arXiv subjects

A. Kozela

Publications and source records attributed to A. Kozela.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Measurement of the permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron

We present the result of an experiment to measure the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron at the Paul Scherrer Institute using Ramsey's method of separated oscillating magnetic fields with ultracold neutrons (UCN). Our measurement stands in the long history of EDM experiments probing physics violating time reversal invariance. The salient features of this experiment were the use of a Hg-199 co-magnetometer and an array of optically pumped cesium vapor magnetometers to cancel and correct for magnetic field changes. The statistical analysis was performed on blinded datasets by two separate groups while the estimation of systematic effects profited from an unprecedented knowledge of the magnetic field. The measured value of the neutron EDM is $d_{\rm n} = (0.0\pm1.1_{\rm stat}\pm0.2_{\rm sys})\times10^{-26}e\,{\rm cm}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Endcap Disc DIRC

PANDA (anti-Proton ANnihiliation at DArmstadt) is planned to be one of the four main experiments at the future international accelerator complex FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) in Darmstadt, Germany. It is going to address fundamental questions of hadron physics and quantum chromodynamics using cooled antiproton beams with a high intensity and and momenta between 1.5 and 15 GeV/c. PANDA is designed to reach a maximum luminosity of 2x10^32 cm^2 s. Most of the physics programs require an excellent particle identification (PID). The PID of hadronic states at the forward endcap of the target spectrometer will be done by a fast and compact Cherenkov detector that uses the detection of internally reflected Cherenkov light (DIRC) principle. It is designed to cover the polar angle range from 5° to 22° and to provide a separation power for the separation of charged pions and kaons up to 3 standard deviations (s.d.) for particle momenta up to 4 GeV/c in order to cover the important particle phase space. This document describes the technical design and the expected performance of the novel PANDA Disc DIRC detector that has not been used in any other high energy physics experiment (HEP) before. The performance has been studied with Monte-Carlo simulations and various beam tests at DESY and CERN. The final design meets all PANDA requirements and guarantees suffcient safety margins.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Vector analyzing powers in the $d(p,pp)n$ and $d(p,{\rm{^{2}He}})n$ channels at 135 MeV

Vector analyzing powers, $A_x$ and $A_y$, of the proton-deuteron break-up reaction have been measured by using a polarized-proton beam at 135 MeV impinging on a liquid-deuterium target. For the experiment, the Big Instrument for Nuclear-polarization Analysis (BINA) was used at KVI, Groningen, the Netherlands. The data are compared to the predictions of Faddeev calculations using state-of-the-art two- and three-nucleon potentials. Our data are reasonably well described by calculations for the kinematical configurations at which the three-nucleon force (3NF) effect is predicted to be small. However, striking discrepancies are observed at specific configurations, in particular in the cases of symmetric configurations, where the relative azimuthal angle between the two protons is small which corresponds to the $d(p,{\rm{^{2}He}})n$ channel. The vector analyzing powers of these configurations are compared to the proton deuteron elastic scattering to study the spin-isospin sensitivity of the 3NF models. The results are compared to the earlier results of the proton-deuteron break-up reaction at 190 MeV proton-beam energy \cite{Mardanpour2010}. A disagreement is observed for both proton-beam energies between data and calculations which points to a deficiency in the treatment of spin-isospin part of the 3NF.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Statistical sensitivity of the nEDM apparatus at PSI to neutron mirror-neutron oscillations

The neutron and its hypothetical mirror counterpart, a sterile state degenerate in mass, could spontaneously mix in a process much faster than the neutron $β$-decay. Two groups have performed a series of experiments in search of neutron - mirror-neutron ($n-n'$) oscillations. They reported no evidence, thereby setting stringent limits on the oscillation time $τ_{nn'}$. Later, these data sets have been further analyzed by Berezhiani et al.(2009-2017), and signals, compatible with $n-n'$ oscillations in the presence of mirror magnetic fields, have been reported. The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Collaboration based at the Paul Scherrer Institute performed a new series of experiments to further test these signals. In this paper, we describe and motivate our choice of run configurations with an optimal filling time of $29~$s, storage times of $180~$s and $380~$s, and applied magnetic fields of $10~μ$T and $20~μ$T. The choice of these run configurations ensures a reliable overlap in settings with the previous efforts and also improves the sensitivity to test the signals. We also elaborate on the technique of normalizing the neutron counts, making such a counting experiment at the ultra-cold neutron source at the Paul Scherrer Institute possible. Furthermore, the magnetic field characterization to meet the requirements of this $n-n'$ oscillation search is demonstrated. Finally, we show that this effort has a statistical sensitivity comparable to the current leading constraints for $n-n'$ oscillations.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Study of Three-Nucleon Dynamics in the dp breakup collisions using the WASA detector

