Deep-learning based reconstruction of the shower maximum X max using the water-Cherenkov detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory

2021

The atmospheric depth of the air shower maximum $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ is an observable commonly used for the determination of the nuclear mass composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Direct measurements of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ are performed using observations of the longitudinal shower development with fluorescence telescopes. At the same time, several methods have been proposed for an indirect estimation of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$ from the characteristics of the shower particles registered with surface detector arrays. In this paper, we present a deep neural network (DNN) for the estimation of $X_{\mathrm{max}}$. The reconstruction relies on the signals induced by shower particles in the groun…

Search for the Production of Single Sleptons throughR-Parity Violation inpp¯Collisions ats=1.8  TeV

2002

We report the first search for supersymmetric particles via s-channel production and decay of smuons or muon sneutrinos at hadronic colliders. The data for the two-muon and two-jets final states were collected by the D0 experiment and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 94+/-5 pb(-1). Assuming that R parity is violated via the single coupling lambda(211)('), the number of candidate events is in agreement with expectation from the standard model. Exclusion contours are given in the (m(0),m(1/2)) and (m((χ) over bar),m((ν) over bar)) planes for lambda(211)(')=0.09, 0.08, and 0.07.

Measurement of theBs0Lifetime in the Exclusive Decay ChannelBs0→J/ψϕ

2005

Using the exclusive decay B-s(0)-->J/psi(mu(+)mu(-))phi(K+K-), we report the most precise single measurement of the B-s(0) lifetime. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of approximately 220 pb(-1) collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider in 2002-2004. We reconstruct 337 signal candidates, from which we extract the B-s(0) lifetime, tau(B-s(0))=1.444(-0.090)(+0.098)(stat)+/-0.020(sys) ps. We also report a measurement for the lifetime of the B-0 meson using the exclusive decay B-0-->J/psi(mu(+)mu(-))K-*0(892)(K(+)pi(-)). We reconstruct 1370 signal candidates, obtaining tau(B-0)=1.473(-0.050)(+0.052)(stat)+/-0.023(sys) ps, and the ratio of lifetimes, …

Measurement of Dijet Azimuthal Decorrelations at Central Rapidities inpp¯Collisions ats=1.96  TeV

2005

Correlations in the azimuthal angle between the two largest transverse momentum jets have been measured using the D0 detector in p (p) over bar collisions at a center-of-mass energy root s=1.96 TeV. The analysis is based on an inclusive dijet event sample in the central rapidity region corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 150 pb(-1). Azimuthal correlations are stronger at larger transverse momenta. These are well described in perturbative QCD at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant, except at large azimuthal differences where contributions with low transverse momentum are significant.

Hard single diffraction in p̄p collisions at s=630 and 1800 GeV

2002

Using the D empty set detector, we have studied events produced in (p) over barp collisions that contain large forward regions with very little energy deposition ("rapidity gaps") and concurrent jet production at center-of-mass energies of roots = 630 and 1800 GeV. The fraction of events with forward or central jets associated with rapidity gaps is compared to predictions for hard diffraction. We also extract the momentum loss for scattered protons in such processes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Ratio of Isolated Photon Cross Sections in pp¯ Collisions at √s=630 and 1800 GeV

2001

The inclusive cross section for production of isolated photons has been measured in p (p) over bar collisions at roots = 630 GeV with the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The photons span a transverse energy (E-T) range from 7-49 GeV and have pseudorapidity \eta\ s = 1800 GeV to form a ratio of the cross sections. Comparison of next-to-leading-order QCD with the measured cross section at 630 GeV and the ratio of cross sections show satisfactory agreement in most of the E-T range.

Search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated breaking in diphoton events at D0

2004

We report the results of a search for supersymmetry (SUSY) with gauge-mediated breaking in the missing transverse energy distribution of inclusive diphoton events using 263 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider in 2002--2004. No excess is observed above the background expected from standard model processes, and lower limits on the masses of the lightest neutralino and chargino of about 108 and 195 GeV, respectively, are set at the 95% confidence level. These are the most stringent limits to date for models with gauge-mediated SUSY breaking with a short-lived neutralino as the next-lightest SUSY particle.

