Abstract: The LHCf experiment aims to improve knowledge of forward neutral particle production spectra at the LHC energy which is relevant for the interpretation of air shower development of high energy cosmic rays. Two detectors, each composed of a pair of sampling and imaging calorimeters, have been installed at the forward region of IP1 to measure pi(0) energy spectra above 600 GeV. In this paper, we present a Monte Carlo study of the pi(0) measurements to be performed with one of the LHCf detectors for proton-proton collisions at root s = 14 TeV. In approximately 40 min of operation at luminosity 0.8 x 10(29) cm(-2) s(-1) during the beam commissioning phase of LHC, about 1.5 x 10(4) pi(0) events are expected to be obtained at two transverse positions of the detector. The backgrounds from interactions of secondary particles with beam pipes and interactions of beam particles with residual gas in the beam pipes are expected to be less than 0.1% of the signal from pi(0)s. We also discuss the capability of LHCf measurements to discriminate between the various hadron interaction models that are used for simulation of high energy air showers, such as DPMJET3.03, QGSJETII-03, SIBYLL2.1 and EPOS1.99.

Abstract: The use of the most advanced technology in medical imaging results in the development of high performance detectors that can significantly improve the performance of the medical devices employed in hospitals. Scintillator crystals coupled to photodetectors remain to be essential detectors in terms of performance and cost for medical imaging applications in different imaging modalities. Recent advances in photodetectors result in an increase of the performance of the medical scanners. Solid state detectors can provide substantial performance improvement, but are more complex to integrate into clinical detectors due mainly to their higher cost. Solid state photodetectors (APDs, SiPMs) have made new detector concepts possible and have led to improvements in different imaging modalities. Recent advances in detectors for medical imaging are revised.

Abstract: Spectroscopic and timing response studies have been conducted on a detector module consisting of a silicon Pixel Array Detector bonded on two VATAGP7 read-out chips manufactured by Gamma-Medica Ideas using laboratory gamma sources and the internal calibration facilities (the calibration system of the read-out chips). The performed tests have proven that the chips have (i) non-linear calibration curves which can be approximated by power functions, (ii) capability to measure the energy of photons with energy resolution better than 2 keV (exact range and resolution depend on experimental setup), (iii) the internal calibration facility which provides 6 out of 16 available internal calibration charges within our region of interest (spanning the Compton edge of 511 keV photons). The peaks induced by the internal calibration facility are suitable for a fit of the calibration curves. However, they are not suitable for measurements of equivalent noise charge because their full width at half maximum varies with their amplitude. These facts indicate that the VATAGP7 chips are useful and precise tools for a wide variety of spectroscopic devices. We have also explored time walk of the module and peaking time of the spectroscopy signals provided by the chips. We have observed that (iv) the time walk is caused partly by the peaking time of the signals provided by the fast shaper of the chips and partly by the timing uncertainty related to the varying position of the photon interaction, (v) the peaking time of the spectroscopy signals provided by the chips increases with increasing pulse height.

Abstract: Invariant mass distributions of B (+) pi (-) and B (0) pi (+) combinations are investigated in order to study excited B mesons. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to 3.0 fb(-1) of pp collision data, recorded by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Precise measurements of the masses and widths of the B (1)(5721)(0,+) and B (2)(5747)(0,+) states are reported. Clear enhancements, particularly prominent at high pion transverse momentum, are seen over background in the mass range 5850-6000 MeV in both B (+) pi (-) and B (0) pi (+) combinations. The structures are consistent with the presence of four excited B mesons, labelled B (J) (5840)(0,+) and B (J) (5960)(0,+), whose masses and widths are obtained under different hypotheses for their quantum numbers.

Abstract: The B (s) (0) -> J/psi phi phi decay is observed in pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) recorded by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV. This is the first observation of this decay channel, with a statistical significance of 15 standard deviations. The mass of the B (s) (0) meson is measured to be 5367.08 +/- 0.38 +/- 0.15 MeV/c(2). The branching fraction ratio B[B(s)(0) -> J/psi phi phi]/B[B(s)(0) -> J/psi phi] is measured to be 0.0115 +/- 0.0012 (- 0.0009) (+ 0.0005) . In both cases, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No evidence for non-resonant B(s)(0) -> J/psi phi K (+) K (-) or B(s)(0) -> J/psi K (+) K (-) K (+) K (-) decays is found.