LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Ruiz Valls, P., & Sanchez Mayordomo, C. (2014). Precision Measurement of the Mass and Lifetime of the Xi(0)(b) Baryon. Phys. Rev. Lett., 113(3), 032001–10pp.
Abstract: Using a proton-proton collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected by LHCb at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, about 3800 Xi(0)(b) -> Xi(+)(c)pi(-), Xi(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) signal decays are reconstructed. From this sample, the first measurement of the Xi(0)(b) baryon lifetime is made, relative to that of the Lambda(0)(b) baryon. The mass differences M(Xi(0)(b)) – M(Lambda(0)(b)) and M(Xi(+)(c)) – M(Lambda(+)(c)) are also measured with precision more than 4 times better than the current world averages. The resulting values are tau(Xi b0)/tau(Lambda b0) = 1.006 +/- 0.018 +/- 0.010, M(Xi(0)(b)) – M(Lambda(0)(b)) = 172.44 +/- 0.39 +/- 0.17 MeV/c(2), M(Xi(+)(c)) – M(Lambda(+)(c)) = 181.51 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.10 MeV/c(2), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The relative rate of Xi(0)(b) to Lambda(0)(b) baryon production is measured to be f(Xi b0) B(Xi(0)(b) -> Xi(+)(c)pi(-)) B(Xi(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+))/f(Lambda b0) B(Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-)) B(Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+)) = (1.88 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.03) x 10(-2), where the first factor is the ratio of fragmentation fractions, b -> Xi(0)(b) relative to b -> Lambda(0)(b). Relative production rates as functions of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are also presented.
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Gottardo, A. et al, Gadea, A., & Algora, A. (2014). Isomeric decay spectroscopy of the Bi-217 isotope. Phys. Rev. C, 90(3), 034317–6pp.
Abstract: The structure of the neutron-rich bismuth isotope Bi-217 has been studied for the first time. The fragmentation of a primary U-238 beam at the FRS-RISING setup at GSI was exploited to perform gamma-decay spectroscopy, since μs isomeric states were expected in this nucleus. Gamma rays following the decay of a t(1/2) = 3 μs isomer were observed, allowing one to establish the low-lying structure of Bi-217. The level energies and the reduced electric quadrupole transition probability B(E2) from the isomeric state are compared to large-scale shell-model calculations.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Mendoza, E. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., & Tain, J. L. (2014). Measurement and analysis of the Am-243 neutron capture cross section at the n_TOF facility at CERN. Phys. Rev. C, 90(3), 034608–16pp.
Abstract: Background: The design of new nuclear reactors and transmutation devices requires to reduce the present neutron cross section uncertainties of minor actinides. Purpose: Improvement of the Am-243(n, gamma) cross section uncertainty. Method: The Am-243(n, gamma) cross section has been measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN with a BaF2 total absorption calorimeter, in the energy range between 0.7 eV and 2.5 keV. Results: The Am-243(n, gamma) cross section has been successfully measured in the mentioned energy range. The resolved resonance region has been extended from 250 eV up to 400 eV. In the unresolved resonance region our results are compatible with one of the two incompatible capture data sets available below 2.5 keV. The data available in EXFOR and in the literature have been used to perform a simple analysis above 2.5 keV. Conclusions: The results of this measurement contribute to reduce the Am-243(n, gamma) cross section uncertainty and suggest that this cross section is underestimated up to 25% in the neutron energy range between 50 eV and a few keV in the present evaluated data libraries.
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XENON100 Collaboration(Aprile, E. et al), & Orrigo, S. E. A. (2014). Observation and applications of single-electron charge signals in the XENON100 experiment. J. Phys. G, 41(3), 035201–13pp.
Abstract: The XENON100 dark matter experiment uses liquid xenon in a time projection chamber (TPC) to measure xenon nuclear recoils resulting from the scattering of dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). In this paper, we report the observation of single-electron charge signals which are not related to WIMP interactions. These signals, which show the excellent sensitivity of the detector to small charge signals, are explained as being due to the photoionization of impurities in the liquid xenon and of the metal components inside the TPC. They are used as a unique calibration source to characterize the detector. We explain how we can infer crucial parameters for the XENON100 experiment: the secondary-scintillation gain, the extraction yield from the liquid to the gas phase and the electron drift velocity.
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Langer, C. et al, & Domingo-Pardo, C. (2014). Determining the rp-Process Flow through Ni-56: Resonances in Cu-57(p,gamma)Zn-58 Identified with GRETINA. Phys. Rev. Lett., 113(3), 032502–5pp.
Abstract: An approach is presented to experimentally constrain previously unreachable (p,gamma) reaction rates on nuclei far from stability in the astrophysical rp process. Energies of all critical resonances in the Cu-57(p,gamma)Zn-58 reaction are deduced by populating states in Zn-58 with a (d, n) reaction in inverse kinematics at 75 MeV/u, and detecting.-ray-recoil coincidences with the state-of-the-art gamma-ray tracking array GRETINA and the S800 spectrograph at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The results reduce the uncertainty in the Cu-57(p,gamma) reaction rate by several orders of magnitude. The effective lifetime of Ni-56, an important waiting point in the rp process in x-ray bursts, can now be determined entirely from experimentally constrained reaction rates.
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