1,865 research outputs found
Searches for Gauge-Mediated SUSY Breaking Topologies with the L3 Detector at LEP
Searches for topologies predicted by gauge-mediated SUSY breaking models were
performed using data collected with the L3 detector at LEP. All possible
lifetimes of the next-to-lightest SUSY particle (NLSP), neutralino or scalar
tau, were considered. No evidence for these new phenomena was found and limits
on the production cross sections and sparticle masses were derived. A scan over
the parameters of the minimal GMSB model was performed, leading to lower limits
of 62.2 GeV, 11 TeV, and 0.07 eV on the NLSP mass, the mass scale parameter
Lambda, and the gravitino mass, respectively. The status of the LEP combined
searches is also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; to appear in Proceedings of SUSY06, the
14th International Conference on Supersymmetry and the Unification of
Fundamental Interactions, UC Irvine, California, 12-17 June 200
Dark Matter searches with AMS02
International audienceThe Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), to be installed on the International Space Station, will provide data on cosmic radiations in a large range of rigidity from 0.5 GV up to 2 TV. The main physics goals in the astroparticle domain are the anti- matter and the dark matter searches. Observations and cosmology indicate that the Universe may include a large amount of unknown Dark Matter. It should be composed of non baryonic Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMP). A good WIMP candidate being the lightest SUSY particle in R-parity conserving models. AMS offers a unique opportunity to study simultaneously SUSY dark matter in three decay channels from the neutralino annihilation: e+, antiproton and gamma. The supersymmetric theory frame is considered together with alternative scenarios (extra dimensions). The expected flux sensitivities in 3 year exposure for the e+/e- ratio, antiproton and gamma yields as a function of energy are presented and compared to other direct and indirect searches
Optimization of multivariate analysis for IACT stereoscopic systems
Multivariate methods have been recently introduced and successfully applied
for the discrimination of signal from background in the selection of genuine
very-high energy gamma-ray events with the H.E.S.S. Imaging Atmospheric
Cerenkov Telescope. The complementary performance of three independent
reconstruction methods developed for the H.E.S.S. data analysis, namely Hillas,
model and 3D-model suggests the optimization of their combination through the
application of a resulting efficient multivariate estimator. In this work the
boosted decision tree method is proposed leading to a significant increase in
the signal over background ratio compared to the standard approaches. The
improved sensitivity is also demonstrated through a comparative analysis of a
set of benchmark astrophysical sources.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in
Astroparticle Physic
AMS02 Ecal gamma trigger performance measured at the October 2004 CERN test beam
Test beam data collected in October 2004 at CERN PS to validate the AMS02
Ecal Intermediate Board (EIB) are analyzed. After describing the experimental
setup and the event samples, results concerning noise measurement, trigger
efficiency and threshold accuracy are presented. They demonstrate that the EIB
fulfils the physics requirements. Therefore the analog part of the trigger is
validated, and hardware choices are also made towards the final device.Comment: 40 pages, 51 figures, AMS not
HESS-II expected performance in the tens of GeV
International audienceBy the end of 2009 the four-telescopes-HESS-system will be upgraded to HESS-II with a new telescope with a 600 m2 mirror area and a very high resolution camera. HESS-II will allow to lower the energy threshold from 100 GeV to about 30 GeV and enhance the HESS sensitivity. Therefore AGNs at higher redshift could be detected and searches for new classes of very high energy gamma-ray emitters (pulsars, microquasars, GRB, and dark matter candidates) will also be possible. The evaluation of the instrument performance is presented in term of sensitivity, energy and angular resolutions, based on Monte Carlo simulation, using a multivariate analysis
Sensitivity to the KARMEN Timing Anomaly at MiniBooNE
We present sensitivities for the MiniBooNE experiment to a rare exotic pion
decay producing a massive particle, Q^0. This type of decay represents one
possible explanation for the timing anomaly reported by the KARMEN
collaboration. MiniBooNE will be able to explore an area of the KARMEN signal
that has not yet been investigated
A new look at the cosmic ray positron fraction
The positron fraction in cosmic rays was found to be a steadily increasing in
function of energy, above 10 GeV. This behaviour contradicts standard
astrophysical mechanisms, in which positrons are secondary particles, produced
in the interactions of primary cosmic rays during the propagation in the
interstellar medium. The observed anomaly in the positron fraction triggered a
lot of excitement, as it could be interpreted as an indirect signature of the
presence of dark matter species in the Galaxy. Alternatively, it could be
produced by nearby astrophysical sources, such as pulsars. Both hypotheses are
probed in this work in light of the latest AMS-02 positron fraction
measurements. The transport of the primary and secondary positrons in the
Galaxy is described using a semi-analytic two-zone model. MicrOMEGAs is used to
model the positron flux generated by dark matter species. The description of
the positron fraction from astrophysical sources is based on the pulsar
observations included in the ATNF catalogue. We find that the mass of the
favoured dark matter candidates is always larger than 500 GeV. The only dark
matter species that fulfils the numerous gamma ray and cosmic microwave
background bounds is a particle annihilating into four leptons through a light
scalar or vector mediator, with a mixture of tau (75%) and electron (25%)
channels, and a mass between 0.5 and 1 TeV. The positron anomaly can also be
explained by a single astrophysical source and a list of five pulsars from the
ATNF catalogue is given. Those results are obtained with the cosmic ray
transport parameters that best fit the B/C ratio. Uncertainties in the
propagation parameters turn out to be very significant. In the WIMP
annihilation cross section to mass plane for instance, they overshadow the
error contours derived from the positron data.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, corresponds to
published versio
Improved sensitivity of H.E.S.S.-II through the fifth telescope focus system
The Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) works by imaging the very
short flash of Cherenkov radiation generated by the cascade of relativistic
charged particles produced when a TeV gamma ray strikes the atmosphere. This
energetic air shower is initiated at an altitude of 10-30 km depending on the
energy and the arrival direction of the primary gamma ray. Whether the best
image of the shower is obtained by focusing the telescope at infinity and
measuring the Cherenkov photon angles or focusing on the central region of the
shower is a not obvious question. This is particularly true for large size IACT
for which the depth of the field is much smaller. We address this issue in
particular with the fifth telescope (CT5) of the High Energy Stereoscopic
System (H.E.S.S.); a 28 m dish large size telescope recently entered in
operation and sensitive to an energy threshold of tens of GeVs. CT5 is equipped
with a focus system, its working principle and the expected effect of focusing
depth on the telescope sensitivity at low energies (50-200 GeV) is discussed.Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil
- …