0000000001170521
AUTHOR
G. R. Snow
Multi-resolution anisotropy studies of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a multi-resolution search for anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory with local zenith angles up to $80^\circ$ and energies in excess of 4 EeV ($4 \times 10^{18}$ eV). This search is conducted by measuring the angular power spectrum and performing a needlet wavelet analysis in two independent energy ranges. Both analyses are complementary since the angular power spectrum achieves a better performance in identifying large-scale patterns while the needlet wavelet analysis, considering the parameters used in this work, presents a higher efficiency in detecting smaller-scale anisotropies, potentially providing directional informa…
Search for Stopped Gluinos frompp¯Collisions ats=1.96 TeV
Long-lived, heavy particles are predicted in a number of models beyond the standard model of particle physics. We present the first direct search for such particles' decays, occurring up to 100 h after their production and not synchronized with an accelerator bunch crossing. We apply the analysis to the gluino (g), predicted in split supersymmetry, which after hadronization can become charged and lose enough momentum through ionization to come to rest in dense particle detectors. Approximately 410 pb(-1) of p (p) over bar collisions at root s = 1.96 TeV collected with the D0 detector during Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron collider are analyzed in search of such "stopped gluinos" decaying in…
Measurement of theΛbLifetime in the Exclusive DecayΛb→J/ψΛ
We have measured the {lambda}{sub b} lifetime using the exclusive decay {lambda}{sub b}{yields}J/{psi}{lambda}, based on 1.2 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the D0 detector during 2002-2006. From 171 reconstructed {lambda}{sub b} decays, where the J/{psi} and {lambda} are identified via the decays J/{psi}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} and {lambda}{yields}p{pi}, we measured the {lambda}{sub b} lifetime to be {tau}({lambda}{sub b})=1.218{sub -0.115}{sup +0.130}(stat){+-}0.042(syst) ps. We also measured the B{sup 0} lifetime in the decay B{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}({mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -})K{sub S}{sup 0}({pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) to be {tau}(B{sup 0})=1.501{sub -0.074}{sup +0.078}(stat){+-}0.050(sy…
Interpretation of the depths of maximum of extensive air showers measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
To interpret the mean depth of cosmic ray air shower maximum and its dispersion, we parametrize those two observables as functions of the first two moments of the ln A distribution. We examine the goodness of this simple method through simulations of test mass distributions. The application of the parameterization to Pierre Auger Observatory data allows one to study the energy dependence of the mean ln A and of its variance under the assumption of selected hadronic interaction models. We discuss possible implications of these dependences in term of interaction models and astrophysical cosmic ray sources.
Probing the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with neutrinos in the EeV energy range using the Pierre Auger Observatory
Neutrinos with energies above 1017 eV are detectable with the Surface Detector Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The identification is efficiently performed for neutrinos of all flavors interacting in the atmosphere at large zenith angles, as well as for Earth-skimming τ neutrinos with nearly tangential trajectories relative to the Earth. No neutrino candidates were found in ∼ 14.7 years of data taken up to 31 August 2018. This leads to restrictive upper bounds on their flux. The 90% C.L. single-flavor limit to the diffuse flux of ultra-high-energy neutrinos with an Eν -2 spectrum in the energy range 1.0 × 1017 eV -2.5 × 1019 eV is E2 dNν/dEν < 4.4 × 10-9 GeV cm-2 s-1 sr-1, placing str…
Large-scale Cosmic-Ray Anisotropies above 4 EeV Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present a detailed study of the large-scale anisotropies of cosmic rays with energies above 4 EeV measured using the Pierre Auger Observatory. For the energy bins [4,8] EeV and $E\geq 8$ EeV, the most significant signal is a dipolar modulation in right ascension at energies above 8 EeV, as previously reported. In this paper we further scrutinize the highest-energy bin by splitting it into three energy ranges. We find that the amplitude of the dipole increases with energy above 4 EeV. The growth can be fitted with a power law with index $\beta=0.79\pm 0.19$. The directions of the dipoles are consistent with an extragalactic origin of these anisotropies at all the energies considered. Addi…
Testing Hadronic Interactions at Ultrahigh Energies with Air Showers Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
Ultrahigh energy cosmic ray air showers probe particle physics at energies beyond the reach of accelerators. Here we introduce a new method to test hadronic interaction models without relying on the absolute energy calibration, and apply it to events with primary energy 6-16 EeV (ECM=110-170 TeV), whose longitudinal development and lateral distribution were simultaneously measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The average hadronic shower is 1.33±0.16 (1.61±0.21) times larger than predicted using the leading LHC-tuned models EPOS-LHC (QGSJetII-04), with a corresponding excess of muons.
