arXiv subjects

J. Kelsey

Publications and source records attributed to J. Kelsey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

The sPHENIX Micromegas Outer Tracker

The sPHENIX Time Projection Chamber Outer Tracker (TPOT) is a Micromegas based detector. It is a part of the sPHENIX experiment that aims to facilitate the calibration of the Time Projection Chamber, in particular the correction of the time-averaged and beam-induced distortions of the electron drift. This paper describes the detector mission, setup, construction, installation, commissioning and performance during the first year of sPHENIX data taking.

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arXiv2023

Measurement of the Charge-Averaged Elastic Lepton-Proton Scattering Cross Section by the OLYMPUS Experiment

We report the first measurement of the average of the electron-proton and positron-proton elastic scattering cross sections. This lepton charge-averaged cross section is insensitive to the leading effects of hard two-photon exchange, giving more robust access to the proton's electromagnetic form factors. The cross section was extracted from data taken by the OLYMPUS experiment at DESY, in which alternating stored electron and positron beams were scattered from a windowless gaseous hydrogen target. Elastic scattering events were identified from the coincident detection of the scattered lepton and recoil proton in a large-acceptance toroidal spectrometer. The luminosity was determined from the rates of Møller, Bhabha and elastic scattering in forward electromagnetic calorimeters. The data provide some selectivity between existing form factor global fits and will provide valuable constraints to future fits.

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arXiv2023

The Two-Photon Exchange Experiment at DESY

We propose a new measurement of the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton elastic scattering at DESY. The purpose is to determine the contributions beyond single-photon exchange, which are essential for the Quantum Electrodynamic (QED) description of the most fundamental process in hadronic physics. By utilizing a 20 cm long liquid hydrogen target in conjunction with the extracted beam from the DESY synchrotron, we can achieve an average luminosity of $2.12\times10^{35}$ cm$^{-2}\cdot$s$^{-1}\cdot$sr$^{-1}$ ($\approx200$ times the luminosity achieved by OLYMPUS). The proposed TPEX experiment entails a commissioning run at 2 GeV, followed by measurements at 3 GeV, thereby providing new data up to $Q^2=4.6$ (GeV/$c$)$^2$ (twice the range of current measurements). We present and discuss the proposed experimental setup, run plan, and expectations.

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arXiv2023

Two-Photon EXchange -- TPEX

We propose a new measurement of the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton, elastic scattering at DESY to determine the contributions beyond single-photon exchange, which are essential to the QED description of the most fundamental process in hadronic physics. A 20~cm long liquid hydrogen target together with the extracted beam from the DESY synchrotron would yield an average luminosity of $2.12\times10^{35}$~cm$^{-2}\cdot$s$^{-1}\cdot$sr$^{-1}$ ($\sim200$ times the luminosity achieved by OLYMPUS). A commissioning run at 2 GeV followed by measurements at 3 GeV would provide new data up to $Q^2=4.6$~(GeV/$c$)$^2$ (twice the range of current measurements). Lead tungstate calorimeters would be used to detect the scattered leptons at polar angles of $30^\circ$, $50^\circ$, $70^\circ$, $90^\circ$, and $110^\circ$. The measurements could be scheduled to not interfere with the operation of PETRA. We present rate estimates and simulations for the planned measurements including background considerations. Initial measurements at the DESY test beam facility using prototype lead tungstate calorimeters in 2019, 2021, and 2022 were made to check the Monte Carlo simulations and the performance of the calorimeters. These tests also investigated different readout schemes (triggered and streaming). Various upgrades are possible to shorten the running time and to make higher beam energies and thus greater $Q^2$ ranges accessible.

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arXiv2022

Low-$Q^2$ elastic electron-proton scattering using a gas jet target

In this paper, we describe an experiment measuring low-$Q^2$ elastic electron-proton scattering using a newly developed cryogenic supersonic gas jet target in the A1 three-spectrometer facility at the Mainz Microtron. We measured the proton electric form factor within the four-momentum transfer range of $0.01\le Q^2 \le 0.045(\text{GeV/c})^2$. The experiment showed consistent results with the existing measurements. The data we collected demonstrated the feasibility of the gas jet target and the potential of future scattering experiments using high-resolution spectrometers with this gas jet target.

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arXiv2022

Searching for New Physics with DarkLight at the ARIEL Electron-Linac

The search for a dark photon holds considerable interest in the physics community. Such a force carrier would begin to illuminate the dark sector. Many experiments have searched for such a particle, but so far it has proven elusive. In recent years the concept of a low mass dark photon has gained popularity in the physics community. Of particular recent interest is the $^8$Be and $^4$He anomaly, which could be explained by a new fifth force carrier with a mass of 17 MeV/$c^2$. The proposed DarkLight experiment would search for this potential low mass force carrier at ARIEL in the 10-20 MeV e$^+$e$^-$ invariant mass range. This proceeding will focus on the experimental design and physics case of the DarkLight experiment.