Design, upgrade and characterization of the silicon photomultiplier front-end for the AMIGA detector at the Pierre Auger Observatory

2021

The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargue. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina -Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica; Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET); Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza; Municipalidad de Malargue; NDM Holdings and Valle Las Lenas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia -the Australian Research Council; Braz…

A 3-Year Sample of Almost 1,600 Elves Recorded Above South America by the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory

2020

The time and location of the 1,598 verified and reconstructed elves, used for the analysis showcased in this paper, are publicly available on the website of the Pierre Auger Observatory (https://www.auger.org/ index.php/science/data). We wish to thank the World Wide Lightning Location Network (http://wwlln.net), a collaboration among over 50 universities and institutions, for providing the lightning location data used in this paper. We acknowledge Robert Marshall for providing one of the most advanced elve simulations to the public, a key tool in understanding the elves observed by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Ob…

The upgraded DO detector

2006

The DØ experiment enjoyed a very successful data-collection run at the Fermilab Tevatron collider between 1992 and 1996. Since then, the detector has been upgraded to take advantage of improvements to the Tevatron and to enhance its physics capabilities. We describe the new elements of the detector, including the silicon microstrip tracker, central fiber tracker, solenoidal magnet, preshower detectors, forward muon detector, and forward proton detector. The uranium/liquid-argon calorimeters and central muon detector, remaining from Run I, are discussed briefly. We also present the associated electronics, triggering, and data acquisition systems, along with the design and implementation of s…

The FRAM robotic telescope for atmospheric monitoring at the Pierre Auger Observatory

2021

FRAM (F/Photometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor) is a robotic telescope operated at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina for the purposes of atmospheric monitoring using stellar photometry. As a passive system which does not produce any light that could interfere with the observations of the fluorescence telescopes of the observatory, it complements the active monitoring systems that use lasers. We discuss the applications of stellar photometry for atmospheric monitoring at optical observatories in general and the particular modes of operation employed by the Auger FRAM. We describe in detail the technical aspects of FRAM, the hardware and software requirements for a successful operati…

tt¯production cross section inpp¯collisions ats=1.8TeV

2003

Reconstruction of events recorded with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

2020

Cosmic rays arriving at Earth collide with the upper parts of the atmosphere, thereby inducing extensive air showers. When secondary particles from the cascade arrive at the ground, they are measured by surface detector arrays. We describe the methods applied to the measurements of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory to reconstruct events with zenith angles less than 60 using the timing and signal information recorded using the water-Cherenkov detector stations. In addition, we assess the accuracy of these methods in reconstructing the arrival directions of the primary cosmic ray particles and the sizes of the induced showers.

Search for Leptoquark Pairs Decaying intoνν+jetsinpp¯Collisions ats=1.8TeV

2002

We present the results of a search for leptoquark (LQ) pairs in (85.2+/-3.7) pb(-1) of pp* collider data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron. We observe no evidence for leptoquark production and set a limit on sigma(pp*-->LQLQ-->nunu+jets) as a function of the mass of the leptoquark (m(LQ)). Assuming the decay LQ-->nuq, we exclude scalar leptoquarks for m(LQ) < 98 GeV/c(2), and vector leptoquarks for m(LQ) < 200 GeV/c(2) and coupling which produces the minimum cross section, at a 95% confidence level.

Multiple jet production at low transverse energies inpp¯collisions ats=1.8TeV

2003

We present data on multiple production of jets with transverse energies near 20 GeV in p (p) over bar collisions at roots=1.8 TeV. QCD calculations in the parton-shower approximation of PYTHIA and HERWIG and the next-to-leading order approximation of JETRAD are compared to the data for one, two, three, and four jet inclusive production. Transverse energy spectra and multiple jet angular and summed transverse-energy distributions are adequately described by the shower approximation while next-to-leading order calculations describe the data poorly.

Observation and Properties of theX(3872)Decaying toJ/ψπ+π−inpp¯Collisions ats=1.96  TeV

2004

We report the observation of the X(3872) in the J/psipi(+)pi(-) channel, with J/psi decaying to mu(+)mu(-), in p (p) over bar collisions at roots=1.96 TeV. Using approximately 230 pb(-1) of data collected with the Run II D0 detector, we observe 522+/-100 X(3872) candidates. The mass difference between the X(3872) state and the J/psi is measured to be 774.9+/-3.1(stat)+/-3.0(syst) MeV/c(2). We have investigated the production and decay characteristics of the X(3872) and find them to be similar to those of the psi(2S) state.

Evidence that Ultra-High-Energy Gamma Rays are a Universal Feature Near Powerful Pulsars

2021

The highest-energy known gamma-ray sources are all located within 0.5 degrees of extremely powerful pulsars. This raises the question of whether ultra-high-energy (UHE; $&gt;$ 56 TeV) gamma-ray emission is a universal feature expected near pulsars with a high spin-down power. Using four years of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, we present a joint-likelihood analysis of ten extremely powerful pulsars to search for UHE gamma-ray emission correlated with these locations. We report a significant detection ($&gt;$ 3$��$), indicating that UHE gamma-ray emission is a generic feature of powerful pulsars. We discuss the emission mechanisms of the gamma rays a…

