Progress towards Bell-type polarization experiment with thermal neutrons

Experimental tests of Bell-type inequalities distinguishing between quantum mechanics and local realistic theories remain of considerable interest if performed on massive particles, for which no conclusive result has yet been obtained. Only two-particle experiments may specifically test the concept of spatial nonlocality in quantum theory, whereas single-particle experiments may generally test the concept of quantum noncontextuality. Here we have performed the first Bell-type experiment with a beam of thermal-neutron pairs in the singlet state of spin, as originally suggested by J. S. Bell. These measurements confirm the quantum-theoretical predictions, in agreement with the results of the well-known polarization experiments carried out on optical photons years ago

Further evidence of antibunching of two coherent beams of fermions

We describe an experiment confirming the evidence of the antibunching effect on a beam of non interacting thermal neutrons. The comparison between the results recorded with a high energy-resolution source of neutrons and those recorded with a broad energy-resolution source enables us to clarify the role played by the beam coherence in the occurrence of the antibunching effect.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The KLOE-2 High Energy Tagger Detector

In order to fully reconstruct to the reaction e+e- to e+e- gamma-gamma in the energy region of the phi meson production, new detectors along the DAFNE beam line have to be installed in order to detect the scattered e+e-. The High Energy Tagger (HET) detector measures the deviation of leptons from their main orbit by determining their position and timing so to tag gamma-gamma physics events and disentangle them from background. The HET detectors are placed at the exit of the DAFNE dipole magnets, 11 m away from the IP, both on positron and electron lines. The HET sensitive area is made up of a set of 28 plastic scintillators. A dedicated DAQ electronics board based on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA have been developed for this detector. It provides a MultiHit TDC with a time resolution of the order of 500 ps and the possibility to acquire data any 2.5 ns, thus allowing to clearly identify the correct bunch crossing. First results of the commissioning run are presented.Comment: Submitted to proceedings of the 12th Pisa Meeting on Advanced Detectors 2012, La Biodola, Isola d'Elba, Ital

First results from an aging test of a prototype RPC for the LHCb Muon System

Recent results of an aging test performed at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility on a single--gap RPC prototype developed for the LHCb Muon System are presented. The results are based on an accumulated charge of about 0.45 C/cm$^2$, corresponding to about 4 years of LHCb running at the highest background rate. The performance of the chamber has been studied under several photon flux values exploiting a muon beam. A degradation of the rate capability above 1 kHz/cm$^2$ is observed, which can be correlated to a sizeable increase of resistivity of the chamber plates. An increase of the chamber dark current is also observed. The chamber performance is found to fulfill the LHCb operation requirements.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, presented at the International Workshop on Aging Phenomena in Gaseous Detectors'', DESY-Hamburg (Germany), October 200

New results from an extensive aging test on bakelite Resistive Plate Chambers

We present recent results of an extensive aging test, performed at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility on two single--gap RPC prototypes, developed for the LHCb Muon System. With a method based on a model describing the behaviour of an RPC under high particle flux conditions, we have periodically measured the electrode resistance R of the two RPC prototypes over three years: we observe a large spontaneous increase of R with time, from the initial value of about 2 MOhm to more than 250 MOhm. A corresponding degradation of the RPC rate capabilities, from more than 3 kHz/cm2 to less than 0.15 kHz/cm2 is also found.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, presented at Siena 2002, 8th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors 21-24 October 2002, Siena, Ital

Preliminary results of an aging test of RPC chambers for the LHCb Muon System

The preliminary results of an aging test performed at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility on a single--gap RPC prototype developed for the LHCb Muon System are presented. The results are based on an accumulated charge density of 0.42 C/cm^2, corresponding to about 4 years of LHCb running at the highest background rate. We observe a rise in the dark current and noise measured with source off. The current drawn with source on steadily decreased, possibly indicating an increase of resistivity of the chamber plates. The performance of the chamber, studied with a muon beam under several photon flux values, is found to still fulfill the LHCb operation requirements.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, presented at RPC2001, VIth Workshop on Resistive Plate Chambers and Related Detectors, November 26-27 2001, Coimbra, Portuga

u-RANIA: a neutron detector based on \mu -RWELL technology

In the framework of the ATTRACT-uRANIA project, funded by the European Community, we are developing an innovative neutron imaging detector based on micro-Resistive WELL ($\mu$ -RWELL) technology. The $\mu$ -RWELL, based on the resistive detector concept, ensuring an efficient spark quenching mechanism, is a highly reliable device. It is composed by two main elements: a readout-PCB and a cathode. The amplification stage for this device is embedded in the readout board through a resistive layer realized by means of an industrial process with DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon). A thin layer of B$_4$C on the copper surface of the cathode allows the thermal neutrons detection through the release of $^7$Li and $\alpha$ particles in the active volume. This technology has been developed to be an efficient and convenient alternative to the $^3$He shortage. The goal of the project is to prove the feasibility of such a novel neutron detector by developing and testing small planar prototypes with readout boards suitably segmented with strip or pad read out, equipped with existing electronics or readout in current mode. Preliminary results from the test with different prototypes, showing a good agreement with the simulation, will be presented together with construction details of the prototypes and the future steps of the project.Comment: Prepared for the INSTR20 Conference Proceeding for JINS

ELMB Microcontroller Firmware and SCADA Integration for the LHCb Muon Detector Readout Control System

The LHCb system requires high efficiency muon detection into LHC bunch crossing: 95% into a 25 ns time window. To reach such efficiency many parameters of the detector readout apparatus have to be calibrated and adjusted and its channels must be aligned in time. In addition, essential characteristics must be monitored to guarantee a good working condition of the apparatus (to avoid loss of efficiency and to minimize systematic errors). As the number of the muon readout parameters is extremely high (∼700000 registers), a system able to process information in parallel is required: 122000 readout channels will be controlled by about 600 microcontrollers and 6 computers. The complexity of such an apparatus requires the use of a distributed system. For this a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) based system is being developed to control the entire detector readout equipment. Moreover, a Finite State Machine (FSM) implementation is being developed to integrate the Detector Readout Control (DRC) into the LHC Experiment Control System (ECS)

Search for light-speed anisotropies using Compton scattering of high-energy electrons

Based on the high sensitivity of Compton scattering off ultra relativistic electrons, the possibility of anisotropies in the speed of light is investigated. The result discussed in this contribution is based on the gamma-ray beam of the ESRF's GRAAL facility (Grenoble, France) and the search for sidereal variations in the energy of the Compton-edge photons. The absence of oscillations yields the two-sided limit of 1.6 x 10^{-14} at 95 % confidence level on a combination of photon and electron coefficients of the minimal Standard Model Extension (mSME). This new constraint provides an improvement over previous bounds by one order of magnitude.Comment: Talk presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, University of Indiana, June 28-July 2, 201