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At least 973 records · Page 54

The 200 MeV Pi+ induced single-nucleon removal from 24Mg

Nuclear gamma-rays in coincidence with outgoing pions or protons following single nucleon removal from Mg-24 by 200 MeV pions (+) were detected with Ge(Li) detectors. Differential cross sections are reported for gamma-rays from the first excited mirror states of Na-23 and Mg-23 in coincidence with positive pions or protons detected in particle telescopes at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 deg; angle-integrated absolute cross sections and cross section ratios are calculated. These results are compared with the predictions of a Pauli-blocked plane-wave impulse approximation (PWIA) and the intranuclear cascade (INC) and nucleon charge exchange (NCX) reaction models. The PWIA and the INC calculations generally agree with the angular dependence of the experimental results but not the absolute magnitude. The NCX calculation does not reproduce the observed cross section charge ratios.

Joyce, Donald↗

Very energetic gamma-rays from the June 3, 1982 solar flare

The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer on the SMM satellite has recorded high-energy gamma-ray and neutron emission from the flare on June 3, 1982. During the 65-s impulsive phase the gamma rays above 10 MeV contain emissions from both primary electron bremsstrahlung and nuclear pion decay. Hence the impulsive phase acceleration process must produce both primary electrons with energies above 60 MeV and ions above 500 MeV. This flare also has a extended emission phase lasting more than 1000 s which is most easily observed at gamma-ray energies above 10 MeV. After removing the counting rates from the more slowly moving neutrons produced at earlier times, the resulting gamma ray spectrum can be entirely explained by nuclear pion production. Over 70 percent of the pions were produced in the extended emission phase. In contrast, more than 70 percent of the high-energy primary electron bremsstrahlung and the nuclear line emission produced by ions below 30 MeV occurred in the 65-s impulsive phase. This represents the first clear observation of a new acceleration process which produces an electron-deficient, very hard ion spectrum extending beyond 1000 MeV.

Forrest, D. J.↗

High Energy Observations of X-Ray Binaries and Gamma-Ray Blazars

The report discusses the CGRO observation of X-ray binary systems and studies of gamma-ray blasars. Numerous authors have suggested mechanisms for particle acceleration within X-Ray Binary (XRB) systems. Among the acceleration mechanisms that have been applied are pulsar acceleration, shock acceleration at an accretion shock front, shock acceleration at a pulsar wind termination shock, plasma turbulence excited by the accretion flow, and a number of electrodynamic mechanisms. There are therefore many mechanisms which are capable of generating very energetic particles in the XRB environment. If the reports of TeV/PeV gamma-ray generation in XRBs are correct, then one can show that the accelerated particles must be hadrons and that the most likely gamma-ray production mechanism is the decay of collisionally-produced (or photoproduced) neutral pions. At these ultra-high energies, the emission is so strongly beamed that the target conditions are constrained by the requirement that the column depth be large enough to efficiently generate gamma-rays, but not so large that the gamma-rays are absorbed. These constraints naturally lead to models that explain the periodic, narrow duty-cycle pulses observed at TeV/PeV energies as arising from interactions with, either, the atmosphere of the binary companion, an accretion column, or an accretion disk. The production of these TeV/PeV gamma-rays by the decay of pions from "leading isobars" must also be accompanied by a more isotropic emission component in the EGRET energy band from the decay of slower pions (i.e. the "pionization" component). Since the attenuation of 35 MeV-1 GeV photons by photon-photon pair production is not likely to be significant in most XRBs, the TeV/PeV reports therefore strongly suggest sporadic emission in the EGRET energy band. One of the key unresolved issues for understanding AGN is the relationship between XBLs and RBLs.To test the "reunification" hypothesis, authors conducted a multiwavelength campaign during Cycle 7 of the CGRO observing program. The analysis of the cycle 4 through cycle 6 CGRO measurements was completed. Two previously unknown EGRET sources was discovered.

Vestrand, W. Thomas↗

Cross Sections From Scalar Field Theory

A one pion exchange scalar model is used to calculate differential and total cross sections for pion production through nucleon- nucleon collisions. The collisions involve intermediate delta particle production and decay to nucleons and a pion. The model provides the basic theoretical framework for scalar field theory and can be applied to particle production processes where the effects of spin can be neglected.

