arXiv subjects

E. Craig Dukes

Publications and source records attributed to E. Craig Dukes.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Position Resolution of a Scintillator Hodoscope Employing Triangular Counters with Embedded Wavelength Shifting Fibers

Scintillator counters employing embedded wavelength-shifting fibers have been used in particle physics experiments for several decades. Such counters have been produced with square, rectangular, and triangular profiles. An advantage of arrays of triangular counters is that their position resolution can be greatly enhanced by interpolation between adjacent counters using their relative light yields. We report here on a testbeam study of the position resolution of such a scintillator hodoscope and compare the results to a simulation. We find an order of magnitude improvement in the position resolution over that found by simply using the fiber separation.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Expected Sensitivity of the Light Dark Matter eXperiment to Long-Lived Dark Photons and Axion-Like Particles

The Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) is an electron-beam fixed-target experiment primarily designed to achieve world-leading, model-independent sensitivity to sub-GeV dark matter particles. LDMX aims to identify dark sector particle production through the detection of events with substantial missing energy and momentum, a signature of invisible particles escaping detection. Beyond this primary objective, LDMX offers a complementary search strategy for long-lived, visibly decaying particles, such as dark photons and axion-like particles. We present the first detailed evaluation of the ability of LDMX to identify visibly decaying, long-lived particles that couple to electrons using a detailed simulation, based on the Geant4-toolkit, that incorporates realistic detection efficiencies and background levels. We demonstrate that LDMX can achieve a sensitivity that is competitive with other experiments that are currently running. The models explored in this paper are distinct and complementary to those probed in the LDMX flagship missing-momentum analysis. Through searching for both invisible dark matter and visibly decaying long-lived signatures, LDMX will significantly advance the search for light dark matter and provide a broad exploration of the sub-GeV dark sector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Temperature-Dependent Calibration Procedures for the Silicon Photomultiplier Readout of the Cosmic Ray Veto Detector for the Mu2e Experiment

The cosmic ray veto detector for the Mu2e experiment consists of scintillation bars embedded with wavelength-shifting fibers and read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this manuscript the calibration procedures of the SiPMs are described including corrections for the temperature dependence of their light yield. These corrections are needed as the SiPMs are not kept at a constant temperature due to the complexity and cost of implementing a cooling system on such a large detector. Rather, it was decided to monitor the temperature to allow the appropriate corrections to be made. The SiPM temperature dependence has been measured in a dedicated experiment and the calibration procedures were validated with data from production detectors awaiting installation at Fermilab.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Performance Studies of the Mu2e Cosmic Ray Veto Detector

The cosmic ray veto (CRV) detector of the Mu2e experiment consists of four layers of plastic scintillation counters that surround the detector solenoid. These counters are embedded with wavelength-shifting fibers and are read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The performance of a subset of the CRV counters was studied in a cosmic-ray test stand. Using data taken over a two-year period, we report the single-layer muon detection efficiency and the rate at which the light yield degrades due to the aging of the plastic scintillation counters.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Sensitivity of an Early Dark Matter Search using the Electromagnetic Calorimeter as a Target for the Light Dark Matter eXperiment

The Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) is proposed to employ a thin tungsten target and a multi-GeV electron beam to carry out a missing momentum search for the production of dark matter candidate particles. We study the sensitivity for a complementary missing-energy-based search using the LDMX Electromagnetic Calorimeter as an active target with a focus on early running. In this context, we construct an event selection from a limited set of variables that projects sensitivity into previously-unexplored regions of light dark matter phase space -- down to an effective dark photon interaction strength $y$ of approximately $2\times10^{-13}$ ($5\times10^{-12}$) for a 1MeV (10MeV) dark matter candidate mass.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