Search forZγevents with large missing transverse energy inpp¯collisions ats=1.96 TeV
We present the first search for new phenomena in Z gamma final states with large missing transverse energy using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.2 fb(-1) collected with the D0 experiment in p (p) over bar collisions at root s 1.96 TeV. This signature is predicted in gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking models, where the lightest neutralino (chi) over tilde (0)(1) is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle and is produced in pairs, possibly through decay from heavier supersymmetric particles. The (chi) over tilde (0)(1) can decay either to a Z boson or a photon and an associated gravitino that escapes detection. We exclude this model at the 95% C.L. for supersymmetr…
Limits on point-like sources of ultra-high-energy neutrinos with the Pierre Auger Observatory
With the Surface Detector array (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect neutrinos with energy between 1017 eV and 1020 eV from point-like sources across the sky, from close to the Southern Celestial Pole up to 60 in declination, with peak sensitivities at declinations around ∼-53 and ∼+55, and an unmatched sensitivity for arrival directions in the Northern hemisphere. A search has been performed for highly-inclined air showers induced by neutrinos of all flavours with no candidate events found in data taken between 1 Jan 2004 and 31 Aug 2018. Upper limits on the neutrino flux from point-like steady sources have been derived as a function of source declination. An unrivaled sensit…
Search for signatures of magnetically-induced alignment in the arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present the results of an analysis of data recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory in which we search for groups of directionally-aligned events (or ‘multiplets’) which exhibit a correlation between arrival direc- tion and the inverse of the energy. These signatures are expected from sets of events coming from the same source after having been deflected by intervening coherent magnetic fields. The observation of several events from the same source would open the possibility to accurately reconstruct the position of the source and also measure the integral of the component of the magnetic field orthogonal to the trajectory of the cos- mic rays. We describe the largest multiplets found an…
Measurement of the pp¯→W+b+X production cross section at s=1.96 TeV
We present a measurement of the cross section for $W$ boson production in association with at least one {$b$-quark} jet in proton-antiproton collisions. The measurement is made using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.1\ifb recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron \ppbar Collider at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV. We measure an inclusive cross section of {$\sigma(W \sim(\to\mu\nu) + b + X) = 1.04 \pm 0.05\thinspace$(stat.) $\pm 0.12 \thinspace$(syst.) pb} and $\sigma(W (\to e\nu) + b + X) = 1.00$ \pm 0.04 \thinspace$(stat.) $\pm 0.12 \thinspace$(syst.) pb in the phase space defined by $p_T^\nu > 25$ GeV, $p_T^{\text{$b$-jet}}>20$ GeV, $|\eta^{\text{$b$-jet}}| 20$ GeV and…
Measurement of the Semileptonic Branching Ratio ofBs0to an Orbitally ExcitedDs**State:Br(Bs0→Ds1−(2536)μ+νX)
In a data sample of approximately 1.3 fb-1 collected with the D0 detector between 2002 and 2006, the orbitally excited charm state D_s1(2536) has been observed with a measured mass of 2535.7 +/- 0.6 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst) MeV via the decay mode B0_s -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X. A first measurement is made of the branching ratio product Br(b(bar) -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X).Br(D_s1(2536)->D* K0_S). Assuming that D_s1(2536) production in semileptonic decay is entirely from B0_s, an extraction of the semileptonic branching ratio Br(B0_s -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X) is made.
