|
|
BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2012). Search for the decay D-0 -> gamma gamma and measurement of the branching fraction for D-0 -> pi(0)pi(0). Phys. Rev. D, 85(9), 091107–8pp.
Abstract: We search for the rare decay of the D-0 meson to two photons, D-0 -> gamma gamma, and present a measurement of the branching fraction for a D-0 meson decaying to two neutral pions, B(D-0 -> pi(0)pi(0)). The data sample analyzed corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 470.5 fb(-1) collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC. We place an upper limit on the branching fraction, B(D-0 -> gamma gamma) < 2.2 x 10(-6), at 90% confidence level. This limit improves on the existing limit by an order of magnitude. We also find B(D-0 -> pi(0)pi(0)) = (8.4 +/- 0.1 +/- 0.4 +/- 0.3 +/-) x 10(-4).
|
|
|
|
BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2012). Cross sections for the reactions e(+)e(-) -> K+K-pi(+)pi(-), K+K-pi(0)pi(0), and K+K-K+K- measured using initial-state radiation events. Phys. Rev. D, 86(1), 012008–34pp.
Abstract: We study the processes e(+)e(-) -> K+K-pi(+)pi(-)gamma, K+K-pi(0)pi(0)gamma, and K+K-K+K-gamma, where the photon is radiated from the initial state. About 84000, 8000, and 4200 fully reconstructed events, respectively, are selected from 454 fb(-1) of BABAR data. The invariantmass of the hadronic final state defines the e(+)e(-) center-of- mass energy, so that the K+K-pi(+)pi(-)gamma data can be compared with direct measurements of the e(+)e(-) -> K+K-pi(+)pi(-) reaction. No directmeasurements exist for the e(+)e(-) -> K+K-pi(0)pi(0) or e(+)e(-) -> K+K-K+K- reactions, andwe present an update of our previous result based on a data sample that is twice as large. Studying the structure of these events, we find contributions froma number of intermediate states and extract their cross sections. In particular, we perform a more detailed study of the e(+)e(-) -> phi(1020)pi pi gamma reaction and confirm the presence of the Y(2175) resonance in the phi(1020)integral(0)(980) and K+K-integral(0)(980) modes. In the charmonium region, we observe the J/psi in all three final states and in several intermediate states, as well as the psi(2S) in some modes, and measure the corresponding products of branching fraction and electron width.
|
|
|
|
NEXT Collaboration(McDonald, A. D. et al), Alvarez, V., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Botas, A., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., et al. (2018). Demonstration of Single-Barium-Ion Sensitivity for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging. Phys. Rev. Lett., 120(13), 132504–6pp.
Abstract: A new method to tag the barium daughter in the double-beta decay of Xe-136 is reported. Using the technique of single molecule fluorescent imaging (SMFI), individual barium dication (Ba++) resolution at a transparent scanning surface is demonstrated. A single-step photobleach confirms the single ion interpretation. Individual ions are localized with superresolution (similar to 2 nm), and detected with a statistical significance of 12.9 sigma over backgrounds. This lays the foundation for a new and potentially background-free neutrinoless double-beta decay technology, based on SMFI coupled to high pressure xenon gas time projection chambers.
|
|
|
|
NEXT Collaboration(Henriques, C. A. O. et al), Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Diaz, J., Felkai, R., et al. (2022). Neutral Bremsstrahlung Emission in Xenon Unveiled. Phys. Rev. X, 12(2), 021005–23pp.
Abstract: We present evidence of non-excimer-based secondary scintillation in gaseous xenon, obtained using both the NEXT-White time projection chamber (TPC) and a dedicated setup. Detailed comparison with first-principle calculations allows us to assign this scintillation mechanism to neutral bremsstrahlung (NBrS), a process that is postulated to exist in xenon that has been largely overlooked. For photon emission below 1000 nm, the NBrS yield increases from about 10(-2) photon/e(-) cm(-1) bar(-1) at pressure-reduced electric field values of 50 V cm(-1) bar(-1) to above 3 x 10(-1) photon/e(-) cm(-1) bar(-1) at 500 V cm(-1) bar(-1). Above 1.5 kV cm(-1) bar(-1), values that are typically employed for electroluminescence, it is estimated that NBrS is present with an intensity around 1 photon/e(-) cm(-1) bar(-1), which is about 2 orders of magnitude lower than conventional, excimer-based electroluminescence. Despite being fainter than its excimeric counterpart, our calculations reveal that NBrS causes luminous backgrounds that can interfere, in either gas or liquid phase, with the ability to distinguish and/or to precisely measure low primary-scintillation signals (S1). In particular, we show this to be the case in the "buffer region, where keeping the electric field below the electroluminescence threshold does not suffice to extinguish secondary scintillation. The electric field leakage in this region should be mitigated to avoid intolerable levels of NBrS emission. Furthermore, we show that this new source of light emission opens up a viable path toward obtaining S2 signals for discrimination purposes in future single-phase liquid TPCs for neutrino and dark matter physics, with estimated yields up to 20-50 photons/e(-) cm(-1).
|
|
|
|
BABAR Collaboration(Aubert, B. et al), Azzolini, V., Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2013). The BABAR detector: Upgrades, operation and performance. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 729, 615–701.
Abstract: The BABAR detector operated successfully at the PEP-Il asymmetric e(+) e(-) collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory from 1999 to 2008. This report covers upgrades, operation, and performance of the collider and the detector systems, as well as the trigger, online and offline computing, and aspects of event reconstruction since the beginning of data taking.
|
|
