A method to polarise antiprotons in storage rings and create polarised antineutrons

An intense circularly polarised g \gamma -beam interacts with a cooled antiproton beam in a storage ring. Due to spin-dependent absorption cross-sections for the reaction g+[`(p)]?p<sup>-</sup>+[`(n)]\ensuremath \gamma+\overline{p}\rightarrow\pi^{-}+\overline{n} a built-up of polarisation of the stored antiprotons takes place. Figures of merit around 0.1 can be reached in principle over a wide range of antiproton energies. In this process polarised antineutrons with polarisation P_[`(n)] \succ 70%\ensuremath P_{\overline{n}} \succ 70\% emerge. The method is presented for the case of a 300MeV/c cooled antiproton beam.     

Laser enhanced positron capture

The production of antihydrogen via positron-antiproton radiative capture can be enhanced considerably by the process of stimulated photon emission. The gained yield of antihydrogen due to this process is evaluated for experimental conditions, where a positron beam is merged with antiprotons circulating in a storage ring, and the overlap area of both beams is illuminated with intense laser light. The scaling characteristics of the laser-induced gain are pointed out, considering the influence of particle and laser beam properties, as well as competing processes like reionization and free-free transitions. A gain factor of at least an order of magnitude seems achievable by stimulating positron capture, either into high-lying bound states using CO₂ laser light or into then=2 state by means of a pulsed dye laser.     

Study on low-energy positron polarimetry

A polarised positron source has been proposed for the design of the international linear collider (ILC). In order to optimise the positron beam, a measurement of its degree of polarisation close to the positron creation point is desired. In this contribution, methods for determining the positron polarisation at low energies are reviewed. A newly developed polarisation extension to GEANT4 will provide the basis for further polarimeter investigations.      

Laser with simultaneous Gaussian and conical refraction outputs

We report a double-sided two-mirror neodymium-doped KGd(WO₄)₂/Nd:KGW conical refraction laser which produces a linearly polarised output from the flat output coupler and a cone-refracted output from the curved output coupler. The linearly polarised output had a polarisation extinction ratio of 20:1 with a Gaussian beam profile and a measured M ²=1. The unpolarised output had the intensity and polarisation distribution corresponding to a cone-refracted Gaussian beam with extinction ratio of 2.7:1.     

Production of low-energy antiprotons

The production, collection and deceleration of antiprotons is reviewed with the aim of establishing guidelines for the design of a simple yet efficient source of stopped antiprotons. A high-energy (20–100 GeV) high-intensity (∼10¹³ protons/pulse) proton accelerator is needed to produce antiprotons in copious numbers. A “passive” conversion-target consisting of a thin iridium rod embedded in graphite, and a magnetic-horn type lens to collect the antiproton flux from the target represent a good compromise between yield and reliability. To transport the flux to low energy a large-acceptance cooling and deceleration ring working up to an energy equal to one-eighth to one-tenth of the primary proton energy is required. Stochastic cooling (at high energy) and electron cooling (at lower energy) are indispensable for providing low-energy beams of useful density. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A polarised neutron study of magnetic moment density in Cu2MnAl

A polarised neutron study of the ferromagnetic Heusler alloy Cu₂Mn_0.863Al_1.057 has been made. It has been concluded that the magnetic moment density is primarily situated on the Mn ions. On assigning the Mn-moment value, the observed magnetic form factor is found to be in good agreement with the Mn²⁺ free ion form factor calculated by Watson and Freeman. A slight asphericity has been observed in the moment density. It is estimated that there are about 3% excess 3d-electrons in the Eg states compared to spherical distribution. There is evidence of a very small positive polarisation of the Cu atoms. No appreciable conduction electron polarisation is found.     

Positron injector for LEPTA

The low energy positron injector for the Low Energy Particle Toroidal Accumulator (LEPTA) accumulator was assembled at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). Key elements of the injector have been tested. The cryogenic source of slow positrons was tested with a test isotope ²²Na of the initial activity of 0.8 MBk. A continuous slow positron beam intensity of 5.8 × 10³ particle per second with an average energy of 1.2 eV and a spectrum width of 1 eV has been obtained. The achieved moderator efficiency is about 1%. The accumulation process in the positron trap was investigated with electron flux. The lifetime of the electrons in the trap, τ_life ≥ 80 s and capture efficiency ɛ ∼ 0.4, were obtained. The maximum number of accumulated particles was N _exper = 2 × 10⁸ at the initial flux of 5 × 10⁶ electrons s⁻¹. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

BEPCⅡ Positron Source

BEPCⅡ— an upgrade project of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC) is a factory type of e^＋e^－ collider. The fundamental requirements for its injector linac are the beam energy of 1.89GeV for on-energy injection and a 40mA positron beam current at the linac end with a low beam emittance of 1.6μm and a low energy spread of ±0.5% so as to guarantee a higher injection rate (≥50mA/min) to the storage ring. Since the positron flux is proportional to the primary electron beam power on the target, we will increase the electron gun current from 4A to 10A by using a new electron gun system and increase the primary electron energy from 120MeV to 240MeV. The positron source itself is an extremely important system for producing more positrons, including a positron converter target chamber, a 12kA flux modulator, the 7m focusing module with DC power supplies and the support. The new positron production linac from the electron gun to the positron source has been installed into the tunnel. In what follows, we will emphasize the positron source design, manufacture and tests.     

