arXiv subjects

A. Buonaura

Publications and source records attributed to A. Buonaura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Development of the Scintillating Fiber Timing Detector for the Mu3e Experiment

We present and discuss the development and performance of a compact scintillating fiber (SciFi) detector for timing to be used in the Mu3e experiment at very high particle rates. The SciFi detector is read out with multichannel silicon photomuiltipliers (SiPM) arrays at both ends to achieve the best timing performance. Mu3e is a new experiment under preparation at the Paul Scherrer Institute to search for charged Lepton Flavor Violation in the rare neutrinoless muon decay mu->eee using the most intense continuous surface muon beam in the world. The Mu3e detector is based on thin high-voltage monolithic active silicon pixel sensors (HV-MAPS) for very precise tracking in conjunction with scintillating fibers and scintillating tiles coupled to SiPMs for accurate timing measurements and it is designed to operate at very high intensities. In order to reach a single event sensitivity of 10^-16 for this rare mu->eee muon decay, all backgrounds must be rejected well below this level. To suppress all forms of accidental background, a very thin SciFi detector (thickness < 0.2% of a radiation length X_0) with a time resolution of 250 ps, efficiency in excess of 96%, and spatial resolution of 100 micron has been developed. In this paper we report on the development, construction, and performance of this SciFi detector. Different scintillating fiber types have been evaluated and various assembly procedures have been tested to achieve the best performance. The compact size, fast response, good timing, high spatial resolution, insensitivity to magnetic fields, and adaptable geometry make SciFi detectors suitable for a variety of applications.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Technical design of the phase I Mu3e experiment

The Mu3e experiment aims to find or exclude the lepton flavour violating decay $μ\rightarrow eee$ at branching fractions above $10^{-16}$. A first phase of the experiment using an existing beamline at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is designed to reach a single event sensitivity of $2\cdot 10^{-15}$. We present an overview of all aspects of the technical design and expected performance of the phase~I Mu3e detector. The high rate of up to $10^{8}$ muon decays per second and the low momenta of the decay electrons and positrons pose a unique set of challenges, which we tackle using an ultra thin tracking detector based on high-voltage monolithic active pixel sensors combined with scintillating fibres and tiles for precise timing measurements.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Sensitivity of the SHiP experiment to dark photons decaying to a pair of charged particles

Dark photons are hypothetical massive vector particles that could mix with ordinary photons. The simplest theoretical model is fully characterised by only two parameters: the mass of the dark photon m$_{γ^{\mathrm{D}}}$ and its mixing parameter with the photon, $\varepsilon$. The sensitivity of the SHiP detector is reviewed for dark photons in the mass range between 0.002 and 10 GeV. Different production mechanisms are simulated, with the dark photons decaying to pairs of visible fermions, including both leptons and quarks. Exclusion contours are presented and compared with those of past experiments. The SHiP detector is expected to have a unique sensitivity for m$_{γ^{\mathrm{D}}}$ ranging between 0.8 and 3.3$^{+0.2}_{-0.5}$ GeV, and $\varepsilon^2$ ranging between $10^{-11}$ and $10^{-17}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

First observation of a tau neutrino charged current interaction with charm production in the Opera experiment

An event topology with two secondary vertices compatible with the decay of short-lived particles was found in the analysis of neutrino interactions in the Opera target. The observed topology is compatible with tau neutrino charged current (CC) interactions with charm production and neutrino neutral current (NC) interactions with $c\overline{c}$ pair production. However, other processes can mimic this topology. A dedicated analysis was implemented to identify the underlying process. A Monte Carlo simulation was developed and complementary procedures were introduced in the kinematic reconstruction. A multivariate analysis technique was used to achieve an optimal separation of signal from background. Most likely, this event is a $ν_τ$ CC interaction with charm production, the tau and charm particle decaying into 1 prong and 2 prongs, respectively. The significance of this observation is evaluated.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2020

