiment have produced a new implementation of the IEEE FASTBUS Standard Routines for two embedded processor FASTBUS boards: the Fermilab Smart Crate Controller (FSCC) and the FASTBUS Readout Controller (FRC). Features of this implementation include: portability (to other embedded processor boards), remote source-level debugging, high speed, optional generation of very high-speed code for readout applications, and built-in Sun RPC support for execution of FASTBUS transactions and lists over the network

Observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed decay Xi(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+)

We report the first observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed charm baryon decay Xi(c)(+) --> pK(-)pi(+) We observe 150 +/- 22 +/- 5 events for the signal. The data were accumulated using the SELEX spectrometer during the 1996-1997 fixed target run at Fermilab, chiefly from a 600 GeV/c Sigma(-) beam. The branching fractions of the decay relative to the Cabibbo-favored Xi(c)(+) --> Sigma(+)K(-)pi(+) and Xi(c)(+) --> Xi(-)pi(+)pi(+) are measured to be B(Xi(c)(+) --> pK(-)pi(+))/B(Xi(c)(+) --> Sigma(+)K(-)pi(+)) = 0.22 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.03 and B(Xi(c)(+) --> pK(-)pi(+))/B(Xi(c)(+) --> Xi(-)pi(+)pi(+)) = 0.20 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.02, respectively

Charm hadroproduction results from Selex

The SELEX experiment (E781) is 5-stage magnetic spectrometer for a high statistics study of hadroproduction of charm baryons out to large x(F) using 650 Gev Sigma (-), pi (-) and p beams. The main features of the spectrometer are: a high precision silicon vertex system, powerful particle identification provided by TRD and RICH, forward Lambda (s) decay spectrometer and 3-stage lead glass photon detector. An experiment overview and spectrometer features are shown. Reconstructed charm states and results on Lambda (c), D+ particles and antiparticles produced by Sigma (-), pi (-) and p beams at x(F) > 0.3 and asymmetry for Lambda (c) are presented