Norbury, John W.↗

Target Station Design for the Mu2e Experiment

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab is devoted to search for the conversion of a negative muon into an electron in the field of a nucleus without emission of neutrinos. One of the main parts of the Mu2e experimental setup is its Target Station in which negative pions are generated in interactions of the 8-GeV primary proton beam with a tungsten target. A large-aperture 5-T superconducting production solenoid (PS) enhances pion collection, and an S-shaped transport solenoid (TS) delivers muons and pions to the Mu2e detector. The heat and radiation shield (HRS) protects the PS and the first TS coils. A beam dump absorbs the spent beam. In order for the PS superconducting magnet to operate reliably the sophisticated HRS was designed and optimized for performance and cost. The beam dump was designed to absorb the spent beam and maintaining its temperature and air activation in the hall at the allowable level. Comprehensive MARS15 simulations have been carried out to optimize all the parts while maximizing muon yield. Results of simulations of critical radiation quantities and their implications on the overall Target Station design and integration will be reported.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Preface and Summary

Primary Physics with Secondary Beams of K L 's Not all of physics can be explored by primary beams of electrons and protons, however much these have taught us over the past 60 years. Electron-positron colliders give access to restricted sets of quantum numbers. From proton-proton collisions we have long learned about all manner of high energy reactions. However, access to excited mesons and baryons has been most universally achieved with pion and kaon secondary beams, and latterly pho-ton beams both virtual and real. Nowadays the wealth of information on polarized photon beams on polarized targets has totally revolutionized baryon spectroscopy, especially in the lightest flavor sector. The measurement of polarization asymmetries has constrained partial wave analyses far beyond anything conceivable with pion beams. Nevertheless, these only give access to the product of photocouplings of each excited baryon and its coupling to the hadron final state, such as πN , ππN , ηN , etc. Contemporaneously, in the meson sector, the COMPASS experiment with pion beams on protons at 190 GeV/c, together with heavy flavor decays in e + e - annihilation, have given access to multi-meson final states, like 2π, 3π, with greater precision than ever before. This has given hints and suggestions of new resonances, like the a 1 (1420). To understand the constituent structure of hadrons requires information on the relationship of each meson and baryon to those with different flavors, but the same J P quantum numbers. At its simplest, this is to understand the quark model multiplet structure, where this is appropriate. What is more, so ubiquitous are ππ, πK, KK, ηπ, ηK, ... final states as the decay products of almost every hadron, that knowledge of the properties of these is critical to every analysis. Unitarity colors and shapes the universality of such final state interactions in each set of quantum numbers. This means that however precise our measurements of γN → πη () N , with GlueX for instance, we cannot really determine the fine resonant structure of such a process without some information on πη and πη scattering too. Nor can we determine any flavor partners without information on the corresponding Kη () channels. For that secondary kaon beams are essential. While J-PARC has a whole program of charged strange particle and hypernuclear reactions, photon beams allow unique access to other channels. It was realized long ago that intense photon beams like that about to be delivered to Hall D at JLab, could produce secondary beams. The charged particles can readily be bent away, leaving a neutral particle beam dominated by K L : long lived kaons being produced far more copiously than neutrons above 3–4 GeV momentum. Such a facility provides access to a whole range of physics that is the subject of this meeting. The reactions that can be studied cover the meson spectrum and dynamics, the baryon spectrum and dynamics, and final state interactions that link mesons and baryons together. This includes particularly the channels Kπ, Kη, Kη in the meson sector. These explore the very limitations of chiral dynamics: the strange quark's current mass is 30-50 times that of the

42 ENGINEERING↗

Beam-Based Target Alignment for Mu2e

The Mu2e Experiment is a precision experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, searching for charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) in the conversion of a muon to an electron in the presence of an atomic nucleus. In order to achieve the expected single-event sensitivity of $3\times 10^{-17}$ , Mu2e will require an intense muon beam, generated via pion decay. These pions are the product of a proton beam striking a radiatively-cooled tungsten target. In order to maximize pion production and prevent target failure, the beam will have to be aligned with the target center to within 0.5 mm. The production target monitor (PTM) will ensure this alignment. The PTM consists of a series of proportional wire chambers (PWC’s) upstream and downstream of the production target. In this dissertation, I explain the requirements of this detector system and derive the decisions about which detector model to use and how they should be arranged from these requirements. After this, I describe my e xperience building the detectors and show an early use for them in the Mu2e proton beam. I also performed a study of the sensitivity and time resolution of this model of PWC and its electronics, and give the results here. I then describe a series of simulation campaigns which shed light on the interactions between the beam and the target, and how these interactions manifest on the downstream detectors. Finally, I give the target scanning procedure to be used to align the beam and target during experiment start up.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Charge Symmetry Violation Quark Distributions Via Precise Measurement of p+/p- Rations in Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering

