NEXT Collaboration(Kekic, M. et al), Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Diaz, J., Felkai, R., et al. (2021). Demonstration of background rejection using deep convolutional neural networks in the NEXT experiment. J. High Energy Phys., 01(1), 189–22pp.
Abstract: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are widely used state-of-the-art computer vision tools that are becoming increasingly popular in high-energy physics. In this paper, we attempt to understand the potential of CNNs for event classification in the NEXT experiment, which will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in Xe-136. To do so, we demonstrate the usage of CNNs for the identification of electron-positron pair production events, which exhibit a topology similar to that of a neutrinoless double-beta decay event. These events were produced in the NEXT-White high-pressure xenon TPC using 2.6 MeV gamma rays from a Th-228 calibration source. We train a network on Monte Carlo-simulated events and show that, by applying on-the-fly data augmentation, the network can be made robust against differences between simulation and data. The use of CNNs offers significant improvement in signal efficiency and background rejection when compared to previous non-CNN-based analyses.
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NEXT Collaboration(Monrabal, F. et al), Laing, A., Alvarez, V., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., et al. (2018). The NEXT White (NEW) detector. J. Instrum., 13, P12010–38pp.
Abstract: Conceived to host 5 kg of xenon at a pressure of 15 bar in the fiducial volume, the NEXT-White apparatus is currently the largest high pressure xenon gas TPC using electroluminescent amplification in the world. It is also a 1:2 scale model of the NEXT-100 detector for Xe-136 beta beta 0 nu decay searches, scheduled to start operations in 2019. Both detectors measure the energy of the event using a plane of photomultipliers located behind a transparent cathode. They can also reconstruct the trajectories of charged tracks in the dense gas of the TPC with the help of a plane of silicon photomultipliers located behind the anode. A sophisticated gas system, common to both detectors, allows the high gas purity needed to guarantee a long electron lifetime. NEXT-White has been operating since October 2016 at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc (LSC), in Spain. This paper describes the detector and associated infrastructures, as well as the main aspects of its initial operation.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Azzolini, V., Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Search for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation in Narrow Gamma Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 104(15), 151802–7pp.
Abstract: Charged-lepton flavor-violating processes are unobservable in the standard model, but they are predicted to be enhanced in several extensions to the standard model, including supersymmetry and models with leptoquarks or compositeness. We present a search for such processes in a sample of 99 x 10(6)Gamma(2S) decays and 117 x 10(6)Gamma(3S) decays collected with the BABAR detector. We place upper limits on the branching fractions B(Gamma(nS) --> e(+/-)tau(-/+)) and B(Gamma(n(S) --> mu(+/-)tau(-/+)) (n = 2, 3) at the 10(-6) level and use these results to place lower limits of order 1 TeV on the mass scale of charged-lepton flavor-violating effective operators.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Observation of the Y(1(3)D(J)) bottomonium state through decays to pi(+)pi Y-(1S). Phys. Rev. D, 82(11), 111102–7pp.
Abstract: Based on 122 X 10(6)Y(3S) events collected with the BABAR detector, we have observed the Y(1(3)D(J)) bottomonium state through the Y(3S) -> gamma gamma Y(1(3)D(J)) -> gamma gamma pi(+)pi Y-(1S) decay chain. The significance for the J = 2 member of the Y(1(3)D(J)) triplet is 5.8 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties. The mass of the J = 2 state is determined to be 10 164.5 +/- 0.8(stat) +/- 0.5(syst) MeV/c(2). We use the pi(+)pi(-) invariant mass distribution to confirm the consistency of the observed state with the orbital angular momentum assignment of the Y(1(3)D(J)).
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BABAR Collaboration(Aubert, B. et al), Azzolini, V., Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Observation of the chi(c2)(2P) meson in the reaction gamma gamma -> D(D)over-bar at BABAR. Phys. Rev. D, 81(9), 092003–16pp.
Abstract: A search for the Z(3930) resonance in gamma gamma production of the D (D) over bar system has been performed using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 384 fb(-1) recorded by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy electron-positron collider. The D (D) over bar invariant mass distribution shows clear evidence of the Z(3930) state with a significance of 5.8 sigma. We determine mass and width values of (3926.7 +/- 2.7 +/- 1.1) MeV/c(2) and (21.3 +/- 6.8 +/- 3.6) MeV, respectively. A decay angular analysis provides evidence that the Z(3930) is a tensor state with positive parity and C parity (J(PC) = 2(++)); therefore we identify the Z(3930) state as the chi(c2)(2P) meson. The value of the partial width Gamma(gamma gamma) x B(Z(3930) -> D (D) over bar) is found to be (0.24 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.04) keV.
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