Search for the Scalar Top Quark inpp¯Collisions ats=1.8TeV

2002

We have performed a search for scalar top quark (stop) pair production in the inclusive electron-muon-missing transverse energy final state, using a sample of p (p) over bar events corresponding to 108.3 pb (-1) of data collected with the D0 detector at Fermilab. The search is done in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model assuming that the sneutrino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. For the dominant decays of the lightest stop, (t) over tilde-->b (χ) over tilde (+)(1) and (t) over tilde-->bl (ν) over tilde , no evidence for signal is found. We derive cross-section limits as a function of stop ((t) over tilde), chargino ((χ) over tilde (+)(1)), and sneutrino ((ν) …

Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger Observatory

2016

We present a search for ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such particles, possibly a relic of phase transitions in the early universe, would deposit a large amount of energy along their path through the atmosphere, comparable to that of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The air shower profile of a magnetic monopole can be effectively distinguished by the fluorescence detector from that of standard UHECRs. No candidate was found in the data collected between 2004 and 2012, with an expected background of less than 0.1 event from UHECRs. The corresponding 90% confidence level (C.L.) upper limits on the flux of ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles ra…

Measurement of the Fluctuations in the Number of Muons in Extensive Air Showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory

2021

The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargue. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina-Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica (ANPCyT), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza, Municipalidad de Malargue, NDM Holdings and Valle Las Lenas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia-the Australian Research Council; Brazil…

Search for R-parity violating supersymmetry in two-muon and four-jet topologies

2002

We present results of a search for R-parity-violating decay of the neutralino chi;01, taken as the lightest supersymmetric particle, to a muon and two jets. The decay proceeds through a lepton-number violating coupling lambda(')(2jk) (j=1,2; k=1,2,3), with R-parity conservation in all other production and decay processes. In the absence of candidate events from 77.5+/-3.9 pb(-1) of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.8 TeV, and with an expected background of 0.18+/-0.03+/-0.02 events, we set limits on squark and gluino masses within the framework of the minimal low-energy supergravity-supersymmetry model.

Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory

2015

Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with E ≥ 6×1019 eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above E ≥ 5×1018 eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15∘. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The comparison of these measurements with …

Improved W boson mass measurement with the DO detector

2002

We have measured the W boson mass using the DO detector and a data sample of 82 pb(-1) from the Fermilab Tevatron collider. This measurement uses W-->enu decays, where the electron is close to a boundary of a central electromagnetic calorimeter module. Such "edge" electrons have not been used in any previous DO analysis, and represent a 14% increase in the W boson sample size. For these electrons, new response and resolution parameters are determined, and revised backgrounds and underlying event energy flow measurements are made. When the current measurement is combined with previous DO W boson mass measurements, we obtain M-W=80.483+/-0.084 GeV. The 8% improvement from the previous DO meas…

Subjet multiplicity of gluon and quark jets reconstructed with thek⊥algorithm inpp¯collisions

2002

The D empty set Collaboration has studied for the first time the properties of hadron-collider jets reconstructed with a successive-combination algorithm based on relative transverse momenta (k(perpendicular to)) of energy clusters. Using the standard value D = 1.0 of the jet-separation parameter in the k(perpendicular to) algorithm, we find that the p(T) of such jets is higher than the E-T of matched jets reconstructed with cones of radius R = 0.7, by about 5 (8) GeV at p(T) approximate to90 (240) GeV. To examine internal jet structure, the k(perpendicular to) algorithm is applied within D = 0.5 jets to resolve any subjets. The multiplicity of subjets in jet samples at roots = 1800 GeV and…

Observation of the suppression of the flux of cosmic rays above 4x10^19eV

2008

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5 × 10¹⁸ eV, derived from 20,000 events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory, is described. The spectral index γ of the particle flux, J ∝ E-γ, at energies between 4 × 10¹⁸ eV and 4 × 10¹⁹ eV is 2.69 ± 0.02(stat) ± 0.06(syst), steepening to 4.2 ± 0.4(stat) ± 0.06(syst) at higher energies. The hypothesis of a single power law is rejected with a significance greater than 6 standard deviations. The data are consistent with the prediction by Greisen and by Zatsepin and Kuz'min.

A survey of active galaxies at TeV photon energies with the HAWC gamma-ray observatory

2020

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory (HAWC) continuously detects TeV photons and particles within its large field-of-view, accumulating every day a deeper exposure of two thirds of the sky. We analyzed 1523~days of HAWC live data acquired over four and a half years, in a follow-up analysis of {138} nearby ($z<0.3$) active galactic nuclei from the {\em Fermi} 3FHL catalog culminating within $40^\circ$ of the zenith at Sierra Negra, the HAWC site. This search for persistent TeV emission used a maximum-likelihood analysis assuming intrinsic power-law spectra attenuated by pair production of gamma-ray photons with the extragalactic background light. HAWC clearly detects persi…

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays beyond the turn-down around 1017 eV as measured with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