Charge symmetry in the nucleon parton distributions assumes the distribution of quarks in the proton is related to those in the neutron. Indirect experimental evidence constrains Charge Symmetry Violation (CSV) to be less than 9%. In Quantum Chromo-Dynamics (QCD), charge symmetry is broken by the mass difference between the up and down quarks. CSV in the valence region can be extracted from precision measurements of the cross section ratio of charged pion production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) from deuterium. Such measurements were proposed and carried out in experiment E12-09-002 at Jefferson Lab. The experiment was conducted in Hall C from fall 2018 to spring 2019 using the upgraded 10.6 GeV incident electron beam. In this SIDIS experiment, charged pions are detected in coincidence with scattered electrons covering the four-momentum transfer of the virtual photon Q2 from 4 to 5.5 GeV2, the Bjorken variable x for 0.35-0.65, and the fraction of energy transfer carried by the outgoing pion z from 0.4-0.7.

Jia, Shuo↗

MEASURING CLAS12 D(E, E′Π±) CROSS SECTIONS FOR E4NU

Neutrino experiments need neutrino event generators such as GENIE to simulate neutrinonucleus (¿A) interactions in order to measure neutrino oscillations. We need eA data to validate GENIE. GENIE d(e, e') cross sections do not match data in the pion production region. Further analysis of this region can help constrain GENIE models. The goal of this project was to compare 4.244 GeV CLAS12 d(e, e'p±) cross sections to GENIE predictions. We analyzed data from the Fall 2019 run period of Run Group B (RG-B). We applied particle identification, fiducial, and vertex cuts on electron and charged pion candidates. We compared the measured data with events generated with GENIE and another generator called onepigen. We used onepigen to simulate single charged pion production and to calculate radiative corrections for the data. We submitted GENIE and onepigen events to the GEant4 Monte-Carlo (GEMC) simulation of CLAS12 and applied the same cuts we used on the data. We plotted cross sections as functions of W and binned the events in Q2, ¿pq, and Pp. We used 2D (Q2), 3D (Q2 with ¿pq or Pp), and 4D (Q2, ¿pq, and Pp) binning schemes. We found GENIE describes d(e, e'p±) cross sections better than expected. GENIE describes the data remarkably well in the 2D bins and some 3D and 4D bins. There are many discrepancies between GENIE and data in the other 3D and 4D bins. The results show that, relative to data, GENIE cross sections increase as Q2 increases, decrease as Pp increases, and fit best at low ¿pq. These results will help guide improvements to GENIE in order to reduce the systematic uncertainties in neutrino-oscillation experiments.

Fogler, Caleb [Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (Un↗

Searching for Sterile Neutrinos In the NOvA Experiment and Measurements of Hadronic Energy Response with NOvA Test Beam Data