Production of relativistic antihydrogen atoms by pair production with positron capture and measurement of the Lamb shift

A beam of relativistic antihydrogen atoms — the bound state ( e⁺) — can be created by circulating the beam of an antiproton storage ring through an internal gas target. An antiproton which passes through the Coulomb field of a nucleus will create e⁺e⁻ pairs, and antihydrogen will form when a positron is created in a bound instead of continuum state about the antiproton. The cross section for this process is roughly 3Z ² pb for antiproton momenta about 6 GeV/c. A sample of 600 antihydrogen atoms in a low-emittance, neutral beam will be made in 1995 as an accidental byproduct of Fermilab experiment E760. We describe a simple experiment, Fermilab Proposal P862, which can detect this beam, and outline how a sample of a few-10⁴ atoms can be used to measure the antihydrogen Lamb shift to 1 %. Work supported in part by Department of Energy contract DE-AC03-76SF00515 (SLAC). Work supported by Fondo Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Chile.     

A dedicated small‐angle X‐ray scattering beamline with a superconducting wiggler source at the NSRRC

At the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), which operates a 1.5 GeV storage ring, a dedicated small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) beamline has been installed with an in‐achromat superconducting wiggler insertion device of peak magnetic field 3.1 T. The vertical beam divergence from the X‐ray source is reduced significantly by a collimating mirror. Subsequently the beam is selectively monochromated by a double Si(111) crystal monochromator with high energy resolution (ΔE/E? 2 × 10^?4) in the energy range 5–23 keV, or by a double Mo/B₄C multilayer monochromator for 10–30 times higher flux (～10¹¹ photons s^?1) in the 6–15 keV range. These two monochromators are incorporated into one rotating cradle for fast exchange. The monochromated beam is focused by a toroidal mirror with 1:1 focusing for a small beam divergence and a beam size of ～0.9 mm × 0.3 mm (horizontal × vertical) at the focus point located 26.5 m from the radiation source. A plane mirror installed after the toroidal mirror is selectively used to deflect the beam downwards for grazing‐incidence SAXS (GISAXS) from liquid surfaces. Two online beam‐position monitors separated by 8 m provide an efficient feedback control for an overall beam‐position stability in the 10 µm range. The beam features measured, including the flux density, energy resolution, size and divergence, are consistent with those calculated using the ray‐tracing program SHADOW. With the deflectable beam of relatively high energy resolution and high flux, the new beamline meets the requirements for a wide range of SAXS applications, including anomalous SAXS for multiphase nanoparticles (e.g. semiconductor core‐shell quantum dots) and GISAXS from liquid surfaces.     

Beam life time studies and design optimization of the Ultra-low energy Storage Ring

The Ultra-low energy electrostatic Storage Ring (USR) at the future Facility for Low-energy Antiproton and Ion Research (FLAIR) will provide cooled beams of antiprotons in the energy range between 300 keV down to 20 keV. Based on the original design concept developed in 2005, the USR has been completely redesigned over the past few years by the QUASAR Group. The ring structure is now based on a ’split achromat’ lattice. This ensures compact ring dimensions of 10 m × 10 m, whilst allowing both, in-ring experiments with gas jet targets and studies with extracted beams. In the USR, a wide range of beam parameters shall be provided, ranging from very short pulses in the nanosecond regime to a coasting beam. In addition, a combined fast and slow extraction scheme will be featured that allows for providing external experiments with cooled beams of different time structure. Detailed investigations into the dynamics of low energy beams, including studies into the long term beam dynamics and ion kinetics, beam life time, equilibrium momentum spread and equilibrium lateral spread during collisions with an internal target were carried out. This required the development of new simulation tools to further the understanding of beam storage with electrostatic fields. In addition, studies into beam diagnostics methods for the monitoring of ultra-low energy ions at beam intensities less than 10 ⁶ were carried out. This includes instrumentation for the early commissioning of the machine, as well as for later operation with antiprotons. In this paper, on overview of the technical design of the USR is given with emphasis on two of the most important operating modes, long term beam dynamics and the design of the beam diagnostics system.     

Extremely cold positrons for antihydrogen production

The storage of extremely cold (4 K) antiprotons in a Penning trap is an important step toward the creation and study of cold antihydrogen. The other required ingredient, the largest possible number of comparably cold positrons, is still lacking. These would be recombined in a high vacuum with the trapped antiprotons, already stored at a pressure below 5×10⁻¹⁷ Torr, thereby avoiding annihilation of the antihydrogen atoms before they can be used in high accuracy measurements or in controlled collision experiments. In an exploratory experiment, positrons from a 18 mCi²²Na source follow fringing field lines of a 6 T superconducting solenoid through tiny apertures in the electrodes of a Penning trap to strike a tungsten (reflection) moderator. The positron beam is chopped mechanically and a lock-in directly detects a positron current of 2.5×10⁶e⁺/s on the moderator. The use of a moderator, unlike an earlier experiment in which < 100 positrons were confined in vacuum, should greatly increase the number of positrons trapped in high vacuum.     