Differential cross section for the 1H(d,pp)n breakup reaction at deuteron beam energy of 340 MeV has been measured with the use of WASA detector at COSY-Juelich. The set of proton-proton coincidences registered at Forward Detector has been analysed on dense grid of kinematic variables, giving in total around 5600 data points. The cross section data are compared to theoretical predictions based on the state-of-the-art nucleon-nucleon potentials, combined with three-nucleon force, Coulomb interaction or carried out in a relativistic regime.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Investigation of the quasi-free domain in deuteron-deuteron break-up using spin observables

Precision measurements of vector and tensor analyzing powers of the $^{2}{\rm H}(\vec d,dp){n}$ break-up process for configurations in the vicinity of the quasi-free scattering regime with the neutron as spectator, are presented. These measurements are performed with a polarized deuteron-beam with an energy of 65 MeV/nucleon impinging on a liquid-deuterium target. The experiment was conducted at the AGOR facility at KVI using the BINA 4$π$-detection system. Events for which the final-state deuteron and proton are coplanar have been analyzed and the data have been sorted for various momenta of the missing neutron. In the limit of vanishing neutron momentum and at large deuteron-proton momentum transfer, the data agree well with the measured and theoretically predicted spin observables of the elastic deuteron-proton scattering process. The agreement deteriorates rapidly with increasing neutron momentum and/or decreasing momentum transfer from the deuteron beam to the outgoing proton. This study reveals the presence of a significant contribution of final-state interactions even at very small neutron momenta.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic field uniformity in neutron electric dipole moment experiments

Magnetic field uniformity is of the utmost importance in experiments to measure the electric dipole moment of the neutron. A general parametrization of the magnetic field in terms of harmonic polynomial modes is proposed, going beyond the linear-gradients approximation. We review the main undesirable effects of non-uniformities: depolarization of ultracold neutrons, and Larmor frequency shifts of neutrons and mercury atoms. The theoretical predictions for these effects were verified by dedicated measurements with the single-chamber nEDM apparatus installed at the Paul Scherrer Institute.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

The n2EDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute

We present the new spectrometer for the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) search at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), called n2EDM. The setup is at room temperature in vacuum using ultracold neutrons. n2EDM features a large UCN double storage chamber design with neutron transport adapted to the PSI UCN source. The design builds on experience gained from the previous apparatus operated at PSI until 2017. An order of magnitude increase in sensitivity is calculated for the new baseline setup based on scalable results from the previous apparatus, and the UCN source performance achieved in 2016.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Studies of the Three-Body Breakup in Deuteron-Deuteron Collisions near the Quasi-Free Limit at 160 MeV

A set of differential cross section of the three-body $^{2}$H($d$,$dp$)$n$ breakup reaction at 160 MeV deuteron beam energy are presented for 147 kinematically complete configurations near the quasi-free scattering kinematics. The experiment was performed at KVI in Groningen, the Netherlands using the BINA detector. The cross-section data have been normalized to the $^{2}$H($d$,$d$)$^{2}$H elastic scattering cross section. The data are compared to the recent single-scattering approximation (SSA) calculations for three-cluster breakup in deuteron-deuteron collisions. Confronting the SSA predictions with the experimental data shows that SSA provides the correct order of magnitude of the cross-section data. The studied energy is probably too low to meet the SSA assumptions which prevents better accuracy of the description.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2018