LDMX -- The Light Dark Matter eXperiment

The Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) is an electron fixed-target experiment optimized to search for sub-GeV dark matter production through the missing momentum signature. LDMX is designed to operate in End Station A at SLAC, using an 8 GeV electron beam accelerated alongside the LCLS-II drive beam. The design of the apparatus is strongly motivated by the performance requirements of a high-rate missing momentum search and leverages detector technologies and designs from other experiments along with existing facilities at SLAC. LDMX will improve on previous results by up to three orders of magnitude, enabling broad sensitivity to dark sector scenarios including the dark matter interaction strengths motivated by freeze-out of MeV-GeV mass dark matter to the observed relic abundance. With hermetic forward coverage, LDMX also has sensitivity to visible signatures of dark sectors and provides a unique probe of electron-nuclear interactions important to interpreting data from accelerator-based neutrino experiments. This report encompasses the technical design of the LDMX Detector, its simulated performance, and the physics capabilities of the experiment.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Photon-rejection Power of the Light Dark Matter eXperiment in an 8 GeV Beam

The Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) is an electron-beam fixed-target experiment designed to achieve comprehensive model independent sensitivity to dark matter particles in the sub-GeV mass region. An upgrade to the LCLS-II accelerator will increase the beam energy available to LDMX from 4 to 8 GeV. Using detailed GEANT4-based simulations, we investigate the effect of the increased beam energy on the capabilities to separate signal and background, and demonstrate that the veto methodology developed for 4 GeV successfully rejects photon-induced backgrounds for at least $2\times10^{14}$ electrons on target at 8 GeV.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Photoelectron Yields of Scintillation Counters with Embedded Wavelength-Shifting Fibers Read Out With Silicon Photomultipliers

Photoelectron yields of extruded scintillation counters with titanium dioxide coating and embedded wavelength shifting fibers read out by silicon photomultipliers have been measured at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility using 120\,GeV protons. The yields were measured as a function of transverse, longitudinal, and angular positions for a variety of scintillator compositions and reflective coating mixtures, fiber diameters, and photosensor sizes. Timing performance was also studied. These studies were carried out by the Cosmic Ray Veto Group of the Mu2e collaboration as part of their R\&D program.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2006

Hints of New Physics in the Decay Sigma-plus -> proton + mu-plus + mu-minus

The HyperCP (E871) experiment collected several billion hyperon decays in the 1997 and 1999 Fermilab fixed-target running periods. Using the data from the 1999 run, we report on the observation of three isolated events with reconstructed masses consistent with the hypothesis Sigma-plus -> proton + mu-plus + mu-minus. This is the rarest baryon decay ever observed. The dimuon mass distribution is unexpectedly narrow, suggesting the decay may proceed via an intermediate state of mass 214.3 +/- 0.5 MeV/c^2. This state is consistent with a short-lived pseudoscalar sgoldstino with parity-conserving interactions decaying into two unlike-sign muons.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2004

The Search for CP Violation in Hyperon Decays

Searches for experimental manifestations of CP violation have born much fruit in recent years with the discovery of direct CP violation and the first evidence of CP violation outside of the neutral kaon system. Nevertheless we still know little about CP violation: its origin remains a mystery and there is little hard evidence that it is the sole province of the standard model. Searches for CP violation in hyperon decays offer promising possibilities as they are sensitive to certain beyond-the-standard-model sources that are not probed in other systems. We report on the status of such searches, in particular a new result from the Fermilab HyperCP experiment which has greatly increased the sensitivity over previous measurements and is confronting some beyond-the-standard-model theory predictions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2002

Flavor Changing Kaon Decays from HyperCP: Measurements of the K+/- -> pi+/- mu+ mu- Branching Ratios

The Fermilab HyperCP collaboration is making precision studies of charged hyperon and kaon decays, as well as searches for rare and forbidden hyperon and kaon decays. We report here on measurements of the branching ratios of the flavor-changing neutral-current decays: K+/- -> pi+/- mu+ mu-, and compare our results to theoretical predictions. This is the first observation of the K- -> pi- mu+ mu- decay.

hep-ex↗