Measurement of the beam asymmetry in η photoproduction off the proton

The beam asymmetry, Σ , was measured at ELSA in the reaction p → ηp using linearly polarised tagged photon beams, produced by coherent bremsstrahlung off a diamond. The crystal was oriented to provide polarised photons in the energy range E _γ = 800 to 1400MeV with the maximum polarisation of P _γ = 49 % obtained at 1305MeV. Both dominant decay modes of the η into two photons and 3π⁰ were used to extract the beam asymmetry from the azimuthal modulation of the cross-section. The measurements cover the angular range Θ_cm ≃ 50 -150 degrees. Large asymmetries up to 80% are observed, in agreement with a previous measurement. The eta-MAID model and the Bonn-Gatchina partial wave analysis describe the measurements, but the required partial waves differ significantly.     

Lifetimes of metastable states in Sr II

The lifetimes of the 4d ²D _3/2,5/2 levels of Sr⁺ have been determined both experimentally and theoretically. The experiment was performed at an ion storage ring utilising collinear laser excitation. The calculation was performed by the Hartree-Fock method including relativistic effects and core polarisation. The obtained lifetimes (which are about 0.4 s) are discussed in detail and compared with earlier published results. In addition, calculated lifetimes of a large number of excited states in Sr⁺ are included. Received 15 February 2000 and Received in final form 20 March 2000     

Gamma Ray Generation Through a 1.064 μM Laser Beam

We are exploring to process nuclear waste through nuclear transmutation method with ray irradiation. The ray employed for transmutation is generated in the way of Compton backscattering. Preliminary experiment is being developed on the NewSUBARU storage ring providing an electron beam with energy of 1 GeV, and 17.6 MeV ray will be generated through a head-on collision of the electron beam and a 1.064 m laser light. ray flux about the present experiment is predicted theoretically. A planned scheme for promoting the flux is also introduced, As well as the maximum laser power available for the storage ring is discussed.     

A method to polarize stored antiprotons to a high degree

Polarized antiprotons can be produced in a storage ring by spin-dependent interaction in a purely electron-polarized hydrogen gas target. The polarizing process is based on spin transfer from the polarized electrons of the target atoms to the orbiting antiprotons. After spin filtering for about two beam lifetimes at energies T approximately equal 40-170 MeV using a dedicated large acceptance ring, the antiproton beam polarization would reach P=0.2-0.4. Polarized antiprotons would open new and unique research opportunities for spin-physics experiments in p(-) p interactions.     

Polarisation parameters in positive pion photoproduction

Measurements have been made of the polarisation parameters Σ, T and P for the process γp → π⁺n in the photon energy range 520–2250 MeV at c.m. angles between 30° and 120°. These data were obtained in a double polarisation experiment, using the polarised photon beam from the Daresbury electron synchrotron incident on a polarised proton target. The data are compared with predictions from current theoretical analyses.     

Electroweak and CP violation physics at a Linear Collider Z-factory

A future linear collider such as TESLA may be able to run on the Z⁰ resonance with very high luminosity and polarised electron and positron beams. The possibilities of measuring electroweak quantities with high precision are investigated. Huge improvements with respect to the present precision can be expected, especially for the asymmetries A_LR and where beam polarisation can be exploited. The very large sample of events also allows studies of various CP-violating b decays. The precision achievable on the CKM unitarity triangle angles is comparable to experiments at b factories and future hadron colliders.     

Study on the Fermi surface and the spin-dependent momentum space density of ferromagnetic Gd by positron annihilation experiments

The Fermi surface (FS) and spin-dependent momentum space density distribution of ferromagnetic Gd was studied via longitudinally polarised positrons. The measurements were performed using a 2D angular correlation of the annihilation radiation experiments with the reversal magnetic field direction parallel and anti-parallel to the polarisation direction of the positron. It was found that the minority-spin states were concentrated in the basal plane and majority-spin states were concentrated around the A, L and H points. The analysis confirmed that the main contributions to the FS of Gd were influenced by the mixing of both the 5d–6s and the 4f–5d hybrid bands. The general layout of this FS was observed as two hole-like surfaces running along the [ΓA] axis and one electron-like surface running along the [MK] direction. In general, the experimental results showed good agreement with earlier investigations.     

Some aspects of positronium physics

Some aspects of both theoretical and experimental study of the positronium system to probe physics beyond the Standard Model are reviewed. In particular, new experiments to search for the invisible decay of orthopositronium (o-Ps) with the sensitivity in the branching ratio Br(o-Ps → invisible) ≃ 10⁻⁸–10⁻⁷ are discussed. The experimental technique involves a specially designed high-efficiency pulsed slow positron beam, which is also applicable for other experiments with o-Ps in vacuum. Details of the beam design, as well as the first measurements results are presented. Possible applications of the slow-pulsed positron beam for materials research are discussed. The text was submitted by the authors in English.