24 research outputs found
A Readout System for the STAR Time Projection Chamber
We describe the readout electronics for the STAR Time Projection Chamber. The
system is made up of 136,608 channels of waveform digitizer, each sampling 512
time samples at 6-12 Mega-samples per second. The noise level is about 1000
electrons, and the dynamic range is 800:1, allowing for good energy loss
() measurement for particles with energy losses up to 40 times minimum
ionizing. The system is functioning well, with more than 99% of the channels
working within specifications.Comment: 22 pages + 8 separate figures; 2 figures are .jpg photos to appear in
Nuclear Instruments and Method
Optical properties of MgH2 measured in situ in a novel gas cell for ellipsometry/spectrophotometry
The dielectric properties of alpha-MgH2 are investigated in the photon energy
range between 1 and 6.5 eV. For this purpose, a novel sample configuration and
experimental setup are developed that allow both optical transmission and
ellipsometric measurements of a transparent thin film in equilibrium with
hydrogen. We show that alpha-MgH2 is a transparent, colour neutral insulator
with a band gap of 5.6 +/- 0.1 eV. It has an intrinsic transparency of about
80% over the whole visible spectrum. The dielectric function found in this work
confirms very recent band structure calculations using the GW approximation by
Alford and Chou [J.A. Alford and M.Y. Chou (unpublished)]. As Pd is used as a
cap layer we report also the optical properties of PdHx thin films.Comment: REVTeX4, 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 table
Spallation reactions. A successful interplay between modeling and applications
The spallation reactions are a type of nuclear reaction which occur in space
by interaction of the cosmic rays with interstellar bodies. The first
spallation reactions induced with an accelerator took place in 1947 at the
Berkeley cyclotron (University of California) with 200 MeV deuterons and 400
MeV alpha beams. They highlighted the multiple emission of neutrons and charged
particles and the production of a large number of residual nuclei far different
from the target nuclei. The same year R. Serber describes the reaction in two
steps: a first and fast one with high-energy particle emission leading to an
excited remnant nucleus, and a second one, much slower, the de-excitation of
the remnant. In 2010 IAEA organized a worskhop to present the results of the
most widely used spallation codes within a benchmark of spallation models. If
one of the goals was to understand the deficiencies, if any, in each code, one
remarkable outcome points out the overall high-quality level of some models and
so the great improvements achieved since Serber. Particle transport codes can
then rely on such spallation models to treat the reactions between a light
particle and an atomic nucleus with energies spanning from few tens of MeV up
to some GeV. An overview of the spallation reactions modeling is presented in
order to point out the incomparable contribution of models based on basic
physics to numerous applications where such reactions occur. Validations or
benchmarks, which are necessary steps in the improvement process, are also
addressed, as well as the potential future domains of development. Spallation
reactions modeling is a representative case of continuous studies aiming at
understanding a reaction mechanism and which end up in a powerful tool.Comment: 59 pages, 54 figures, Revie
Lambda Hyperons in 2 A*GeV Ni + Cu Collisions
A sample of Lambda's produced in 2 A*GeV Ni + Cu collisions has been obtained
with the EOS Time Projection Chamber at the Bevalac. Low background in the
invariant mass distribution allows for the unambiguous demonstration of Lambda
directed flow. The transverse mass spectrum at mid-rapidity has the
characteristic shoulder-arm shape of particles undergoing radial transverse
expansion. A linear dependence of Lambda multiplicity on impact parameter is
observed, from which a total Lambda + Sigma^0 production cross section of $112
+/- 24 mb is deduced. Detailed comparisons with the ARC and RVUU models are
made.Comment: Revised version accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.
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