Multi-Wire 3D Gas Tracker for Searching New Physics in Nuclear Beta Decay

Searches of new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) performed at low energy frontiers are complementary to experiments carried out at high energy colliders. Among the methods for testing the SM and beyond at low energies are the precision spectrum shape and correlation coefficient measurements in nuclear and neutron beta decay. In order to study tiny effects in beta spectrum shape, a special spectrometer was built. It consists of a 3D low pressure gas tracker (drift chamber with hexagonal cells, signal readout at both wire ends) and plastic scintillators for triggering data acquisition and registration of the beta particle energy. The results of the characterization process indicate the possibility of using such a gas tracker in a range of experiments with low energy electrons where beta particle tracking with minimal kinematics deterioration is beneficial. Application of this technique is also planned for neutron decay correlation experiments. In the paper, the first application of this tracker in a high-precision beta spectrum shape study is discussed. The measurement technique, commissioning results, and the future outlook are presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Investigation of the Cross Section for dd Elastic Scattering and dd$\rightarrow$ n$^{3}$He Reactions at 160 MeV

Differential cross sections of $^{2}$H(d, d)d elastic scattering and proton transfer $^{2}$H(d, $^{3}$He)n reactions at 160 MeV beam energy have been obtained. They have been normalized relative to the existing cross-section data for the $^{2}$H(d, d)d elastic scattering at 180 and 130 MeV, benefiting from the negligible energy dependence of this observable at certain range of the four momentum transfer. The experiment was performed at KVI in Groningen, the Netherlands using the BINA detector. The elastic scattering data are compared to theoretical predictions based on the lowest-order term in the Neumann series expansion for four-nucleon transition operators. The calculations underpredict the data. The data presented in this paper can be used to validate the future theoretical findings.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Search for axion-like dark matter through nuclear spin precession in electric and magnetic fields

We report on a search for ultra-low-mass axion-like dark matter by analysing the ratio of the spin-precession frequencies of stored ultracold neutrons and $^{199}$Hg atoms for an axion-induced oscillating electric dipole moment of the neutron and an axion-wind spin-precession effect. No signal consistent with dark matter is observed for the axion mass range $10^{-24}~\textrm{eV} \le m_a \le 10^{-17}~\textrm{eV}$. Our null result sets the first laboratory constraints on the coupling of axion dark matter to gluons, which improve on astrophysical limits by up to 3 orders of magnitude, and also improves on previous laboratory constraints on the axion coupling to nucleons by up to a factor of 40.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Experimental access to Transition Distribution Amplitudes with the PANDA experiment at FAIR

Baryon-to-meson Transition Distribution Amplitudes (TDAs) encoding valuable new information on hadron structure appear as building blocks in the collinear factorized description for several types of hard exclusive reactions. In this paper, we address the possibility of accessing nucleon-to-pion ($πN$) TDAs from $\bar{p}p \to e^+e^- π^0$ reaction with the future PANDA detector at the FAIR facility. At high center of mass energy and high invariant mass squared of the lepton pair $q^2$, the amplitude of the signal channel $\bar{p}p \to e^+e^- π^0$ admits a QCD factorized description in terms of $πN$ TDAs and nucleon Distribution Amplitudes (DAs) in the forward and backward kinematic regimes. Assuming the validity of this factorized description, we perform feasibility studies for measuring $\bar{p}p \to e^+e^- π^0$ with the PANDA detector. Detailed simulations on signal reconstruction efficiency as well as on rejection of the most severe background channel, i.e. $\bar{p}p \to π^+π^- π^0$ were performed for the center of mass energy squared $s = 5$ GeV$^2$ and $s = 10$ GeV$^2$, in the kinematic regions $3.0 < q^2 < 4.3$ GeV$^2$ and $5 < q^2 < 9$ GeV$^2$, respectively, with a neutral pion scattered in the forward or backward cone $| \cosθ_{π^0}| > 0.5 $ in the proton-antiproton center of mass frame. Results of the simulation show that the particle identification capabilities of the PANDA detector will allow to achieve a background rejection factor of $5\cdot 10^7$ ($1\cdot 10^7$) at low (high) $q^2$ for $s=5$ GeV$^2$, and of $1\cdot 10^8$ ($6\cdot 10^6$) at low (high) $q^2$ for $s=10$ GeV$^2$, while keeping the signal reconstruction efficiency at around $40\%$. At both energies, a clean lepton signal can be reconstructed with the expected statistics corresponding to $2$ fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity. (.../...)

