Relativistic calculations of the charge-transfer probabilities and cross sections for low-energy collisions of H-like ions with bare nuclei

A new method for solving the time-dependent two-center Dirac equation is developed. The time-dependent Dirac wave function is represented as a sum of atomic-like Dirac-Sturm orbitals, localized at the ions. The atomic orbitals are obtained by solving numerically the finite-difference one-center Dirac and Dirac-Sturm equations with the potential which is the sum of the exact reference-nucleus potential and a monopole-approximation potential from the other nucleus. An original procedure to calculate the two-center integrals with these orbitals is proposed. The approach is tested by calculations of the charge transfer and ionization cross sections for the H(1s)--proton collisions at proton energies from 1 keV to 100 keV. The obtained results are compared with related experimental and other theoretical data. To investigate the role of the relativistic effects, the charge transfer cross sections for the Ne^{9+}(1s)--Ne^{10+} (at energies from 0.1 to 10 MeV/u) and U^{91+}(1s)--U^{92+} (at energies from 6 to 10 MeV/u) collisions are calculated in both relativistic and nonrelativistic cases.Comment: 39 pages, 6 tables, 7 figure

First Energy and Angle differential Measurements of e^+e^- -pairs emitted by Internal Pair Conversion of excited Heavy Nuclei

We present the first energy and angle resolved measurements of e+e- pairs emitted from heavy nuclei (Z>=40) at rest by internal pair conversion (IPC) of transitions with energies of less than 2MeV as well as recent theoretical results using the DWBA method, which takes full account of relativistic effects, magnetic substates and finite size of the nucleus. The 1.76MeV E0 transition in Zr90 (Sr source) and the 1.77MeV M1 transition in Pb207 (Bi source) have been investigated experimentally using the essentially improved set-up at the double-ORANGE beta-spectrometer of GSI. The measurements prove the capability of the setup to cleanly identify the IPC pairs in the presence of five orders of magnitude higher beta- and gamma background from the same source and to yield essentially background-free sum spectra despite the large background. Using the ability of the ORANGE setup to directly determine the opening angle of the e+e- pairs, the angular correlation of the emitted pairs was measured. In the Zr90 case the correlation could be deduced for a wide range of energy differences of the pairs. The Zr90 results are in good agreement with recent theory. The angular correlation deduced for the M1 transition in Pb207 is in strong disagreement with theoretical predictions derived within the Born approximation and shows almost isotropic character. This is again in agreement with the new theoretical results.Comment: LaTeX, 28 pages incl. 10 PS figures; Accepted by Z.Phys.

Performance of the PADME calorimeter prototype at the DAΦ\PhiNE BTF

The PADME experiment at the DA$\Phi$NE Beam-Test Facility (BTF) aims at searching for invisible decays of the dark photon by measuring the final state missing mass in the process $e^+e^- \to \gamma+ A'$, with $A'$ undetected. The measurement requires the determination of the 4-momentum of the recoil photon, performed using a homogeneous, highly segmented BGO crystals calorimeter. We report the results of the test of a 5$\times$5 crystals prototype performed with an electron beam at the BTF in July 2016

Electron gas polarization effect induced by heavy H-like ions of moderate velocities channeled in a silicon crystal

We report on the observation of a strong perturbation of the electron gas induced by 20 MeV/u U$^{91+}$ ions and 13 MeV/u Pb$^{81+}$ ions channeled in silicon crystals. This collective response (wake effect) in-duces a shift of the continuum energy level by more than 100 eV, which is observed by means of Radiative Electron Capture into the K and L-shells of the projectiles. We also observe an increase of the REC probability by 20-50% relative to the probability in a non-perturbed electron gas. The energy shift is in agreement with calculations using the linear response theory, whereas the local electron density enhancement is much smaller than predicted by the same model. This shows that, for the small values of the adiabaticity parameter achieved in our experiments, the density fluctuations are not strongly localized at the vicinity of the heavy ions

Positron spectra from internal pair conversion observed in {238}U + {181}Ta collisions

We present new results from measurements and simulations of positron spectra, originating from 238U + 181Ta collisions at beam energies close to the Coulomb barrier. The measurements were performed using an improved experimental setup at the double-Orange spectrometer of GSI. Particular emphasis is put on the signature of positrons from Internal-Pair-Conversion (IPC) processes in the measured e+ energy spectra, following the de-excitation of electromagnetic transitions in the moving Ta-like nucleus. It is shown by Monte Carlo simulations that, for the chosen current sweeping procedure used in the present experiments, positron emission from discrete IPC transitions can lead to rather narrow line structures in the measured energy spectra. The measured positron spectra do not show evidence for line structures within the statistical accuracy achieved, although expected from the intensities of the observed $\gamma$ transitions (E$_{\gamma}~1250-1600$ keV) and theoretical conversion coefficients. This is due to the reduced detection efficiency for IPC positrons, caused by the limited spatial and momentum acceptance of the spectrometer. A comparison with previous results, in which lines have been observed, is presented and the implications are discussed.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages including 5 EPS figures; Accepted by Eur. Phys.Jour.

Characterization and Performance of PADME's Cherenkov-Based Small-Angle Calorimeter

The PADME experiment, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF), in Italy, will search for invisible decays of the hypothetical dark photon via the process $e^+e^-\rightarrow \gamma A'$, where the $A'$ escapes detection. The dark photon mass range sensitivity in a first phase will be 1 to 24 MeV. We report here on measurement and simulation studies of the performance of the Small-Angle Calorimeter, a component of PADME's detector dedicated to rejecting 2- and 3-gamma backgrounds. The crucial requirement is a timing resolution of less than 200 ps, which is satisfied by the choice of PbF$_2$ crystals and the newly released Hamamatsu R13478UV photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). We find a timing resolution of 81 ps (with double-peak separation resolution of 1.8 ns) and a single-crystal energy resolution of 5.7%/$\sqrt{E}$ with light yield of 2.07 photo-electrons per MeV, using 100 to 400 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility of LNF. We also propose the investigation of a two-PMT solution coupled to a single PbF$_2$ crystal for higher-energy applications, which has potentially attractive features.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures. v2: added section on radiation damage studie