Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Particle Physics with the Pierre Auger Observatory

  Matias Perlin

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 130 (2022) · published 13 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest extensive air shower detector. Based on a hybrid system, this experiment measures the longitudinal shower development and the particles at the ground. This detection system allows the extraction of the p-air cross-section at energies much higher than the ones accessible by current colliders. It is also possible to test hadronic interaction models using correlations between different air shower observables, like the depth of shower maximum and the muon number at the ground and their fluctuations. Thanks to the low energy extension of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the muon deficit in air shower simulations can be addressed over almost three decades at the highest energies.

  2 citations

• SINDRUM II

  A. van der Schaaf

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 5, 008 (2021) · published 6 September 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In 1987 a collaboration including ETHZ - UZH - PSI - RWTH Aachen - Univ. Tbilisi proposed a new search for μe conversion in muonic atoms. The SINDRUM II spectrometer came into operation in the PSI μE1 area in 1989, but a dedicated beam line was delayed until 1998 by technical setbacks.

  2 citations

• Diffusion of muonic hydrogen in hydrogen gas and the measurement of the 1$s$ hyperfine splitting of muonic hydrogen

  J. Nuber, A. Adamczak, M. Abdou Ahmed, L. Affolter, F. D. Amaro, P. Amaro, A. Antognini, P. Carvalho, Y. -H. Chang, T. -L. Chen, W. -L. Chen, L. M. P. Fernandes, M. Ferro, D. Goeldi, T. Graf, M. Guerra, T. W. Hänsch, C. A. O. Henriques, M. Hildebrandt, P. Indelicato, O. Kara, K. Kirch, A. Knecht, F. Kottmann, Y. -W. Liu, J. Machado, M. Marszalek, R. D. P. Mano, C. M. B. Monteiro, F. Nez, A. Ouf, N. Paul, R. Pohl, E. Rapisarda, J. M. F. dos Santos, J. P. Santos, P. A. O. C. Silva, L. Sinkunaite, J. -T. Shy, K. Schuhmann, S. Rajamohanan, A. Soter, L. Sustelo, D. Taqqu, L. -B. Wang, F. Wauters, P. Yzombard, M. Zeyen, J. Zhang

  SciPost Phys. Core 6, 057 (2023) · published 23 August 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The CREMA collaboration is pursuing a measurement of the ground-state hyperfine splitting (HFS) in muonic hydrogen ($\mu$p) with 1 ppm accuracy by means of pulsed laser spectroscopy. In the proposed experiment, the $\mu$p atom is excited by a laser pulse from the singlet to the triplet hyperfine sub-levels, and is quenched back to the singlet state by an inelastic collision with a H$_2$ molecule. The resulting increase of kinetic energy after this cycle modifies the $\mu$p atom diffusion in the hydrogen gas and the arrival time of the $\mu$p atoms at the target walls. This laser-induced modification of the arrival times is used to expose the atomic transition. In this paper we present the simulation of the $\mu$p diffusion in the H$_2$ gas which is at the core of the experimental scheme. These simulations have been implemented with the Geant4 framework by introducing various low-energy processes including the motion of the H$_2$ molecules, i.e. the effects related with the hydrogen target temperature. The simulations have been used to optimize the hydrogen target parameters (pressure, temperatures and thickness) and to estimate signal and background rates. These rates allow to estimate the maximum time needed to find the resonance and the statistical accuracy of the spectroscopy experiment.

  2 citations

• The SINDRUM-I Experiment

  Ralph Eichler, Christoph Grab

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 5, 007 (2021) · published 6 September 2021 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  SINDRUM-I was the first nearly 4 spectrometer at SIN. It was initially designed to 9 search for the forbidden decay + ! e+e􀀀e+ , but also successfully studied various 10 other processes with high precision. The upper limit obtained for the branching ratio of B!3e = 􀀀 (+ ! e+e􀀀e+ )=􀀀 (+ ! e+e¯ 11  ) < 1.0  10􀀀12(90% CL) from 1988 is still the best. The first statistically significant observation of the rare decay + ! e+e􀀀e+e¯ 12  , achieved in 1985, yielded a branching ratio of B13 !3e2 = (3.40.20.2)10􀀀5. Several 14 othermeasurements of rare decays were undertaken: the first observation of the -decay 15 + !e+ee􀀀e+ resulted in 􀀀 (+ !e+ee􀀀e+ )=􀀀 (+ !+ ) = (3.2  0.5  0.2)  10􀀀9, 16 also still the best measurement; and a determination of the ratio of the weak axial- to 17 vector-form factor FA=FV = (0.7  0.5), resolving an ambiguity. In addition, upper limits 18 for + ! e+ and + ! e+e with subsequent decay ! e+e􀀀 (search for "massless" Goldstone bosons) and 0 !e+e􀀀 19 < 1.3  10􀀀7 were obtained.

  2 citations

• Analysis of radiation damage in silicon charge-coupled devices used for dark matter searches

  Steven J. Lee

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 030 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Nuclear recoils in crystal detectors generate radiation damage in the form of crystal defects that can be measured in scientific-grade CCDs as local hot spots of leakage current stimulated by temperature increases in the devices. In this proceeding, we use a neutron source to generate defects in DAMIC-M CCDs, and using increases in leakage current at different temperatures, we demonstrate a procedure for identifying crystal defects in the CCDs of the DAMIC-M experiment. This is the first time that individual defects generated from nuclear recoils have been studied. This technique could be used to distinguish nuclear recoils from electron recoils in some energy ranges, which would improve the ability of CCD detectors to search for weakly interacting dark matter.

