297 research outputs found
Transition Radiation Spectra of Electrons from 1 to 10 GeV/c in Regular and Irregular Radiators
We present measurements of the spectral distribution of transition radiation
generated by electrons of momentum 1 to 10 GeV/c in different radiator types.
We investigate periodic foil radiators and irregular foam and fiber materials.
The transition radiation photons are detected by prototypes of the drift
chambers to be used in the Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) of the ALICE
experiment at CERN, which are filled with a Xe, CO2 (15 %) mixture. The
measurements are compared to simulations in order to enhance the quantitative
understanding of transition radiation production, in particular the momentum
dependence of the transition radiation yield.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res.
Energy loss of pions and electrons of 1 to 6 GeV/c in drift chambers operated with Xe,CO2(15%)
We present measurements of the energy loss of pions and electrons in drift
chambers operated with a Xe,CO2(15%) mixture. The measurements are carried out
for particle momenta from 1 to 6 GeV/c using prototype drift chambers for the
ALICE TRD. Microscopic calculations are performed using input parameters
calculated with GEANT3. These calculations reproduce well the measured average
and most probable values for pions, but a higher Fermi plateau is required in
order to reproduce our electron data. The widths of the measured distributions
are smaller for data compared to the calculations. The electron/pion
identification performance using the energy loss is also presented.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Nucl.Instrum.Meth.
The HADES Tracking System
The tracking system of the dielectron spectrometer HADES at GSI Darmstadt is
formed out of 24 low-mass, trapezoidal multi-layer drift chambers providing in
total about 30 square meter of active area. Low multiple scattering in the in
total four planes of drift chambers before and after the magnetic field is
ensured by using helium-based gas mixtures and aluminum cathode and field
wires. First in-beam performance results are contrasted with expectations from
simulations. Emphasis is placed on the energy loss information, exploring its
relevance regarding track recognition.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, presented at the 10th Vienna Conference on
Instrumentation, Vienna, February 2004, to be published in NIM A (special
issue
Space charge in drift chambers operated with the Xe,CO2(15%) mixture
Using prototype modules of the ALICE Transition Radiation Detector we
investigate space charge effects and the dependence of the pion rejection
performance on the incident angle of the ionizing particle. The average pulse
height distributions in the drift chambers operated with the Xe,CO2(15%)
mixture provide quantitative information on the gas gain reduction due to space
charge accumulating during the drift of the primary ionization. Our results
demonstrate that the pion rejection performance of a TRD is better for tracks
which are not at normal incidence to the anode wires. We present detailed
simulations of detector signals, which reproduce the measurements and lend
strong support to our interpretation of the measurements in terms of space
charge effects.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Nucl.Instrum.Meth.
A. Data files available at http://www-alice.gsi.de/tr
Recoil Polarization Measurements of the Proton Electromagnetic Form Factor Ratio to Q^2 = 8.5 GeV^2
Among the most fundamental observables of nucleon structure, electromagnetic
form factors are a crucial benchmark for modern calculations describing the
strong interaction dynamics of the nucleon's quark constituents; indeed, recent
proton data have attracted intense theoretical interest. In this letter, we
report new measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio using
the recoil polarization method, at momentum transfers Q2=5.2, 6.7, and 8.5
GeV2. By extending the range of Q2 for which GEp is accurately determined by
more than 50%, these measurements will provide significant constraints on
models of nucleon structure in the non-perturbative regime
Inclusive pion and eta production in p+Nb collisions at 3.5 GeV beam energy
Data on inclusive pion and eta production measured with the dielectron
spectrometer HADES in the reaction p+93Nb at a kinetic beam energy of 3.5 GeV
are presented. Our results, obtained with the photon conversion method,
supplement the rather sparse information on neutral meson production in
proton-nucleus reactions existing for this bombarding energy regime. The
reconstructed e+e-e+e- transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions are
confronted with transport model calculations, which account fairly well for
both pi0 and eta production.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Searching a Dark Photon with HADES
We present a search for the e+e- decay of a hypothetical dark photon, also
names U vector boson, in inclusive dielectron spectra measured by HADES in the
p (3.5 GeV) + p, Nb reactions, as well as the Ar (1.756 GeV/u) + KCl reaction.
An upper limit on the kinetic mixing parameter squared epsilon^{2} at 90% CL
has been obtained for the mass range M(U) = 0.02 - 0.55 GeV/c2 and is compared
with the present world data set. For masses 0.03 - 0.1 GeV/c^2, the limit has
been lowered with respect to previous results, allowing now to exclude a large
part of the parameter region favoured by the muon g-2 anomaly. Furthermore, an
improved upper limit on the branching ratio of 2.3 * 10^{-6} has been set on
the helicity-suppressed direct decay of the eta meson, eta-> e+e-, at 90% CL
Medium effects in proton-induced production at 3.5 GeV
We present the analysis of the inclusive production in p+p and p+Nb
collisions measured with the HADES detector at a beam kinetic energy of 3.5
GeV. Data are compared to the GiBUU transport model. The data suggest the
presence of a repulsive momentum-dependent kaon potential as predicted by the
Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT). For the kaon at rest and at normal nuclear
density, the ChPT potential amounts to MeV. A detailed tuning of
the kaon production cross sections implemented in the model has been carried
out to reproduce the experimental data measured in p+p collisions. The
uncertainties in the parameters of the model were examined with respect to the
sensitivity of the experimental results from p+Nb collisions to the in-medium
kaon potential.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure
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