SND@LHC

We propose to build and operate a detector that, for the first time, will measure the process $pp\toνX$ at the LHC and search for feebly interacting particles (FIPs) in an unexplored domain. The TI18 tunnel has been identified as a suitable site to perform these measurements due to very low machine-induced background. The detector will be off-axis with respect to the ATLAS interaction point (IP1) and, given the pseudo-rapidity range accessible, the corresponding neutrinos will mostly come from charm decays: the proposed experiment will thus make the first test of the heavy flavour production in a pseudo-rapidity range that is not accessible by the current LHC detectors. In order to efficiently reconstruct neutrino interactions and identify their flavour, the detector will combine in the target region nuclear emulsion technology with scintillating fibre tracking layers and it will adopt a muon identification system based on scintillating bars that will also play the role of a hadronic calorimeter. The time of flight measurement will be achieved thanks to a dedicated timing detector. The detector will be a small-scale prototype of the scattering and neutrino detector (SND) of the SHiP experiment: the operation of this detector will provide an important test of the neutrino reconstruction in a high occupancy environment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Latest results of the OPERA experiment on nu-tau appearance in the CNGS neutrino beam

OPERA is a long-baseline experiment designed to search for $ν_μ\toν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode. It was based at the INFN Gran Sasso laboratory (LNGS) and took data from 2008 to 2012 with the CNGS neutrino beam from CERN. After the discovery of $ν_τ$ appearance in 2015, with $5.1σ$ significance, the criteria to select $ν_τ$ candidates have been extended and a multivariate approach has been used for events identification. In this way the statistical uncertainty in the measurement of the oscillation parameters and of $ν_τ$ properties has been improved. Results are reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Measurement of the time-integrated $CP$ asymmetry in $D^0 \rightarrow K^0_S K^0_S$ decays

A measurement of the time-integrated $CP$ asymmetry in $D^0\rightarrow K^0_S K^0_S$ decays is reported. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of about $2$ fb$^{-1}$ collected in 2015-2016 by the LHCb collaboration in $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $13$ TeV. The $D^0$ candidate is required to originate from a $D^{\ast +} \rightarrow D^0 π^+$ decay, allowing the determination of the flavour of the $D^0$ meson using the pion charge. The $D^0 \rightarrow K^{+}K^{-}$ decay, which has a well measured $CP$ asymmetry, is used as a calibration channel. The $CP$ asymmetry for $D^0\rightarrow K^0_S K^0_S$ is measured to be \begin{equation*} \mathcal{A}^{CP}(D^0\rightarrow K^0_S K^0_S) = (4.3\pm 3.4\pm 1.0)\%, \end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This result is combined with the previous LHCb measurement at lower centre-of-mass energies to obtain \begin{equation*} \mathcal{A}^{CP}(D^0\rightarrow K^0_S K^0_S) = (2.3\pm 2.8\pm 0.9)\%. \end{equation*}

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Observation of $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^{*0} ϕ$ and search for $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 ϕ$ decays

The first observation of the $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^{*0} ϕ$ decay is reported, with a significance of more than seven standard deviations, from an analysis of $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$, collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. The branching fraction is measured relative to that of the topologically similar decay $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+π^-$ and is found to be $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^{*0} ϕ) = (3.7 \pm 0.5 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{-5}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third from the branching fraction of the $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+π^-$ decay. The fraction of longitudinal polarisation in this decay is measured to be ${f_{\rm L} =(73 \pm 15 \pm 3)\%}$. The most precise determination of the branching fraction for the $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^{0} ϕ$ decay is also obtained, $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^{0} ϕ) = (3.0 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.2 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{-5}$. An upper limit, $\mathcal{B}(B^0 \to \overline{D}^{0} ϕ) < 2.0 \ (2.2) \times 10^{-6}$ at $90\%$ (95\%) confidence level is set. A constraint on the $ω-ϕ$ mixing angle $δ$ is set at $|δ| < 5.2^\circ~ (5.5^\circ)$ at $90\%$ ($95\%$) confidence level.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Observation of the decay $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$

The first observation of the $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$ decay is reported, together with the most precise branching fraction measurement of the mode $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$. The results are obtained from an analysis of $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3.0~\textrm{fb}^{-1}$. The data were collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. The branching fraction of the $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$ decay is measured relative to that of the decay $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+ π^-$ to be $$\frac{\mathcal{B}(B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-)}{\mathcal{B}(B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+ π^-)} = (6.9 \pm 0.4 \pm 0.3)\%,$$ where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The measured branching fraction of the $B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$ decay mode relative to that of the corresponding $B^0$ decay is $$\frac{\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-)}{\mathcal{B}(B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-)} = (93.0 \pm 8.9 \pm 6.9)\%.$$ Using the known branching fraction of ${B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+ π^-}$, the values of ${{\mathcal B}(B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^- )=(6.1 \pm 0.4 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{-5}}$, and ${{\cal B}(B_s^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-)=}$ $(5.7 \pm 0.5 \pm 0.4 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{-5}$ are obtained, where the third uncertainties arise from the branching fraction of the decay modes ${B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 π^+ π^-}$ and $B^0 \to \overline{D}^0 K^+ K^-$, respectively.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Central exclusive production of $J/ψ$ and $ψ(2S)$ mesons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13~$TeV

