0000000000423846
AUTHOR
M. Medvedeva
Search for heavy neutrinos at the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments at CERN
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. The NA48/2 experiment at CERN has collected large samples of charged kaons decaying into a pion and two muons for the search of heavy nuetrinos. In addition, its successor NA62 has set new limits on the rate of charged kaon decay into a heavy neutral lepton (HNL) and a lepton, with = e, µ, using the data collected in 2007 and 2015. New limits on heavy neutrinos from kaon decays into pions, muons and positrons are presented in this report.
Searches for lepton number violating $K^+$ decays
The NA62 experiment at CERN reports a search for the lepton number violating decays K+ -> pi(-)e(+)e(+) and K+ -> pi(-)mu(+)mu(+) using a data sample collected in 2017. No signals are observed, and upper limits on the branching fractions of these decays of 2.2 x 10(-10) and 4.2 x 10(-11) are obtained, respectively, at 90% confidence level. These upper limits improve on previously reported measurements by factors of 3 and 2, respectively.
Search for heavy neutral lepton production in K+ decays to positrons
A search for heavy neutral lepton ($N$) production in $K^+\to e^+N$ decays using the data sample collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2017--2018 is reported. Upper limits of the extended neutrino mixing matrix element $|U_{e4}|^2$ are established at the level of $10^{-9}$ over most of the accessible heavy neutral lepton mass range 144--462 MeV/$c^2$, with the assumption that the lifetime exceeds 50 ns. These limits improve significantly upon those of previous production and decay searches. The $|U_{e4}|^2$ range favoured by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis is excluded up to a mass of about 340 MeV/$c^2$.
Search for K+→ π+νν¯ at NA62
Flavour physics is one of the most powerful fields for the search of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The kaon sector with the rare decay K+ → π+νν̅ provides one of the cleanest and most promising channels. NA62, a fixed target experiment at the CERN SPS, aims to measure BR (K+ → π+νν̅) with 10% precision to test the Standard Model validity up to an energy scale of hundreds of TeV. NA62 had dedicated data taking for the K+ → π+νν̅ measurement in 2016 and 2017 and will continue in 2018. Here preliminary results on a fraction of 2016 dataset are presented. The analysis of the complete 2016 data sample is expected to achieve the SM sensitivity.
NA48/62 latest results
The NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS recorded in 2007 a large sample of K+ ? µ+?µ decays. A peak search in the missing mass spectrum of this decay is performed. In the absence of observed signal, the limits obtained on B(K+ ? µ+?h) and on the mixing matrix element |Uµ 4| are reported. The upgraded NA62 experiment started data taking in 2015. About 5×1011K+ decays have been recorded so far to measure the branching ratio of the K+ ? ?+?? decay. Preliminary results from the K+ ? ?+?? analysis based on about 5% of the 2016 statistics are reported.
Synchronization of the distributed readout frontend electronics of the Baby MIND detector
Baby MIND is a new downstream muon range detector for the WGASCI experiment. This article discusses the distributed readout system and its timing requirements. The paper presents the design of the synchronization subsystem and the results of its test.
Search for heavy neutral lepton production in K+ decays
A search for heavy neutral lepton production in $K^+$ decays using a data sample collected with a minimum bias trigger by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2015 is reported. Upper limits at the $10^{-7}$ to $10^{-6}$ level are established on the elements of the extended neutrino mixing matrix $|U_{\ell 4}|^2$ ($\ell=e,\mu$) for heavy neutral lepton mass in the range $170-448~{\rm MeV}/c^2$. This improves on the results from previous production searches in $K^+$ decays, setting more stringent limits and extending the mass range.
Baby MIND: a magnetized segmented neutrino detector for the WAGASCI experiment
T2K (Tokai-to-Kamioka) is a long-baseline neutrino experiment in Japan designed to study various parameters of neutrino oscillations. A near detector complex (ND280) is located 280~m downstream of the production target and measures neutrino beam parameters before any oscillations occur. ND280's measurements are used to predict the number and spectra of neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande detector at the distance of 295~km. The difference in the target material between the far (water) and near (scintillator, hydrocarbon) detectors leads to the main non-cancelling systematic uncertainty for the oscillation analysis. In order to reduce this uncertainty a new WAter-Grid-And-SCintillator detector …
Baby MIND: A Magnetised Spectrometer for the WAGASCI Experiment
The WAGASCI experiment being built at the J-PARC neutrino beam line will measure the difference in cross sections from neutrinos interacting with a water and scintillator targets, in order to constrain neutrino cross sections, essential for the T2K neutrino oscillation measurements. A prototype Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND), called Baby MIND, is being constructed at CERN to act as a magnetic spectrometer behind the main WAGASCI target to be able to measure the charge and momentum of the outgoing muon from neutrino charged current interactions.
Search for Lepton Number and Flavor Violation in K+ and π0 Decays
Searches for the lepton number violating $K^{+} \rightarrow \pi^{-} \mu^{+} e^{+}$ decay and the lepton flavour violating $K^{+} \rightarrow \pi^{+} \mu^{-} e^{+}$ and $\pi^{0} \rightarrow \mu^{-} e^{+}$ decays are reported using data collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN in $2017$-$2018$. No evidence for these decays is found and upper limits of the branching ratios are obtained at 90% confidence level: $\mathcal{B}(K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{-}\mu^{+}e^{+})<4.2\times 10^{-11}$, $\mathcal{B}(K^{+}\rightarrow\pi^{+}\mu^{-}e^{+})<6.6\times10^{-11}$ and $\mathcal{B}(\pi^{0}\rightarrow\mu^{-}e^{+})<3.2\times 10^{-10}$. These results improve by one order of magnitude over previous results for thes…
Baby MIND Experiment Construction Status
Baby MIND is a magnetized iron neutrino detector, with novel design features, and is planned to serve as a downstream magnetized muon spectrometer for the WAGASCI experiment on the T2K neutrino beam line in Japan. One of the main goals of this experiment is to reduce systematic uncertainties relevant to CP-violation searches, by measuring the neutrino contamination in the anti-neutrino beam mode of T2K. Baby MIND is currently being constructed at CERN, and is planned to be operational in Japan in October 2017.