The NOvA (NuMI Off-Axis electron neutrino Appearance) experiment is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment composed of two functionally identical detectors: a 300-ton Near Detector and a 14-kton Far Detector, separated by 809 km and placed 14 mrad off the axis of the NuMI neutrino beam created at Fermilab. This configuration enables NOvA’s rich neutrino physics program, which includes measuring neutrino mixing parameters, determining the neutrino mass hierarchy, probing CP violation in the leptonic sector, studying neutrino cross sections, searching for sterile neutrinos, and more.\\ In this thesis I will present two independent analyses developed within the NOvA experiment. The first is a search for light sterile neutrino oscillations in the 3+1 framework using $\nu_\mu$-CC and NC samples from the NOvA Near and Far Detectors. Light sterile neutrinos are hypothetical neutral leptons that do not participate in the weak interactions but can mix with the three known active neutrinos: $\nu_e$, $\nu_\mu$, and $\nu_\tau$. Anomalous results, such as $\nu_e$/$\bar{\nu}e$ appearance in a $\nu_\mu$ ($\bar{\nu}_\mu$) beam observed by the MiniBooNE and LSND experiments, can be explained by the existence of sterile neutrinos. Thus, proving the existence of this type of neutrino is essential. The latest results of these searches in the NOvA experiment, along with contributions to this effort, will be presented.\\ The second is the first measurement of the pion energy response using data from the NOvA Test Beam experiment. The NOvA Test Beam experiment, deployed at Fermilab, uses a scaled-down 30-ton NOvA detector to analyze tagged beamline particles. The beamline can select and identify electrons, muons, pions, kaons, and protons with momenta ranging from 0.4 to 1.4 GeV/c. Pions are an important component of the hadronic system in neutrino interactions, and understanding how the detector responds to these particles is crucial for the validation of the simulation and the reduction of detector calibration uncertainties, which remain one of the largest systematic uncertainties in NOvA analyses.

Dueñas Tonguino, David Francisco [Cincinnati U.] (↗

Understanding hadronic interactions using advanced reconstruction techniques

ProtoDUNE-SP served as the prototype of the future Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). With a total liquid argon mass of 0.77 kt, it stood as the most extensive monolithic single-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) ever constructed. Strategically located and operated at CERN, ProtoDUNE-SP benefited from a specialized charged-particle test beam, offering a momentum range of 0.3 - 7 GeV/c. This setup provided a unique opportunity to conduct in-depth studies on hadronic interactions within argon. Hadronic interactions play a fundamental role in neutrino physics, particularly in the intricacies of neutrino detection. We depend on analyzing the outcomes of these interactions to accurately determine both the flavor and energy of the interacting neutrinos. Pions, as one of the primary byproducts of neutrino interactions, are crucial for understanding the overall dynamics and kinematics of these processes. Accurately characterizing and understanding the interaction of pions with argon can significantly enhance the precision of neutrino simulations and measurements.Being a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC), ProtoDUNE-SP is distinguished by its ability to produce high-definition images of charged particles as they traverse through the detector's active volume. Yet, accurately reconstructing these particle interactions and determining their kinematic attributes remains a challenging task. The successes of deep learning in diverse domains, especially in image recognition, provide a promising approach for addressing this challenge in ProtoDUNE. This thesis discusses a measurement of the Piplus - argon inelastic cross section in the energy range of 2400 to 3000 MeV, using data taken by protoDUNE during the fall of 2018. Additionally, panoptic segmentation, a machine learning technique, is introduced and validated through its application in the reconstruction of the neutral pion rest mass. The aim is to showcase how these advanced methods can enhance the quality of event reconstruction.

Sarasty Segura, Carlos Eduardo↗

Neutron detection using a crystal ball calorimeter

The program of experiments of the A2 Collaboration performed on a beam of tagged photons of the MAMI electron microtron in Mainz (Germany) includes precision measurements of the total and differential cross sections of the pion photoproduction on neutrons of a deuterium target. The determination of the detector ability to detect neutrons is undoubtedly one of the important problems of the experiment. The calorimetric system of the detector contains a segmented NaI Crystal Ball detector, which gives information about the position, energy, and detection time of neutral and charged particles in a wide angular range. In this work, we describe the measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in the energy range from 20 to 400MeV. The results are compared with BNL data obtained on a pion beam and proton target.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

STAR results on central exclusive production in proton-proton collisions

We present a preliminary measurement of the Central Exclusive Production of the two oppositely charged pions produced in the process pp → ppπ{sup +} π{sup −}, obtained with the STAR detector at RHIC at √(s)=200 GeV. Silicon strip detectors placed in Roman Pots were used for tagging forward protons while pion pair tracks were reconstructed in the STAR Time Projection Chamber. Predictions of models based on Regge phenomenology are compared to the spectra of the kinematical variables corrected for detector acceptance and efficiency.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Simulation of atmospheric temperature effects on cosmic ray muon flux

