A new high-resolution TOF technology

In the framework of the ALICE collaboration we have recently studied the performance of multigap Resistive Plate Chambers operated in avalanche mode and at atmospheric pressure for time-of-flight measurements. The detector provided an overall (detector plus electronics) timing accuracy of 120 ps sigma at an efficiency of 98% for MIPs. The chambers had 4 gas gaps of 0.3 mm, each limited by a metallised ceramic plate and a glass plate, with an active dimension of 4'4cm2. The gas mixture contained C2H2F4+5%isobutane+10%SF6. A few percent of streamer discharges, each releasing about 20 pC, was tolerated without any noticeable inconvenience. This detector opens perspectives of affordable and reliable high granularity large area TOF detectors, with an efficiency and a time resolution comparable to existing scintillator-based TOF technology but with significantly, up to an order of magnitude, lower price per channel

A four gap glass RPC time-of-flight array with 90 ps time resolution

In this work we describe the performance of a prototype developped in the context of the ALICE team-of-flight R&D system. The detector module consists of a 32-channel array of 3 x 3 cm2 glass-RPC cells, each of which has four accurately spaced gaps of 0.3. mm thickness arranged as a pair of double-gap resistive plate chambers. Operated with a non-flammable gas mixture at atmospheric pressure, the system achieved a time resolution of 90 ps at 90% efficiency with good uniformity and moderate crosstalk. This result shows the feasibility of large-area, high resolution time-of-flight systems based on RPCs at affordable cost

A Four-Gap Glass-RPC Time-of-Flight Array with 90 ps Time Resolution

In this paper, we describe the performance of a prototype developed in the context of the ALICE time-of-flight research and development system. The detector module consists of a 32-channel array of 3 x 3 cm2 glass resistive plate chamber (RPC) cells, each of which has four accurately space gaps of 0.3 mm thickness arranged as a pair of double-gap resisitive plate chambers. Operated with a nonflammable gas mixture at atmospheric pressure, the system achieved a time resolution of 90 ps at 98% efficiency with good uniformity and moderate crosstalk. This result shows the feasibility of large-area high-resolution time-of-flight systems based on RPCs at affordable cost

A Study of Muon Neutrino Disappearance Using the Fermilab Main Injector Neutrino Beam

We report the results of a search for muon-neutrino disappearance by the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search. The experiment uses two detectors separated by 734 km to observe a beam of neutrinos created by the Neutrinos at the Main Injector facility at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data were collected in the first 282 days of beam operations and correspond to an exposure of 1.27e20 protons on target. Based on measurements in the Near Detector, in the absence of neutrino oscillations we expected 336 +/- 14 muon-neutrino charged-current interactions at the Far Detector but observed 215. This deficit of events corresponds to a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The deficit is energy dependent and is consistent with two-flavor neutrino oscillations according to delta m-squared = 2.74e-3 +0.44/-0.26e-3 eV^2 and sin^2(2 theta) > 0.87 at 68% confidence level.Comment: In submission to Phys. Rev.

Measurement of neutrino velocity with the MINOS detectors and NuMI neutrino beam

The velocity of a ~3 GeV neutrino beam is measured by comparing detection times at the near and far detectors of the MINOS experiment, separated by 734 km. A total of 473 far detector neutrino events was used to measure (v-c)/c=5.12.910-5 (at 68% C.L.). By correlating the measured energies of 258 charged-current neutrino events to their arrival times at the far detector, a limit is imposed on the neutrino mass of mnu<50 MeV/c2 (99% C.L.)

Measurement of the Atmospheric Muon Charge Ratio at TeV Energies with MINOS

The 5.4 kton MINOS far detector has been taking charge-separated cosmic ray muon data since the beginning of August, 2003 at a depth of 2070 meters-water-equivalent in the Soudan Underground Laboratory, Minnesota, USA. The data with both forward and reversed magnetic field running configurations were combined to minimize systematic errors in the determination of the underground muon charge ratio. When averaged, two independent analyses find the charge ratio underground to be 1.374 +/- 0.004 (stat.) +0.012 -0.010(sys.). Using the map of the Soudan rock overburden, the muon momenta as measured underground were projected to the corresponding values at the surface in the energy range 1-7 TeV. Within this range of energies at the surface, the MINOS data are consistent with the charge ratio being energy independent at the two standard deviation level. When the MINOS results are compared with measurements at lower energies, a clear rise in the charge ratio in the energy range 0.3 -- 1.0 TeV is apparent. A qualitative model shows that the rise is consistent with an increasing contribution of kaon decays to the muon charge ratio.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figure