0000000000006122

AUTHOR

Marcus Beck

Spectra and correlations of Λ andΛ¯produced in 340-GeV/cΣ−+Cand 260-GeV/cn+Cinteractions

We have measured the production of strange baryons and antibaryons in 340-GeV/c Sigma /sup -/+C and 260-GeV/c n+C interactions. The single x/sub F/ distributions show the expected leading particle effect, and the single p/sub t//sup 2/ distributions show a distinct nonthermal behavior. The x/sub F/ distributions of Lambda - Lambda pairs indicate two different phase space distributions for the two coincident baryons. On the other hand two Lambda 's show identical distributions. Momentum conservation during the formation process may represent a significant source for the observed behavior.

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Search for the exoticΞ−−(1860)resonance in340GeV∕cΣ−-nucleus interactions

We report on a high statistics search for the ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}(1860)$ resonance in ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$-nucleus collisions at $340\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GeV}∕c$. No evidence for this resonance is found in our data sample which contains 676000 ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ candidates above background. For the decay channel ${\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}(1860)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Xi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and the kinematic range $0.15l{x}_{F}l0.9$ we find a $3\ensuremath{\sigma}$ upper limit for the production cross section of 3.1 and $3.5\phantom{\rul…

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Commissioning of the vacuum system of the KATRIN Main Spectrometer

The KATRIN experiment will probe the neutrino mass by measuring the β-electron energy spectrum near the endpoint of tritium β-decay. An integral energy analysis will be performed by an electro-static spectrometer (``Main Spectrometer''), an ultra-high vacuum vessel with a length of 23.2 m, a volume of 1240 m[superscript 3], and a complex inner electrode system with about 120 000 individual parts. The strong magnetic field that guides the β-electrons is provided by super-conducting solenoids at both ends of the spectrometer. Its influence on turbo-molecular pumps and vacuum gauges had to be considered. A system consisting of 6 turbo-molecular pumps and 3 km of non-evaporable getter strips ha…

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Investigation of the ββ decay of 116Cd into excited states of 116Sn

Abstract The double-beta decay of 116Cd into excited states of 116Sn is experimentally and theoretically investigated. From an inclusive experiment, using an external source of isotopically enriched Cd, new most stringent limits for the allowed and non-standard-model decays into excited states are derived. It is further investigated whether the bremsstrahlung emitted by the ββ electrons can be used to derive information on the ground-state decay. For the two-neutrino-decay mode a calculation, using the quasiparticle random-phase approximation, shows that the disadvantage in phase space, in comparison to the ground-state decay, is partially compensated through the nuclear-matrix element. Exp…

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Space Charge Effects in a Gas Filled Penning Trap

Mass selective buffer gas cooling is a technique used for ions that are stored in a Penning trap. The technique can be applied to all elements and the mass resolving power achieved has proven to be sufficient to resolve isobars. When not only a few but 106 and more ions are stored at the same time, space charge starts to play a dominant role for the spatial distribution. In addition, the observed cyclotron frequency is shifted. This work investigates these effects by numerical calculations.

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Reduction of stored-particle background by a magnetic pulse method at the KATRIN experiment

Arenz, M., et al. “Reduction of Stored-Particle Background by a Magnetic Pulse Method at the KATRIN Experiment.” The European Physical Journal C, vol. 78, no. 9, Sept. 2018. © 2018 The Authors

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First transmission of electrons and ions through the KATRIN beamline

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is a large-scale effort to probe the absolute neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV (90% confidence level), via a precise measurement of the endpoint spectrum of tritium β-decay. This work documents several KATRIN commissioning milestones: the complete assembly of the experimental beamline, the successful transmission of electrons from three sources through the beamline to the primary detector, and tests of ion transport and retention. In the First Light commissioning campaign of autumn 2016, photoelectrons were generated at the rear wall and ions were created by a dedicated ion source attached to the rear section; in July 2017, …

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An angular-selective electron source for the KATRIN experiment

The KATRIN experiment is going to search for the average mass of the electron antineutrino with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2. It uses a retardation spectrometer of MAC-E filter type to accurately measure the shape of the electron spectrum at the endpoint of tritium beta decay. In order to achieve the planned sensitivity the transmission properties of the spectrometer have to be understood with high precision for all initial conditions. For this purpose an electron source has been developed that emits single electrons at adjustable total energy and adjustable emission angle. The emission is pointlike and can be moved across the full flux tube that is imaged onto the detector. Here, we demonstr…

