Backward particle production in neutrino neon interactions

Backward proton and pion production is studied in ν and \(\bar v\) charged current interactions in neon. The results are compared with other experiments and theory. The complete backward proton data is compatible with protons produced by reinteractions in the nucleus. However in events with only one proton, muon variables appear correlated to those for the backward proton, as expected by the two-nucleon correlation model.     

Double prompt photon production at high transverse momentum byπ − on protons at 280 GeV/c

A search for pairs of highp _T prompt photons produced in hydrogen by a 280 GeV/c incidentπ ^- beam has been carried out using a fine-grained electromagnetic calorimeter and the Omega spectrometer at the CERN SPS. Clear evidence for the existence of such events is found with a six standard deviation signal forp _T >3.0 GeV/c. The cross-sections are consistent with beyond leading order QCD calculations. A discussion on the determination of α _s is also presented.     

A search for the exotic Ξ<Superscript>−−</Superscript> (1860) in the hyperon beam experiment WA89(1860) in the hyperon beam experiment WA89

We report on a high statistics search for the Ξ^??(1860) resonance in Σ^?-nucleus collisions at 340 GeV/c. No evidence for this resonance is found in our data sample which contains 676000 Ξ^? candidates above bakground. For the decay channel Ξ^??(1860)→Ξ^? π ^? and the kinematic range 0.15<xF<0.9 we find a 3σ upper limit for the production cross section of 3.1 and 3.5 μb per nucleon, for reactions with carbon and copper, respectively.     

Coherent single pion production by antineutrino charged current interactions and test of PCAC

The cross section for coherent production of a single π^? meson in charged current antineutrino interactions on neon nuclei has been measured in BEBC to be (175±25) 10^?40 cm²/neon nucleus, averaged over the energy spectrum of the antineutrino wide band beam at the CERN SPS; this corresponds to (0.9±0.1) % of the total charged current \(\bar v_\mu \) cross section. The distributions of kinematical variables are in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the PCAC hypothesis and the meson dominance model; in particular, theQ ² dependence is well described by a propagator containing a massm=(1.35±0.18) GeV. The absolute value of the cross section is also in agreement with the model. This analysis thus provides a test of the PCAC hypothesis in the antineutrino energy range 5–150 GeV.     

Phase-field modeling of void evolution and swelling in materials under irradiation

Void swelling is an important phenomenon observed in both nuclear fuels and cladding materials in operating nuclear reactors. In this work we develop a phase-field model to simulate void evolution and void volume change in irradiated materials. Important material processes, including the generation of defects such as vacancies and self-interstitials, their diffusion and annihilation, and void nucleation and evolution, have been taken into account in this model. The thermodynamic and kinetic properties, such...     

The structure of events triggered by direct photons in π− p, π+ p andpp collisions at 280 GeV/c

The structure of events associated with the production of direct photons in π^? p, π⁺ p andpp reactions of 280 GeV/c has been studied using data from the WA 70 experiment at the CERN SPS. Results are presented on the distributions of the fractional momenta of the colliding partons and on the fragmentation of the recoil jet and a comparison is made with predictions using the structure functions of Duke and Owens in the Lund Monte Carlo with string fragmentation.     

Micromegas prototypes with thermo-bond film separators

In this paper we report the results of Micromegas prototypes constructed by attaching micromesh to an anode using thermo-bond films. The excellent metal attaching ability and good dielectical property of this kind of film make it a promising material to be used as avalanche gap spacers. Several prototypes are successfully made. The electron transmission properties are first studied and then the gas gain is measured in argon-isobutane mixtures. The maximum gain of more than 10⁴ is easily obtained. The energy resolutions for ⁵⁵Fe 5.9 keV K_α ray can be better than 20% over one magnitude in gain for different operational gas mixtures and the best energy resolution of 13.7% (FWHM) can be achieved with the gas mixture of 94% argon concentration. The preliminary test results of the prototypes with sensitive area of 45 mm×45 mm without internal support show good uniformity across the sensitive area.     

Target fragmentation in proton-nucleus and16O-nucleus reactions at 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon

Target remnants withZ<3 from proton-nucleus and¹⁶O-nucleus reactions at 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon were measured in the angular range from 30° to 160° (?1.7<η<1.3) employing the Plastic Ball detector. The excitation energy of the target spectator matter in central oxygen-induced collisions is found to be high enough to allow for complete disintegration of the target nucleus into fragments withZ<3. The average longitudinal momentum transfer per proton to the target in central collisions is considerably higher in the case of¹⁶O-induced reactions (≈300 MeV/c) than in proton-induced reactions (≈130 MeV/c). The baryon rapidity distributions are roughly in agreement with one-fluid hydrodynamical calculations at 60 GeV/nucleon¹⁶O+Au but are in disagreement at 200 GeV/nucleon, indicating the higher degree of transparency at the higher bombarding energy. Both, the transverse momenta of target spectators and the entropy produced in the target fragmentation region are compared to those attained in head-on collisions of two heavy nuclei at Bevalac energies. They are found to be comparable or do even exceed the values for the participant matter at beam energies of about 1–2 GeV/nucleon.     

Excitation energy transfer between Er3+ and Tm3+ in LiNbO3

Conclusions Nonradiative energy transfer between similar and different rare-earth ions in LiNbO₃ has been evidenced for the first time. The contribution of nonradiative energy transfer to the decay of the¹G₄ and³H₄ levels of thulium and the⁴S_3/2 and⁴I_13/2 levels of erbium is significant for activator concentrations of the order of several thousand ppm in LiNbO₃. The excitation of higher-lying levels of both activators is transferred faster in codoped crystal to the lowest luminescent levels, from which the luminescence in the 1–2-μm spectral region occurs. This accelerated relaxation is advantageous for broadband optical pumping since the contribution of radiative transitions competing with the³F₄−³H₆ laser transition of thulium is reduced. On the other hand, it appears that erbium ions will influence adversely the efficiency of a laser-diode-pumped LiNbO₃∶Er, Tm laser operating near 1.8 μm since the part of the³H₄ excitation transferred to erbium ions is emitted from the long-lived⁴I_11/2 level of Er³⁺. Furthermore, the⁴I_13/2 excitation is not transferred fully to thulium ions and is lost in⁴I_13/2−⁴I_15/2 emission. Lithium niobate singly doped with thulium is more promising since the cross-relaxation process that transfers the excitation from the³H₄ level to the³F₄ level appears to be efficient in this host. Published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 125–133, September–October, 1995.