0000000000293199
AUTHOR
F Sanchez
Search for pair-production of long-lived heavy charged particles in e+e− annihilation
A search for pair-production of long-lived, heavy, singly-charged particles has been performed with data collected by the ALEPH detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 172 GeV. Data at \sqrt{s} = 161, 136, and 130 GeV are also included to improve the sensitivity to lower masses. No candidate is found in the data. A model-independent 95% confidence level upper limit on the production cross section at 172 GeV of 0.2-0.4pb is derived for masses between 45 and 86 GeV/c^2. This cross section limit implies, assuming the MSSM, a lower limit of 67 (69) GeV/c^2 on the mass of right- (left-) handed long-lived scalar taus or scalar muons and of 86 GeV/c^2 on the mass of long-lived charginos.
Search for charged Higgs bosons in $e^+ e^-$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies from 130 to 172 GeV
Abstract The data collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 130 to 172 GeV by ALEPH at LEP, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.5 pb−1, are analysed in a search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons H±. Three analyses are employed to select the τ + ν τ τ − ν τ , c s τ − ν τ and c s s c final states. No evidence for a signal is found. Mass limits are set as a function of the branching fraction B (τν) for H±→τν. Charged Higgs bosons with masses below 52 GeV/c2 are excluded at 95% C.L. independently of B (τν) , thus significantly improving on existing limits.
An upper limit for the τ neutrino mass from τ → 5π(π0)ντ decays
An upper limit for the tau-neutrino mass has been determined from the decay tau -> 5pi+- \nu_tau using data collected with the OPAL detector from 1991 to 1995 in e+e- collisions at \sqrt{s} ~ M_Z. A limit of 43.2 MeV at 95% CL is obtained using a two-dimensional method in the 5pi invariant mass and energy distribution from 22 selected events. Combining this result with OPAL's previously published measurement using tau+tau- -> 3h+- \bar{nu}_tau 3h-+ \nu_tau decays, a new combined limit of m_{nu_tau} < 27.6 MeV (95% CL) is obtained.
A Search for Ultra-high-energy Neutrinos from TXS 0506+056 Using the Pierre Auger Observatory
Results of a search for ultra-high-energy neutrinos with the Pierre Auger Observatory from the direction of the blazar TXS 0506+056 are presented. They were obtained as part of the follow-up that stemmed from the detection of high-energy neutrinos and gamma rays with IceCube, Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, and other detectors of electromagnetic radiation in several bands. The Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to neutrinos in the energy range from 100 PeV to 100 EeV and in the zenith-angle range from θ = 60° to θ = 95°, where the zenith angle is measured from the vertical direction. No neutrinos from the direction of TXS 0506+056 have been found. The results were analyzed in three periods: One of 6 m…
MEASUREMENT OF ALPHA(S) FROM SCALING VIOLATIONS IN FRAGMENTATION FUNCTIONS IN E(+)E(-) ANNIHILATION
A study of scaling violations in fragmentation functions performed by the ALEPH collaboration at LEP is presented. Data samples enriched in uds, c, b and gluon jets, respectively, together with measurements of the longitudinal and transverse inclusive cross sections are used to extract the fragmentation function for the gluon and for each flavour. The measurements are compared to data from experiments at energies between 22 GeV and 91 GeV and scaling violations consistent with QCD predictions are observed. From this, a measurement of the strong coupling constant alpha(s) (M(z)) = 0.126 +/- 0.009 is obtained.
The Pierre Auger Observatory scaler mode for the study of solar activity modulation of galactic cosmic rays
Since data-taking began in January 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has been recording the count rates of low energy secondary cosmic ray particles for the self-calibration of the ground detectors of its surface detector array. After correcting for atmospheric effects, modulations of galactic cosmic rays due to solar activity and transient events are observed. Temporal variations related with the activity of the heliosphere can be determined with high accuracy due to the high total count rates. In this study, the available data are presented together with an analysis focused on the observation of Forbush decreases, where a strong correlation with neutron monitor data is found.