Measurements are reported of the central exclusive production of \jpsi and \psitwos mesons in $pp$ collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Backgrounds are significantly reduced compared to previous measurements made at lower energies through the use of new forward shower counters. The products of the cross-sections and the branching fractions for the decays to dimuons, where both muons are within the pseudorapidity range $2.0<η<4.5$, are measured to be $$ \begin{array}{rcl} σ_{J/ψ\rightarrowμ^+μ^-}&=&435 \pm 18 \pm 17 \pm 16 {\rm \ pb},\\ σ_{ψ(2S)\rightarrowμ^+μ^-}&=&11.1 \pm 1.1 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.4 {\rm \ pb}.\\ \end{array} $$ The first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, and the third are due to the luminosity determination. The cross-sections are also measured differentially for meson rapidities between 2.0 and 4.5. Good agreement is observed with theoretical predictions. Photoproduction cross-sections are derived and compared to previous experiments, and a deviation from a pure power-law extrapolation of lower energy data is observed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Measurement of the cosmic ray muon flux seasonal variation with the OPERA detector

The OPERA experiment discovered muon neutrino into tau neutrino oscillations in appearance mode, detecting tau leptons by means of nuclear emulsion films. The apparatus was also endowed with electronic detectors with tracking capability, such as scintillator strips and resistive plate chambers. Because of its location, in the underground Gran Sasso laboratory, under 3800 m.w.e., the OPERA detector has also been used as an observatory for TeV muons produced by cosmic rays in the atmosphere. In this paper the measurement of the single muon flux modulation and of its correlation with the seasonal variation of the atmospheric temperature are reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Observation of a new $Ξ_b^-$ resonance

From samples of $pp$ collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at $\sqrt{s}=7$, $8$ and $13$ TeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.0, 2.0 and 1.5 fb$^{-1}$, respectively, a peak in both the $Λ_b^0K^-$ and $Ξ_b^0π^-$ invariant mass spectra is observed. In the quark model, radially and orbitally excited $Ξ_b^-$ resonances with quark content $bds$ are expected. Referring to this peak as $Ξ_b(6227)^-$, the mass and natural width are measured to be $m_{Ξ_{b}(6227)^-}=6226.9\pm2.0\pm0.3\pm0.2$ MeV/$c^2$ and $Γ_{Ξ_b(6227)^-}=18.1\pm5.4\pm1.8$ MeV/$c^2$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third, on $m_{Ξ_b(6227)^-}$, is due to the knowledge of the $Λ_b^0$ baryon mass. Relative production rates of the ${Ξ_b(6227)^-\toΛ_b^0K^-}$ and ${Ξ_b(6227)^-\toΞ_b^0π^-}$ decays are also reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Final results of the search for $ν_μ \to ν_{e}$ oscillations with the OPERA detector in the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment has discovered the tau neutrino appearance in the CNGS muon neutrino beam, in agreement with the 3 neutrino flavour oscillation hypothesis. The OPERA neutrino interaction target, made of Emulsion Cloud Chamber, was particularly efficient in the reconstruction of electromagnetic showers. Moreover, thanks to the very high granularity of the emulsion films, showers induced by electrons can be distinguished from those induced by $π^0$s, thus allowing the detection of charged current interactions of electron neutrinos. In this paper the results of the search for electron neutrino events using the full dataset are reported. An improved method for the electron neutrino energy estimation is exploited. Data are compatible with the 3 neutrino flavour mixing model expectations and are used to set limits on the oscillation parameters of the 3+1 neutrino mixing model, in which an additional mass eigenstate $m_{4}$ is introduced. At high $Δm^{2}_{41}$ $( \gtrsim 0.1~\textrm{eV}^{2})$, an upper limit on $\sin^2 2θ_{μe}$ is set to 0.021 at 90% C.L. and $Δm^2_{41} \gtrsim 4 \times 10^{-3}~\textrm{eV}^{2}$ is excluded for maximal mixing in appearance mode.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Final results of the OPERA experiment on $ν_τ$ appearance in the CNGS beam