Observation of inclined EeV air showers with the radio detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
With the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we have observed the radio emission from 561 extensive air showers with zenith angles between 60 and 84. In contrast to air showers with more vertical incidence, these inclined air showers illuminate large ground areas of several km2 with radio signals detectable in the 30 to 80 MHz band. A comparison of the measured radio-signal amplitudes with Monte Carlo simulations of a subset of 50 events for which we reconstruct the energy using the Auger surface detector shows agreement within the uncertainties of the current analysis. As expected for forward-beamed radio emission undergoing no significant absorption or sc…
Combination of CDF and D0 measurements of the W boson helicity in top quark decays
Aaltonen, T. et al.
A study of the effect of molecular and aerosol conditions in the atmosphere on air fluorescence measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The air fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to perforin calorimetric measurements of extensive air showers created by Cosmic rays of above 10(18) eV. To correct these measurements for the effects introduced by atmospheric fluctuations, the Observatory contains a group Of monitoring instruments to record atmospheric conditions across the detector site, ail area exceeding 3000 km(2). The atmospheric data are used extensively in the reconstruction of air showers, and are particularly important for the correct determination of shower energies and the depths of shower maxima. This paper contains a summary of the molecular and aerosol conditions measured at the Pierr…
Search for photons with energies above 1018 eV using the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
A search for ultra-high energy photons with energies above 1 EeV is performed using nine years of data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory in hybrid operation mode. An unprecedented separation power between photon and hadron primaries is achieved by combining measurements of the longitudinal air-shower development with the particle content at ground measured by the fluorescence and surface detectors, respectively. Only three photon candidates at energies 1-2 EeV are found, which is compatible with the expected hadron-induced background. Upper limits on the integral flux of ultra-high energy photons of 0.027, 0.009, 0.008, 0.008 and 0.007 km-2 sr-1 yr-1 are derived at 95% C.L. for ener…
Search for First Harmonic Modulation in the Right Ascension Distribution of Cosmic Rays Detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present the results of searches for dipolar-type anisotropies in different energy ranges above 2.5 × 1017 eV with the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, reporting on both the phase and the amplitude measurements of the first harmonic modulation in the right-ascension distribution. Upper limits on the amplitudes are obtained, which provide the most stringent bounds at present, being below 2% at 99% C.L. for EeV energies. We also compare our results to those of previous experiments as well as with some theoretical expectations.
Search for flavor-changing-neutral-current D meson decays
We study the flavor-changing-neutral-current process c to u mu+ mu- using 1.3 fb^-1 of p p bar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV recorded by the D0 detector operating at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We see clear indications of the Ds+ and D+ to phi pi+ to mu+ mu- pi+ final states with significance greater than four standard deviations above background for the D+ state. We search for the continuum decay of D+ to pi+mu+mu- in the dimuon invariant mass spectrum away from the phi resonance. We see no evidence of signal above background and set a limit of B(D+ to pi+mu+mu-) < 3.9 x 10^-6 at the 90% C.L. This limit places the most stringent constraint on new phenomena in the c to u mu+ mu- t…
Measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum using hybrid events of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The energy spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays above 10$^{18}$ eV is measured using the hybrid events collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory between November 2005 and September 2010. The large exposure of the Observatory allows the measurement of the main features of the energy spectrum with high statistics. Full Monte Carlo simulations of the extensive air showers (based on the CORSIKA code) and of the hybrid detector response are adopted here as an independent cross check of the standard analysis (Phys. Lett. B 685, 239 (2010)). The dependence on mass composition and other systematic uncertainties are discussed in detail and, in the full Monte Carlo approach, a region of confiden…
Data-driven estimation of the invisible energy of cosmic ray showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory
The determination of the primary energy of extensive air showers using the fluorescence detection technique requires an estimation of the energy carried away by particles that do not deposit all their energy in the atmosphere. This estimation is typically made using Monte Carlo simulations and thus depends on the assumed primary particle mass and on model predictions for neutrino and muon production. In this work we present a new method to obtain the invisible energy from events detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The method uses measurements of the muon number at ground level, and it allows us to significantly reduce the systematic uncertainties related to the mass composition and th…
An Indication of Anisotropy in Arrival Directions of Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays through Comparison to the Flux Pattern of Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Sources
A new analysis of the dataset from the Pierre Auger Observatory provides evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays on an intermediate angular scale, which is indicative of excess arrivals from strong, nearby sources. The data consist of 5514 events above 20 EeV with zenith angles up to 80 deg recorded before 2017 April 30. Sky models have been created for two distinct populations of extragalactic gamma-ray emitters: active galactic nuclei from the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL) and starburst galaxies from a sample that was examined with Fermi-LAT. Flux-limited samples, which include all types of galaxies from the Swift-BAT and 2MASS …
Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects.
Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above ~ 6x10^{19} electron volts and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within ~ 75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar…
Results of a self-triggered prototype system for radio-detection of extensive air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory
We describe the experimental setup and the results of RAuger, a small radio-antenna array, consisting of three fully autonomous and self-triggered radio-detection stations, installed close to the center of the Surface Detector (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. The setup has been designed for the detection of the electric field strength of air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays, without using an auxiliary trigger from another detection system. Installed in December 2006, RAuger was terminated in May 2010 after 65 registered coincidences with the SD. The sky map in local angular coordinates (i.e., zenith and azimuth angles) of these events reveals a strong azi…
Measurement of the Depth of Maximum of Extensive Air Showers above 10(18) eV
We describe the measurement of the depth of maximum, Xmax, of the longitudinal development of air showers induced by cosmic rays. Almost four thousand events above 10¹⁸ eV observed by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory in coincidence with at least one surface detector station are selected for the analysis. The average shower maximum was found to evolve with energy at a rate of (106⁺³⁵₋₂₁) g/cm²/decade below 1018.24 ± 0.05 eV and (24 ± 3) g/cm²/decade above this energy. The measured shower-to-shower fluctuations decrease from about 55 to 26 g/cm². The interpretation of these results in terms of the cosmic ray mass composition is briefly discussed.
Model-independent measurement of the W-boson helicity in top-quark decays at D0.
Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T20:37:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-02-14 Science and Technology Facilities Council We present the first model-independent measurement of the helicity of W bosons produced in top quark decays, based on a 1fb-1 sample of candidate tt̄ events in the dilepton and lepton plus jets channels collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron pp̄ Collider. We reconstruct the angle θ* between the momenta of the down-type fermion and the top quark in the W boson rest frame for each top quark decay. A fit of the resulting cos θ* distribution finds that the fraction of longitudinal W bosons f0=0.425±0.166(stat)±0.102(syst) and the f…
A search for point sources of EeV photons
Measurements of air showersmade using the hybrid technique developed with the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a sensitive search for point sources of EeV photons anywhere in the exposed sky. A multivariate analysis reduces the background of hadronic cosmic rays. The search is sensitive to a declination band from −85º to +20º, in an energy range from 1017.3 eV to 1018.5 eV. No photon point source has been detected. An upper limit on the photon flux has been derived for every direction. The mean value of the energy flux limit that results from this, assuming a photon spectral index of −2, is 0.06 eV cm−2 s−1, and no celestial direction exceeds 0.25 eV …
Upper limit on the cosmic-ray photon flux above 1019 eV using the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
A method is developed to search for air showers initiated by photons using data recorded by the surface detector of the Auger Observatory. The approach is based on observables sensitive to the longitudinal shower development, the signal risetime and the curvature of the shower front. Applying this method to the data, upper limits on the flux of photons of 3.8 x 10-3, 2.5 x 10-3; and 2.2 x 10-3 km-2 sr-1 yr-1 above 1019 eV, 2 x 1019 eV; and 4 x 1019 eV are derived, with corresponding limits on the fraction of photons being 2.0%, 5.1%, and 31% (all limits at 95% c.l.). These photon limits disfavor certain exotic models of sources of cosmic rays. The results also show that the approach adopted…
Search for ultrahigh energy neutrinos in highly inclined events at the Pierre Auger Observatory
Erratum: Phys. Rev. D 85, 029902(E) (2012) [http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.85.029902]
Measurement of the average shape of longitudinal profiles of cosmic-ray air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory
The profile of the longitudinal development of showers produced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays carries information related to the interaction properties of the primary particles with atmospheric nuclei. In this work, we present the first measurement of the average shower profile in traversed atmospheric depth at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The shapes of profiles are well reproduced by the Gaisser-Hillas parametrization within the range studied, for E>10 17.8 eV .A detailed analysis of the systematic uncertainties is performed using ten years of data and a full detector simulation. The average shape is quantified using two variables related to the width and asymmetry of the profile, and …