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

Feasibility study for the measurement of $πN$ TDAs at PANDA in $\bar{p}p\to J/ψπ^0$

The exclusive charmonium production process in $\bar{p}p$ annihilation with an associated $π^0$ meson $\bar{p}p\to J/ψπ^0$ is studied in the framework of QCD collinear factorization. The feasibility of measuring this reaction through the $J/ψ\to e^+e^-$ decay channel with the PANDA (AntiProton ANnihilation at DArmstadt) experiment is investigated. Simulations on signal reconstruction efficiency as well as the background rejection from various sources including the $\bar{p}p\toπ^+π^-π^0$ and $\bar{p}p\to J/ψπ^0π^0$ reactions are performed with PandaRoot, the simulation and analysis software framework of the PANDA experiment. It is shown that the measurement can be done at PANDA with significant constraining power under the assumption of an integrated luminosity attainable in four to five months of data taking at the maximum design luminosity.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Feasibility studies of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors at PANDA at FAIR

Simulation results for future measurements of electromagnetic proton form factors at \PANDA (FAIR) within the PandaRoot software framework are reported. The statistical precision with which the proton form factors can be determined is estimated. The signal channel $\bar p p \to e^+ e^-$ is studied on the basis of two different but consistent procedures. The suppression of the main background channel, $\textit{i.e.}$ $\bar p p \to π^+ π^-$, is studied. Furthermore, the background versus signal efficiency, statistical and systematical uncertainties on the extracted proton form factors are evaluated using two different procedures. The results are consistent with those of a previous simulation study using an older, simplified framework. However, a slightly better precision is achieved in the PandaRoot study in a large range of momentum transfer, assuming the nominal beam conditions and detector performance.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

Study of the pd(dp) -> 3He pi pi reactions close to threshold

New experimental data on the pd -> 3He pi+ pi- reaction obtained with the COSY-MOMO detector below the three-pion threshold are presented. The reaction was also studied in inverse kinematics with a deuteron beam and the higher counting rates achieved were especially important at low excess energies. The comparison of these data with inclusive pd -> 3He+X rates allowed estimates also to be made of pi0 pi0 production. The results confirm our earlier findings that close to threshold there is no enhancement at low excitation energies in the pi+ pi- system, where the data seem largely suppressed compared to phase space. Possible explanations for this behavior, such as strong p- waves in the pi+pi- -system or the influence of two-step processes, are explored.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Ultracold neutron detection with 6Li-doped glass scintillators, NANOSC: a fast ultracold neutron detector for the nEDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute

This paper summarizes the results from measurements aiming to characterize ultracold neutron detection with 6Li-doped glass scintillators. Single GS10 or GS20 scintillators, with a thickness of 100-200 micrometer, fulfill the ultracold neutron detection requirements with an acceptable neutron-gamma discrimination. This discrimination is clearly improved with a stack of two scintillators: a 6Li-depleted glass bonded to a 6Li-enriched glass. The optical contact bonding is used between the scintillators in order to obtain a perfect optical contact. The scintillator's detection efficiency is similar to that of a 3He Strelkov gas detector. Coupled to a digital data acquisition system, counting rates up to a few 10^5 counts/s can be handled. A detector based on such a scintillator stack arrangement was built and has been used in the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute since 2010. Its response for the regular runs of the neutron electric dipole moment experiment is presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Deuteron-deuteron collision at 160 MeV

The experiment was carried out using BINA detector at KVI in Groningen. For the first time an extensive data analysis of the data collected in back part of the detector is presented, where a clusterization method is utilized for angular and energy information. We also present differential cross-sections for the (dd$\rightarrow$dpn) breakup reaction within \textit{dp} quasi-free scattering limit and their comparison with first calculations based on Single Scattering Approximation (SSA) approach.

nucl-ex↗