BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Search for the decay B-0 -> gamma gamma. Phys. Rev. D, 83(4), 032006–11pp.
Abstract: We report the result of a search for the rare decay B-0 -> gamma gamma in 426 fb(-1) of data, corresponding to 226 x 10(6) B-0(B) over bar (0) pairs, collected on the Y(4S) resonance at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider using the BABAR detector. We use a maximum likelihood fit to extract the signal yield and observe 21(-12)(+13) signal events with a statistical significance of 1.8 sigma. This corresponds to a branching fraction B(B-0 -> gamma gamma) = (1.7 +/- 1.1(stat.) +/- 0.2(syst.)) X 10(-7). Based on this result, we set a 90% confidence level upper limit of B(B-0 -> gamma gamma) < 3.2 X 10(-7).
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Observation of the Decay B- -> D_s(*) K- l- nu(bar). Phys. Rev. Lett., 107(4), 041804–8pp.
Abstract: We report the observation of the decay B(-) -> D(s)(()*()+)K(-)l(-)(nu) over bar (l) based on 342 fb(-1) of data collected at the Y(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) storage rings at SLAC. A simultaneous fit to three D(s)(+) decay chains is performed to extract the signal yield from measurements of the squared missing mass in the B meson decay. We observe the decay B(-) -> D(s)(()*()+)K(-)l(-)(nu) over bar (l) with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations (including systematic uncertainties) and measure its branching fraction to be B(B(-) -> D(s)(()*())K(-)l(-)(nu) over bar (l) = [6.13(-1.03)(+1.04)(stat) +/- 0.43(syst) +/- 0.51 (B(D(s)))] X 10(-4), where the last error reflects the limited knowledge of the D(s) branching fractions.
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NEXT Collaboration(Fernandes, A. F. M. et al), Alvarez, V., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Diaz, J., et al. (2020). Low-diffusion Xe-He gas mixtures for rare-event detection: electroluminescence yield. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 034–18pp.
Abstract: High pressure xenon Time Projection Chambers (TPC) based on secondary scintillation (electroluminescence) signal amplification are being proposed for rare event detection such as directional dark matter, double electron capture and double beta decay detection. The discrimination of the rare event through the topological signature of primary ionisation trails is a major asset for this type of TPC when compared to single liquid or double-phase TPCs, limited mainly by the high electron diffusion in pure xenon. Helium admixtures with xenon can be an attractive solution to reduce the electron diffu- sion significantly, improving the discrimination efficiency of these optical TPCs. We have measured the electroluminescence (EL) yield of Xe-He mixtures, in the range of 0 to 30% He and demonstrated the small impact on the EL yield of the addition of helium to pure xenon. For a typical reduced electric field of 2.5 kV/cm/bar in the EL region, the EL yield is lowered by similar to 2%, 3%, 6% and 10% for 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% of helium concentration, respectively. This decrease is less than what has been obtained from the most recent simulation framework in the literature. The impact of the addition of helium on EL statistical fluctuations is negligible, within the experimental uncertainties. The present results are an important benchmark for the simulation tools to be applied to future optical TPCs based on Xe-He mixtures.
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NEXT Collaboration(Woodruff, K. et al), Alvarez, V., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Diaz, J., et al. (2020). Radio frequency and DC high voltage breakdown of high pressure helium, argon, and xenon. J. Instrum., 15(4), P04022–15pp.
Abstract: Motivated by the possibility of guiding daughter ions from double beta decay events to single-ion sensors for barium tagging, the NEXT collaboration is developing a program of R&D to test radio frequency (RF) carpets for ion transport in high pressure xenon gas. This would require carpet functionality in regimes at higher pressures than have been previously reported, implying correspondingly larger electrode voltages than in existing systems. This mode of operation appears plausible for contemporary RF-carpet geometries due to the higher predicted breakdown strength of high pressure xenon relative to low pressure helium, the working medium in most existing RF carpet devices. In this paper we present the first measurements of the high voltage dielectric strength of xenon gas at high pressure and at the relevant RF frequencies for ion transport (in the 10MHz range), as well as new DC and RF measurements of the dielectric strengths of high pressure argon and helium gases at small gap sizes. We find breakdown voltages that are compatible with stable RF carpet operation given the gas, pressure, voltage, materials and geometry of interest.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Azzolini, V., Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Observation of the rare decay B-0 -> K-S(0) K-+/-pi(-/+). Phys. Rev. D, 82(3), 031101–8pp.
Abstract: We report an analysis of charmless hadronic decays of neutral B mesons to the final state (KSK +/-)-K-0 pi(-/+) (sic), using a data sample of (465 +/- 5) x 10(6) B (B) over bar events collected with the BABAR detector at the Gamma(4S) resonance. We observe an excess of signal events with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties and measure the branching fraction to be B(B-0 -> (KSK +/-)-K-0 pi(-/+) (sic) (3.2 +/- 0.5 +/- 0.3) x 10(-6), where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.
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