The effect of the geomagnetic field on cosmic ray energy estimates and large scale anisotropy searches on data from the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present a comprehensive study of the influence of the geomagnetic field on the energy estimation of extensive air showers with a zenith angle smaller than $60^\circ$, detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The geomagnetic field induces an azimuthal modulation of the estimated energy of cosmic rays up to the ~2% level at large zenith angles. We present a method to account for this modulation of the reconstructed energy. We analyse the effect of the modulation on large scale anisotropy searches in the arrival direction distributions of cosmic rays. At a given energy, the geomagnetic effect is shown to induce a pseudo-dipolar pattern at the percent level in the declination distribution t…
Experimental Discrimination between Charge2e/3Top Quark and Charge4e/3Exotic Quark Production Scenarios
We present the first experimental discrimination between the 2e/3 and 4e/3 top quark electric charge scenarios, using top quark pairs (ttbar) produced in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV by the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We use 370 pb-1 of data collected by the D0 experiment and select events with at least one high transverse momentum electron or muon, high transverse energy imbalance, and four or more jets. We discriminate between b- and bbar-quark jets by using the charge and momenta of tracks within the jet cones. The data is consistent with the expected electric charge, |q|=2e/3. We exclude, at the 92% C.L., that the sample is solely due to the production of exotic quark pairs QQba…
Origin of atmospheric aerosols at the Pierre Auger Observatory using studies of air mass trajectories in South America
The Pierre Auger Observatory is making significant contributions towards understanding the nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. One of its main challenges is the monitoring of the atmosphere, both in terms of its state variables and its optical properties. The aim of this work is to analyze aerosol optical depth $\tau_{\rm a}(z)$ values measured from 2004 to 2012 at the observatory, which is located in a remote and relatively unstudied area of the Pampa Amarilla, Argentina. The aerosol optical depth is in average quite low - annual mean $\tau_{\rm a}(3.5~{\rm km})\sim 0.04$ - and shows a seasonal trend with a winter minimum - $\tau_{\rm a}(3.5~{\rm km})\sim 0.03$ -, and a sum…
Properties ofL=1B1andB2*Mesons
This Letter presents the first strong evidence for the resolution of the excited B mesons B-1 and B-2(*) as two separate states in fully reconstructed decays to B+(*())pi(-). The mass of B-1 is measured to be 5720.6 +/- 2.4 +/- 1.4 MeV/c(2) and the mass difference Delta M between B-2* and B-1 is 26.2 +/- 3.1 +/- 0: 9 MeV/c(2), giving the mass of the B-2* as 5746.8 +/- 2.4 +/- 1.7 MeV/c(2). The production rate for B-1 and B-2* mesons is determined to be a fraction (13.9 +/- 1.9 +/- 3.2)% of the production rate of the B+ meson.
Reconstruction of inclined air showers detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
We describe the method devised to reconstruct inclined cosmic-ray air showers with zenith angles greater than $60^\circ$ detected with the surface array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The measured signals at the ground level are fitted to muon density distributions predicted with atmospheric cascade models to obtain the relative shower size as an overall normalization parameter. The method is evaluated using simulated showers to test its performance. The energy of the cosmic rays is calibrated using a sub-sample of events reconstructed with both the fluorescence and surface array techniques. The reconstruction method described here provides the basis of complementary analyses including an…
Nanosecond-level time synchronization of autonomous radio detector stations for extensive air showers
To exploit the full potential of radio measurements of cosmic-ray air showers at MHz frequencies, a detector timing synchronization within 1 ns is needed. Large distributed radio detector arrays such as the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) rely on timing via the Global Positioning System (GPS) for the synchronization of individual detector station clocks. Unfortunately, GPS timing is expected to have an accuracy no better than about 5 ns. In practice, in particular in AERA, the GPS clocks exhibit drifts on the order of tens of ns. We developed a technique to correct for the GPS drifts, and an independent method is used to cross-check that indeed we reach a nanosecond-scale timing accura…