  2 citations

• The DarkSide-20k TPC and underground argon cryogenic system

  Thomas N. Thorpe on behalf of the DS-20k collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 069 (2023) · published 5 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) will exploit the physical and chemical properties of liquid argon (LAr) housed within a large dual-phase time project chamber (TPC) in its direct search for dark matter. The TPC will utilize a compact, integrated design with many novel features to enable the 20t fiducial volume of underground argon. Underground Argon (UAr) is sourced from underground CO$_2$ wells and depleted in the radioactive isotope $^{39}$Ar, greatly enhancing the experimental sensitivity to dark matter interactions. Sourcing and transporting the $\mathcal{O}$(100t) of UAr for (DS-20k) is costly, and a dedicated single-closed-loop cryogenic system has been designed, constructed, and tested to handle the valuable UAr. We present an overview of the (DS-20k) TPC design and the first results from the UAr cryogenic system.

  2 citations

• Latest Belle results on Tau decays

  Yifan Jin, Denis Epifanov, Hiroaki Aihara

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 002 (2019) · published 18 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present preliminary results of a latest measurement at Belle, the branching fraction of rare tau decay, $\tau^- \rightarrow \pi^- \nu_{\tau} \ell^+ \ell^-$ ($\ell = e$ or $\mu$), using a 562 $\rm fb^{-1}$\ data set. The branching fraction of $\tau^- \rightarrow \pi^- e^+ e^- \nu_\tau$ is measured to be $\mathbf{ \mathcal{B}(\tau^-\rightarrow \pi^- e^+ e^- \nu_\tau) = (2.11 \pm 0.19 \pm 0.30) \times 10^{-5}}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. An upper limit is set on the branching fraction of $\tau^- \rightarrow \pi^- \mu^+ \mu^- \nu_\tau$, $\mathbf{\mathcal{B}(\tau^-\rightarrow \pi^- \mu^+ \mu^- \nu_\tau) < 1.06 \times 10^{-5}}$, at 90\% confidence level.

  2 citations

• Test lepton flavor universality with (semi)leptonic $D$ decays at BESIII

  S. F. Zhang on behalf of the BESIII Collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 016 (2019) · published 19 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Using 2.93~fb$^{-1}$ data taken at $\sqrt{s}=3.773$~GeV, 0.482~fb$^{-1}$ data taken at $\sqrt{s}=4.009$~GeV and 3.19~fb$^{-1}$ data taken at $\sqrt{s}=4.178$~GeV with the BESIII detector, precision measurements of the branching fractions of $D^0\to K^-\mu^+\nu_\mu$, $D^+\to\bar K^0\mu^+\nu_\mu$, $D^0\to\pi^-\mu^+\nu_\mu$, $D^+\to\pi^0\mu^+\nu_\mu$, $D^+\to\ell^+\nu_\ell$ and $D_s^+\to\ell^+\nu_\ell$ are performed. Combining the known branching fractions of $D\to\bar Ke^+\nu_e$, $D\to\pi e^+\nu_e$ and $D^+_s\to\tau^+\nu_\tau$, we have tested the lepton flavor universality with $D\to\bar K\ell^+\nu_\ell$, $D\to\pi\ell^+\nu_\ell$, $D^+\to\ell^+\nu_\ell$ and $D_{s}^+\to\ell^+\nu_\ell$ decays. We have also tested lepton flavor universality in different $q_{\ell\nu_\ell}^2$ intervals for $D\to\bar K\ell^+\nu_\ell$~($\ell=e$ or $\mu$). Besides, hadronic form factor $f_+^K(0)$, $D$ meson decay constant $f_{D_s^+}$ and $f_{D^+}$, and quark mixing matrix element $|V_{cs}|$ and $|V_{cd}|$ are also extracted with the most precise accuracies to date.

  2 citations

• The LHCspin project

  M. Santimaria, V. Carassiti, G. Ciullo, P. Di Nezza, P. Lenisa, S. Mariani, L. L. Pappalardo, E. Steffens

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 050 (2022) · published 12 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Broad and unexplored kinematic regions can be accessed at the LHC with fixed-target $pp$, $pA$ and $PbA$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=72-115~\rm{GeV}$. The LHCb detector is a fully-instrumented forward spectrometer able to run in fixed-target mode, and currently hosts a target gas cell to take data in the upcoming Run 3. The LHCspin project aims at extending this physics program to Run 4 and to bring polarised physics at the LHC. An overview of the physics potential and a description of the LHCspin experimental setup are presented.

  2 citations

• LHC searches motivated by recent $B$-anomalies

  Darius Alexander Faroughy

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 021 (2019) · published 19 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We discuss the physics case for the LHC motivated by the $B$-physics anomalies. After correlating semi-tauonic $B$ decays to di-tau production at the LHC, and discussing the possible models solving the $B$-anomalies, we show how existing LHC data in $\tau\bar\tau$ tails exclude most beyond the SM scenarios except for a handful of leptoquark (LQ) models. We analyze the impact of LHC searches for some of these LQ solutions using current data. In particular, we focus on the well known $U_1$ vector LQ as well as the GUT-inspired scalar LQs, $R_2$ and $S_3$. By exploiting the complementarity between di-tau searches and the lepton flavor violating decays $B\to K\mu\tau$ and $\tau\to\mu\phi$ we argue that these model can be cornered by the LHC, Belle~II and LHCb in the near future.

  2 citations