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Calibration of high voltages at the ppm level by the difference of $^{83\mathrm{m}}$Kr conversion electron lines at the KATRIN experiment

The neutrino mass experiment KATRIN requires a stability of 3 ppm for the retarding potential at − 18.6 kV of the main spectrometer. To monitor the stability, two custom-made ultra-precise high-voltage dividers were developed and built in cooperation with the German national metrology institute Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). Until now, regular absolute calibration of the voltage dividers required bringing the equipment to the specialised metrology laboratory. Here we present a new method based on measuring the energy difference of two [superscript 83m]Kr conversion electron lines with the KATRIN setup, which was demonstrated during KATRIN’s commissioning measurements in July 2…

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Neutron Decay with PERC: a Progress Report

The PERC collaboration will perform high-precision measurements of angular correlations in neutron beta decay at the beam facility MEPHISTO of the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz in Munich, Germany. The new beam station PERC, a clean, bright, and versatile source of neutron decay products, is designed to improve the sensitivity of neutron decay studies by one order of magnitude. The charged decay products are collected by a strong longitudinal magnetic field directly from inside a neutron guide. This combination provides the highest phase space density of decay products. A magnetic mirror serves to perform precise cuts in phase space, reducing related systematic errors. The …

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Search for new physics in beta-neutrino correlations with the WITCH spectrometer

The WITCH (Weak Interaction Trap for CHarged particles) experiment is a retardation spectrometer coupled to a Penning trap and measures the beta-neutrino angular correlation via the shape of the recoil energy spectrum. The present form of the Standard Model describes weak processes in terms of vector and axial-vector type interactions, but the possible presence of scalar and tensor interactions is not yet ruled out. The main aim of this experiment is a test of the Standard Model for possible admixture of scalar and tensor currents. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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A two-stage genome-wide association study of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The cause of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is largely unknown, but genetic factors are thought to play a significant role in determining susceptibility to motor neuron degeneration. To identify genetic variants altering risk of ALS, we undertook a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS): we followed our initial GWAS of 545 066 SNPs in 553 individuals with ALS and 2338 controls by testing the 7600 most associated SNPs from the first stage in three independent cohorts consisting of 2160 cases and 3008 controls. None of the SNPs selected for replication exceeded the Bonferroni threshold for significance. The two most significantly associated SNPs, rs2708909 and rs2708851 …

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Comparison of ultracold neutron sources for fundamental physics measurements

Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are key for precision studies of fundamental parameters of the neutron and in searches for new CP violating processes or exotic interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The most prominent example is the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM). We have performed an experimental comparison of the leading UCN sources currently operating. We have used a 'standard' UCN storage bottle with a volume of 32 liters, comparable in size to nEDM experiments, which allows us to compare the UCN density available at a given beam port.

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High-resolution spectroscopy of gaseous $^\mathrm{83m}$Kr conversion electrons with the KATRIN experiment

In this work, we present the first spectroscopic measurements of conversion electrons originating from the decay of metastable gaseous $^\mathrm{83m}$Kr with the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment. The results obtained in this calibration measurement represent a major commissioning milestone for the upcoming direct neutrino mass measurement with KATRIN. The successful campaign demonstrates the functionalities of the full KATRIN beamline. The KATRIN main spectrometer's excellent energy resolution of ~ 1 eV made it possible to determine the narrow K-32 and L$_3$-32 conversion electron line widths with an unprecedented precision of ~ 1 %.

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Improved determination of the β−ν¯e angular correlation coefficient a in free neutron decay with the aSPECT spectrometer

We report on a precise measurement of the electron-antineutrino angular correlation ($a$ coefficient) in free neutron beta-decay from the $a$SPECT experiment. The $a$ coefficient is inferred from the recoil energy spectrum of the protons which are detected in 4$\pi$ by the $a$SPECT spectrometer using magnetic adiabatic collimation with an electrostatic filter. Data are presented from a 100 days run at the Institut Laue Langevin in 2013. The sources of systematic errors are considered and included in the final result. We obtain $a = -0.10430(84)$ which is the most precise measurement of the neutron $a$ coefficient to date. From this, the ratio of axial-vector to vector coupling constants is …

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Energy calibration and monitoring of the KATRIN experiment

A new high precision voltage divider has been built for monitoring the analysing potential of the KATRIN main spectrometer. In addition a condensed 83mKr calibration source has been set up at the modified 1 eV resolving Mainz spectrometer, our measurements show that energy calibration and monitoring for KATRIN is feasible at the few ppm level.

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