2021

The successful installation, commissioning, and operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory would not have been possible without the strong commitment and effort from the technical and administrative staff in Malargüe. We are very grateful to the following agencies and organizations for financial support: Argentina – Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza; Municipalidad de Malargüe; NDM Holdings and Valle Las Leñas; in gratitude for their continuing cooperation over land access; Australia – the Australian Research Council; Be…

Extraction of the Muon Signals Recorded with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory Using Recurrent Neural Networks

2021

The Pierre Auger Observatory, at present the largest cosmic-ray observatory ever built, is instrumented with a ground array of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, known as the Surface Detector (SD). The SD samples the secondary particle content (mostly photons, electrons, positrons and muons) of extensive air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies ranging from $10^{17}~$eV up to more than $10^{20}~$eV. Measuring the independent contribution of the muon component to the total registered signal is crucial to enhance the capability of the Observatory to estimate the mass of the cosmic rays on an event-by-event basis. However, with the current design of the SD, it is difficult to straightfo…

3HWC: The Third HAWC Catalog of Very-High-Energy Gamma-ray Sources

2020

We present a new catalog of TeV gamma-ray sources using 1523 days of data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory. The catalog represents the most sensitive survey of the Northern gamma-ray sky at energies above several TeV, with three times the exposure compared to the previous HAWC catalog, 2HWC. We report 65 sources detected at $\geq$ 5 sigma significance, along with the positions and spectral fits for each source. The catalog contains eight sources that have no counterpart in the 2HWC catalog, but are within $1^\circ$ of previously detected TeV emitters, and twenty sources that are more than $1^\circ$ away from any previously detected TeV source. Of these twenty new so…

Search for Heavy Particles Decaying into Electron-Positron Pairs inpp¯Collisions

2001

We present results of searches for technirho (rho (T)), techniomega (omega (T)), and Z' particles, using the decay channels rho (T), omega (T), Z' --> e(+)e(-). The search is based on 124.8 pb(-1) of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron during 1992-1996. In the absence of a signal, we set 95% C.L. upper limits on the cross sections for the processes p (p) over bar --> rho (T), omega (T), Z' - e(+)e(-) as a function of the mass of the decaying particle. For certain model parameters, we exclude the existence of degenerate rho (T) and omega (T) states with masses below about 200 GeV. We exclude a Z' with mass below 670 GeV, assuming that it has the same couplings to fermi…

Studies on the response of a water-Cherenkov detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory to atmospheric muons using an RPC hodoscope

2020

Extensive air showers, originating from ultra-high energy cosmic rays, have been successfully measured through the use of arrays of water-Cherenkov detectors (WCDs). Sophisticated analyses exploiting WCD data have made it possible to demonstrate that shower simulations, based on different hadronic-interaction models, cannot reproduce the observed number of muons at the ground. The accurate knowledge of the WCD response to muons is paramount in establishing the exact level of this discrepancy. In this work, we report on a study of the response of a WCD of the Pierre Auger Observatory to atmospheric muons performed with a hodoscope made of resistive plate chambers (RPCs), enabling us to selec…

Upper limit on the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory

2008

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to Earth-skimming tau neutrinos that interact in Earth’s crust. Tau leptons from ντ charged-current interactions can emerge and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a significant electromagnetic component. The data collected between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2007 are used to place an upper limit on the diffuse flux of ντ at EeV energies. Assuming an E−2ν differential energy spectrum the limit set at 90% C.L. is E2νdNντdEν<1.3×10−7  GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1 in the energy range 2×1017 eV<E<2×1019  eV.

Search for Doubly Charged Higgs Boson Pair Production in the Decay toμ+μ+μ−μ−inpp¯Collisions ats=1.96  TeV

2004

A search for pair production of doubly charged Higgs bosons in the process p (p) over bar -->H++H---->mu(+)mu(+)mu(-)mu(-) is performed with the D0 run II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. The analysis is based on a sample of inclusive dimuon data collected at an energy of roots=1.96 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 113 pb(-1). In the absence of a signal, 95% confidence level mass limits of M(H-L(+/-+/-))>118.4 GeV/c(2) and M(H-R(+/-+/-))>98.2 GeV/c(2) are set for left-handed and right-handed doubly charged Higgs bosons, respectively, assuming 100% branching into muon pairs.

Search for minimal supergravity in single-electron events with jets and large missing transverse energy inpp¯collisions ats=1.8TeV

2002

We describe a search for evidence of minimal supergravity (MSUGRA) in 92.7 pb(-1) of data collected with the D empty set detector at the Fermilab Tevatron p (p) over bar collider at roots=1.8 TeV. Events with a single electron, four or more jets, and large missing transverse energy were used in this search. The major backgrounds are from W+jets, misidentified multijet, t (t) over bar, and WW production. We observe no excess above the expected number of background events in our data. A new limit in terms of MSUGRA model parameters is obtained.