Design criteria for multi-layered scintillating fibre arrays with inclined columns

Multi-layered scintillating fibre arrays read-out are commonly used as high resolution charged particle hodoscopes. Fibres of a column along the geometrical trajectory of incident particles are typically grouped to one pixel of a multi-channel read-out device. In some applications the incident particles will cross the detection plane with large angles w.r.t. the normal to the layers. Then, the packing of the fibres needs to be adapted to the incident particles and the columns need to be inclined. In this paper possible fibre array geometries are shown, relevant design criteria for detectors are discussed, and the effect of diverging particles incident on fibre arrays was studied using a Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: submitted to Nucl. Instrum. Meth.

Future non-linear stability for reflection symmetric solutions of the Einstein-Vlasov system of Bianchi types II and VI0_0

Using the methods developed for the Bianchi I case we have shown that a boostrap argument is also suitable to treat the future non-linear stability for reflection symmetric solutions of the Einstein-Vlasov system of Bianchi types II and VI$_0$. These solutions are asymptotic to the Collins-Stewart solution with dust and the Ellis-MacCallum solution respectively. We have thus generalized the results obtained by Rendall and Uggla in the case of locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi II spacetimes to the reflection symmetric case. However we needed to assume small data. For Bianchi VI$_0$ there is no analogous previous result.Comment: 30 page

Recoil polarization and beam-recoil double polarization measurement of \eta electroproduction on the proton in the region of the S_{11}(1535) resonance

The beam-recoil double polarization P_{x'}^h and P_{z'}^h and the recoil polarization P_{y'} were measured for the first time for the p(\vec{e},e'\vec{p})\eta reaction at a four-momentum transfer of Q^2=0.1 GeV^2/c^2 and a center of mass production angle of \theta = 120^\circ at MAMI C. With a center of mass energy range of 1500 MeV < W < 1550 MeV the region of the S_{11}(1535) and D_{13}(1520) resonance was covered. The results are discussed in the framework of a phenomenological isobar model (Eta-MAID). While P_{x'}^h and P_{z'}^h are in good agreement with the model, P_{y'} shows a significant deviation, consistent with existing photoproduction data on the polarized-target asymmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Search for Light Gauge Bosons of the Dark Sector at the Mainz Microtron

A new exclusion limit for the electromagnetic production of a light U(1) gauge boson {\gamma}' decaying to e^+e^- was determined by the A1 Collaboration at the Mainz Microtron. Such light gauge bosons appear in several extensions of the standard model and are also discussed as candidates for the interaction of dark matter with standard model matter. In electron scattering from a heavy nucleus, the existing limits for a narrow state coupling to e^+e^- were reduced by nearly an order of magnitude in the range of the lepton pair mass of 210 MeV/c^2 < m_e^+e^- < 300 MeV/c^2. This experiment demonstrates the potential of high current and high resolution fixed target experiments for the search for physics beyond the standard model.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure

Reply to Comment on "High-Precision Determination of the Electric and Magnetic Form Factors of the Proton"

In arXiv:1108.3058v1 [nucl-ex], Arrington criticizes the Coulomb corrections we applied in the analysis of high precision form factor data (see Phys.Rev.Lett.105:242001, 2010, arXiv:1007.5076v3 [nucl-ex]). We show, by comparing different calculations cited in the Comment, that the criticism of the Comment neglects the large uncertainty of "more modern" TPE corrections. This uncertainty has also been seen in recent polarized measurements. We rerun our analysis using one of these calculations. The results show that the Comment exaggerates the quantitative effect at small Q^2.Comment: 1 page, 2 figure, To appear as a Reply Comment in Physical Review Letter

High-precision determination of the electric and magnetic form factors of the proton

New precise results of a measurement of the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section performed at the Mainz Microtron MAMI are presented. About 1400 cross sections were measured with negative four-momentum transfers squared up to Q^2=1 (GeV/c)^2 with statistical errors below 0.2%. The electric and magnetic form factors of the proton were extracted by fits of a large variety of form factor models directly to the cross sections. The form factors show some features at the scale of the pion cloud. The charge and magnetic radii are determined to be r_E=0.879(5)(stat.)(4)(syst.)(2)(model)(4)(group) fm and r_M=0.777(13)(stat.)(9)(syst.)(5)(model)(2)(group) fm.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, published in Phys. Rev. Lett. v3: added references, updated text, color figure

The electric and magnetic form factors of the proton

The paper describes a precise measurement of electron scattering off the proton at momentum transfers of $0.003 \lesssim Q^2 \lesssim 1$\ GeV$^2$. The average point-to-point error of the cross sections in this experiment is $\sim$ 0.37%. These data are used for a coherent new analysis together with all world data of unpolarized and polarized electron scattering from the very smallest to the highest momentum transfers so far measured. The extracted electric and magnetic form factors provide new insight into their exact shape, deviating from the classical dipole form, and of structure on top of this gross shape. The data reaching very low $Q^2$ values are used for a new determination of the electric and magnetic radii. An empirical determination of the Two-Photon-Exchange (TPE) correction is presented. The implications of this correction on the radii and the question of a directly visible signal of the pion cloud are addressed.Comment: 38 pages, 20 figures. Updated data files. PRC versio

Particle tracking in kaon electroproduction with cathode-charge sampling in multi-wire proportional chambers

Wire chambers are routinely operated as tracking detectors in magnetic spectrometers at high-intensity continuous electron beams. Especially in experiments studying reactions with small cross-sections the reaction yield is limited by the background rate in the chambers. One way to determine the track of a charged particle through a multi-wire proportional chamber (MWPC) is the measurement of the charge distribution induced on its cathodes. In practical applications of this read-out method, the algorithm to relate the measured charge distribution to the avalanche position is an important factor for the achievable position resolution and for the track reconstruction efficiency. An algorithm was developed for operating two large-sized MWPCs in a strong background environment with multiple-particle tracks. Resulting efficiencies were determined as a function of the electron beam current and on the signal amplitudes. Because of the different energy-losses of pions, kaons, and protons in the momentum range of the spectrometer the efficiencies depend also on the particle species