A measurement of |Vcb| from
Abstract From approximately 3 million hadronic decays of Z bosons recorded with the aleph detector at lep , a sample of 410 ± 32 B 0 → D ∗+ l − ν l candidates is selected, where l is either an electron or a muon. The differential decay rate dΓ ( B 0 → D ∗+ l − ν l ) dω from this sample is fitted, yielding a value for the product of the CKM matrix element |Vcb| and the normalisation of the decay form factor at the point of zero recoil of the D∗+ meson F (ω = 1)|Vcb| = (31.4 ± 2.3stat ± 2.5syst) × 10−3. A value for |Vcb| is extracted using theoretical calculations of the form factor normalisation, with the result |Vcb| = (34.5 ± 2.5stat ± 2.7syst ± 1.5theory) × 10−3. From the integrated s the…
International Scoping Study (ISS) for a future neutrino factory and Super-Beam facility. Detectors and flux instrumentation for future neutrino facilities
Technical report by The ISS Detector Working Group; This report summarises the conclusions from the detector group of the International Scoping Study of a future Neutrino Factory and Super-Beam neutrino facility. The baseline detector options for each possible neutrino beam are defined as follows: 1. A very massive (Megaton) water Cherenkov detector is the baseline option for a sub-GeV Beta Beam and Super Beam facility. 2. There are a number of possibilities for either a Beta Beam or Super Beam (SB) medium energy facility between 1-5 GeV. These include a totally active scintillating detector (TASD), a liquid argon TPC or a water Cherenkov detector. 3. A 100 kton magnetized iron neutrino det…
Measurement of the Proton-Air Cross Section at root s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505±22(stat)-36+28(syst)]mb is found. © 2012 American Physical Society.
Searches for Supersymmetry in the photon(s) plus missing energy channels at $\sqrt{s}$ = 161 GeV and 172 GeV
Searches for supersymmetric particles in channels with one or more photons and missing energy have been performed with data collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The data consist of 11.1 pb-1 at $\sqrt{s} = 161 GeV$, 1.1 pb-1 at 170 GeV and 9.5 pb-1 at 172 GeV. The e+e- -> nunu+photon cross section is measured. The data are in good agreement with predictions based on the Standard Model, and are used to set upper limits on the cross sections for anomalous photon production. These limits are compared to two different SUSY models and used to set limits on the neutralino mass. A limit of 71 GeV/c^2 at 95% C.L. is set on the mass of the lightest neutralino ($\tau_{\chi_{1}^{0}} \leq $ 3 ns) fo…
Measurement of the Bs0 lifetime and production rate with Ds−ℓ+ combinations in Z decays
Abstract The lifetime of the Bs0 meson is measured in approximately 3 million hadronic Z decays accumulated using the ALEPH detector at LEP from 1991 to 1994. Seven different Ds− decay modes were reconstructed and combined with an opposite sign lepton as evidence of semileptonic Bs0 decays. Two hundred and eight Ds−l+ candidates satisfy selection criteria designed to ensure precise proper time reconstruction and yield a measured Bs0 lifetime of τ(Bs0) = 1.59−0.15+0.17 (stat) ±0.03 (syst) ps. Using a larger, less constrained sample of events, the product branching ratio is measured to be Br ( b → B s 0 ) · Br(B s 0 → D s − l + νX) = 0.82 ± 0.09 (stat) −0.14+0.13 (syst) %.
Measurement of the intrinsic electron neutrino component in the T2K neutrino beam with the ND280 detector
The T2K experiment has reported the first observation of the appearance of electron neutrinos in a muon neutrino beam. The main and irreducible background to the appearance signal comes from the presence in the neutrino beam of a small intrinsic component of electron neutrinos originating from muon and kaon decays. In T2K, this component is expected to represent 1.2% of the total neutrino flux. A measurement of this component using the near detector (ND280), located 280 m from the target, is presented. The charged current interactions of electron neutrinos are selected by combining the particle identification capabilities of both the time projection chambers and electromagnetic calorimeters…
Measurement of the W-pair cross section in $e^+ e^-$ collisions at 172 GeV
The e(+)e(-) --> W+W- cross section is measured in a data sample collected by ALEPH at a mean centre-of-mass energy of 172.09 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.65 pb(-1). Cross sections are given for the three topologies, fully leptonic, semi-leptonic and hadronic of a W-pair decay. Under the assumption that no other decay modes are present, the W-pair cross section is measured to be 11.7 +/- 1.2(stat.) +/- 0.3(syst.) pb. The existence of the triple gauge boson vertex of the Standard Model is clearly preferred by the data. The decay branching ratio of the W boson into hadrons is measured to be B(W --> hadrons) = 67.7 +/- 3.1(stat.) +/- 0.7(syst.) %, allowing a determinati…
Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies $E>E_{th}=5.5\times 10^{19}$ eV. These show a correlation with the distribution of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at $E>E_{th}$ are heavy nuclei with charge $Z$, the proton component of the sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies $E/Z$. We here report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above $E_{th}/Z$ (for illustrative values of $Z=6,\ 13,\ 26$). If the anisotropies above $E_{th}$ are du…
Measurement of Neutrino Oscillation Parameters from Muon Neutrino Disappearance with an Off-Axis Beam
The T2K Collaboration reports a precision measurement of muon neutrino disappearance with an off-axis neutrino beam with a peak energy of 0.6 GeV. Near detector measurements are used to constrain the neutrino flux and cross section parameters. The Super-Kamiokande far detector, which is 295 km downstream of the neutrino production target, collected data corresponding to 3.01 x 10(20) protons on target. In the absence of neutrino oscillations, 205 +/- 17 (syst) events are expected to be detected while only 58 muon neutrino event candidates are observed. A fit to the neutrino rate and energy spectrum, assuming three neutrino flavors and normal mass hierarchy yields a best-fit mixing angle sin…
Single- and multi-photon production in e+e− collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV
The production of final states involving one or more energetic photons from e(+)e(-) collisions is studied in a sample of 58.5 pb(-1) of data recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV by the ALEPH detector at LEP. The e(+)e(-) --> v (v) over bar gamma(gamma) and e(+)e(-) --> gamma gamma(gamma) cross sections are measured. The data are in good agreement with predictions based on the Standard Model and are used to set upper limits on the cross sections for anomalous photon production in the context of two supersymmetric models and for various extensions to QED. In particular, in the context of a super-light gravitino model a cross section upper limit of 0.38 pb is placed on the process e…
A measurement of Rb using mutually exclusive tags
A measurement of R-b using five mutually exclusive hemisphere tags has been performed by ALEPH using the full LEP1 statistics. Three tags are designed to select the decay of the Z(0) to b quarks, while the remaining two select Z(0) decays to c and light quarks, and are used to measure the tagging efficiencies. The result, R-b = 0.2159 +/- 0.0009(stat) +/-0.0011(syst), is in agreement with the electroweak theory prediction of 0.2158 +/- 0.0003. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. RI ANTONELLI, ANTONELLA/C-6238-2011; Passalacqua, Luca/F-5127-2011; Murtas, Fabrizio/B-5729-2012; St.Denis, Richard/C-8997-2012; Forti, Francesco/H-3035-2011; Ferrante, Isidoro/F-1017-2012
Search for correlations between the arrival directions of IceCube neutrino events and ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array
This paper presents the results of different searches for correlations between very high-energy neutrino candidates detected by IceCube and the highest-energy cosmic rays measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. We first consider samples of cascade neutrino events and of high-energy neutrino-induced muon tracks, which provided evidence for a neutrino flux of astrophysical origin, and study their cross-correlation with the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) samples as a function of angular separation. We also study their possible directional correlations using a likelihood method stacking the neutrino arrival directions and adopting different assumptions on the size…
Four-jet final state production in $e^+ e^-$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 130 to 184 GeV
The four jet topology is analysed in the ALEPH data taken between November 1995 and November 1997, at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 130 to 184 GeV. While an unexpected accumulation of events with a dijet mas sum around 105 GeV/c**2 had been observed during the first run in 1995 at 130/136 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.7 pb-1, no significant differences between data and standard model prediction is noticed, either in the high energy runs (81.1 pb-1 taken at centre-of-mass energies from 161 to 184 GeV) or in the 7.1 pb-1 recorded during a new short run at 130/136 GeV in 1997. We have found no other explanation for the earlier reported ``four jet anomaly'' than a s…
Measurement of the transverse spin correlations in the decay Z → τ+τ-
For tau leptons produced in e(+)e(-) --> tau(+)tau(-) interactions there are, in addition to the longitudinal spin correlations, two independent transverse spin correlations associated with the transverse (within the production plane) and normal (to the production plane) polarization components. A measurement of the transverse-transverse and transverse-normal tau spin correlations in the decay Z --> tau(+)tau(-), C-TT and C-TN, is presented based on the aplanarity angle of the decay products of both tau leptons. Using 80 pb(-1) of data collected by ALEPH on the peak of the Z resonance, the results are C-TT = 1.06 +/- 0.13(stat) +/- 0.05(syst), and C-TN = 0.08 +/- 0.13(stat) +/- 0.04(syst). …