The OPERA experiment was designed to study $ν_μ\toν_τ$ oscillations in appearance mode in the CNGS neutrino beam. In this letter we report the final analysis of the full data sample collected between 2008 and 2012, corresponding to $17.97\cdot 10^{19}$ protons on target. Selection criteria looser than in previous analyses have produced ten $ν_τ$ candidate events, thus reducing the statistical uncertainty in the measurement of the oscillation parameters and of $ν_τ$ properties. A multivariate approach for event identification has been applied to the candidate events and the discovery of $ν_τ$ appearance is confirmed with an improved significance level of 6.1 $σ$. $Δm^2_{23}$ has been measured, in appearance mode, with an accuracy of 20%. The measurement of $ν_τ$ CC cross-section, for the first time with a negligible contamination from $\barν_τ$, and the first direct observation of the $ν_τ$ lepton number are also reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Discovery potential for directional Dark Matter detection with nuclear emulsions

Direct Dark Matter searches are nowadays one of the most fervid research topics with many experimental efforts devoted to the search for nuclear recoils induced by the scattering of Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs). Detectors able to reconstruct the direction of the nucleus recoiling against the scattering WIMP are opening a new frontier to possibly extend Dark Matter searches beyond the neutrino background. Exploiting directionality would also prove the galactic origin of Dark Matter with an unambiguous signal-to-background separation. Indeed, the angular distribution of recoiled nuclei is centered around the direction of the Cygnus constellation, while the background distribution is expected to be isotropic. Current directional experiments are based on gas TPC whose sensitivity is limited by the small achievable detector mass. In this paper we present the discovery potential of a directional experiment based on the use of a solid target made of newly developed nuclear emulsions and of optical read-out systems reaching unprecedented nanometric resolution.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

High-resolution tracking in a GEM-Emulsion detector

SHiP (Search for Hidden Particles) is a beam dump experiment proposed at the CERN SPS aiming at the observation of long lived particles very weakly coupled with ordinary matter mostly produced in the decay of charmed hadrons. The beam dump facility of SHiP is also a copious factory of neutrinos of all three kinds and therefore a dedicated neutrino detector is foreseen in the SHiP apparatus. The neutrino detector exploits the Emulsion Cloud Chamber technique with a modular structure, alternating walls of target units and planes of electronic detectors providing the time stamp to the event. GEM detectors are one of the possible choices for this task. This paper reports the results of the first exposure to a muon beam at CERN of a new hybrid chamber, obtained by coupling a GEM chamber and an emulsion detector. Thanks to the micrometric accuracy of the emulsion detector, the position resolution of the GEM chamber as a function of the particle inclination was evaluated in two configurations, with and without the magnetic field

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

The active muon shield in the SHiP experiment

The SHiP experiment is designed to search for very weakly interacting particles beyond the Standard Model which are produced in a 400 GeV/c proton beam dump at the CERN SPS. An essential task for the experiment is to keep the Standard Model background level to less than 0.1 event after $2\times 10^{20}$ protons on target. In the beam dump, around $10^{11}$ muons will be produced per second. The muon rate in the spectrometer has to be reduced by at least four orders of magnitude to avoid muon-induced combinatorial background. A novel active muon shield is used to magnetically deflect the muons out of the acceptance of the spectrometer. This paper describes the basic principle of such a shield, its optimization and its performance.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Readout technologies for directional WIMP Dark Matter detection

The measurement of the direction of WIMP-induced nuclear recoils is a compelling but technologically challenging strategy to provide an unambiguous signature of the detection of Galactic dark matter. Most directional detectors aim to reconstruct the dark-matter-induced nuclear recoil tracks, either in gas or solid targets. The main challenge with directional detection is the need for high spatial resolution over large volumes, which puts strong requirements on the readout technologies. In this paper we review the various detector readout technologies used by directional detectors. In particular, we summarize the challenges, advantages and drawbacks of each approach, and discuss future prospects for these technologies.

physics.ins-det↗