The collision between a cosmic ray and an atmosphere nucleus produces a set of secondary particles, which will decay or interact with other atmosphere elements. This set of events produced a primary particle is known as an extensive air shower (EAS) and is composed by a muonic, a hadronic and an electromagnetic component. The muonic flux, produced mainly by pions and kaons decays, has a dependency with the atmosphere’s effective temperature: an increase in the effective temperature results in a lower density profile, which decreases the probability of pions and kaons to interact with the atmosphere and, consequently, resulting in a major number of meson decays. Such correlation between the muon flux and the atmosphere’s effective temperature was measured by a set of experiments, such as AMANDA, Borexino, MACRO and MINOS. This phenomena can be investigated by simulating the final muon flux produced by two different parameterizations of the isothermal atmospheric model in CORSIKA, where each parameterization is described by a depth function which can be related to the muon flux in the same way that the muon flux is related to the temperature. This research checks the agreement among different high energy hadronic interactions models and the physical expected behavior of the atmosphere temperature effect by analyzing a set of variables, such as the height of the primary interaction and the difference in the muon flux.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Collective properties of the final state in processes involving the production of hadron jets

Experimental results obtained by studying soft hadron jets in pion-proton and pion-nucleus reactions at intermediate energies with the aid of traditional collective variables are presented. Analytic approximations that describe, at a qualitative level, the dependences of collective parameters on the energy and multiplicity are proposed. Estimates obtained for strong coupling constant by studying collective variables are in reasonable agreement with its world-average value and with the results extracted by using different methods. The behavior of traditional collective variables as functions of the multiplicity in various interactions makes it possible to obtain a universal estimate for the lower boundary of the region of experimental manifestations of jets in multiparticle-production processes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

FERMI LAT DISCOVERY OF EXTENDED GAMMA-RAY EMISSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF THE HB 3 SUPERNOVA REMNANT

We report the discovery of extended gamma-ray emission measured by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in the region of the supernova remnant (SNR) HB 3 (G132.7+1.3) and the W3 II complex adjacent to the southeast of the remnant. W3 is spatially associated with bright {sup 12}CO (J = 1–0) emission. The gamma-ray emission is spatially correlated with this gas and the SNR. We discuss the possibility that gamma rays originate in interactions between particles accelerated in the SNR and interstellar gas or radiation fields. The decay of neutral pions produced in nucleon–nucleon interactions between accelerated hadrons and interstellar gas provides a reasonable explanation for the gamma-ray emission. The emission from W3 is consistent with irradiation of the CO clouds by the cosmic rays accelerated in HB 3.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Coherent π{sup 0}-photoproduction on the deuteron near the η-production threshold including polarization observables

Coherent π{sup 0}-photoproduction on the deuteron including polarization observables is studied in the energy region near the η-production threshold at backward center-of-mass angles of the outgoing pion. This work is motivated by the measurements of the CLAS Collaboration at Jefferson Lab, where a cusp-like structure in the energy dependence of the differential cross section has been observed at extremely backward pion angles. The present approach is based on the impulse approximation and first-order rescattering diagrams with intermediate production of both π- and η-mesons. Numerical results for unpolarized cross sections, the linear photon asymmetry (Σ), the vector (T{sub 11}) and tensor (T{sub 2M}, M=0, 1, 2) deuteron target asymmetries, and the double polarization E-asymmetry are predicted and compared with available experimental data and other theoretical models. The effect of first-order rescattering is found to be much larger in spin asymmetries than in the unpolarized cross sections. It reaches on average about 40% in the tensor target and E asymmetries. Compared to the experimental data from CLAS Collaboration, sizable discrepancies are found. This is not the case for the linear photon asymmetry, for which a better comparison with the data from YerPhI Collaboration is obtained.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Detector for measuring the π + → e + v branching fraction

The PIENU experiment at TRIUMF is aimed at a measurement of the branching ratio R e/u = Γ((π + → e + v e ) + (π + → e + v e γ))/Γ((π + → μ + v μ ) + (π + → μ + v μ γ)) with precision < 0.1%. Incident pions, delivered at the rate of 60 kHz with momentum 75 MeV/c, were degraded and stopped in a plastic scintillator target. Pions and their decay product positrons were detected with plastic scintillators and tracked with multiwire proportional chambers and silicon strip detectors. The energies of the positrons were measured in a spectrometer consisting of a large NaI(Tℓ) crystal surrounded by an array of pure CsI crystals. This paper provides a description of the PIENU experimental apparatus and its performance in pursuit of R e/u

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