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arXiv2022

Initial performance of the GlueX DIRC detector

The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Laboratory aims to perform quantitative tests of non-perturbative QCD by studying the spectrum of light-quark mesons and baryons. A Detector of Internally Reflected Cherenkov light (DIRC) was installed to enhance the particle identification (PID) capability of the GlueX experiment by providing clean $π$/K separation up to 3.7 GeV/$c$ momentum in the forward region ($θ<11^{\circ}$), which will allow the study of hybrid mesons decaying into kaon final states with significantly higher efficiency and purity. The new PID system is constructed with radiators from the decommissioned BaBar DIRC counter, combined with new compact photon cameras based on the SuperB FDIRC concept. The full system was successfully installed and commissioned with beam during 2019/2020. The initial PID performance of the system was evaluated and compared to one from Geant4 simulation.

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arXiv2021

Operation and characterization of a windowless gas jet target in high-intensity electron beams

A cryogenic supersonic gas jet target was developed for the MAGIX experiment at the high-intensity electron accelerator MESA. It will be operated as an internal, windowless target in the energy-recovering recirculation arc of the accelerator with different target gases, e.g., hydrogen, deuterium, helium, oxygen, argon, or xenon. Detailed studies have been carried out at the existing A1 multi-spectrometer facility at the electron accelerator MAMI. This paper focuses on the developed handling procedures and diagnostic tools, and on the performance of the gas jet target under beam conditions. Considering the special features of this type of target, it proves to be well suited for a new generation of high-precision electron scattering experiments at high-intensity electron accelerators.

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arXiv2021

Wavelength-Shifting Performance of Polyethylene Naphthalate Films in a Liquid Argon Environment

Liquid argon is commonly used as a detector medium for neutrino physics and dark matter experiments in part due to its copious scintillation light production in response to its excitation and ionization by charged particle interactions. As argon scintillation appears in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regime and is difficult to detect, wavelength-shifting materials are typically used to convert VUV light to visible wavelengths more easily detectable by conventional means. In this work, we examine the wavelength-shifting and optical properties of poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN), a recently proposed alternative to tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB), the most widely-used wavelength-shifter in argon-based experiments. In a custom cryostat system with well-demonstrated geometric and response stability, we use 128~nm argon scintillation light to examine various PEN-including reflective samples' light-producing capabilities, and study the stability of PEN when immersed in liquid argon. The best-performing PEN-including test reflector was found to produce 34% as much visible light as a TPB-including reference sample, with widely varying levels of light production between different PEN-including test reflectors. Plausible origins for these variations, including differences in optical properties and molecular orientation, are then identified using additional measurements. Unlike TPB-coated samples, PEN-coated samples did not produce long-timescale light collection increases associated with solvation or suspension of wavelength-shifting material in bulk liquid argon.

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arXiv2020

Installation and Commissioning of the GlueX DIRC

The GlueX experiment takes place in experimental Hall D at Jefferson Lab (JLab). With a linearly polarized photon beam of up to 12 GeV energy, GlueX is a dedicated experiment to search for hybrid mesons via photoproduction reactions. The low-intensity (Phase I) of GlueX was recently completed; the high-intensity (Phase II) started in 2020 including an upgraded particle identification system, known as the DIRC (Detection of Internally Reflected Cherenkov light), utilizing components from the decommissioned BaBar experiment. The identification and separation of the kaon final states will significantly enhance the GlueX physics program, by adding the capability of accessing the strange quark flavor content of conventional (and potentially hybrid) mesons. In these proceedings, we report that the installation and commissioning of the DIRC detector has been successfully completed.

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arXiv2020

The GlueX DIRC Program

The GlueX experiment is located in experimental Hall D at Jefferson Lab (JLab) and provides a unique capability to search for hybrid mesons in high-energy photoproduction, utilizing a ~9 GeV linearly polarized photon beam. The initial, low-intensity phase of GlueX was recently completed and a high-intensity phase has begun in 2020 which includes an upgraded kaon identification system, known as the DIRC (Detection of Internally Reflected Cherenkov light), utilizing components from the decommissioned BaBar DIRC. The identification of kaon final states will significantly enhance the GlueX physics program, to aid in inferring the quark flavor content of conventional (and potentially hybrid) mesons. In these proceedings we describe the installation of the GlueX DIRC and the analysis of initial commissioning data

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arXiv2019

A New Cryogenic Apparatus to Search for the Neutron Electric Dipole Moment

A cryogenic apparatus is described that enables a new experiment, nEDM@SNS, with a major improvement in sensitivity compared to the existing limit in the search for a neutron Electric Dipole Moment (EDM). It uses superfluid $^4$He to produce a high density of Ultra-Cold Neutrons (UCN) which are contained in a suitably coated pair of measurement cells. The experiment, to be operated at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses polarized $^3$He from an Atomic Beam Source injected into the superfluid $^4$He and transported to the measurement cells as a co-magnetometer. The superfluid $^4$He is also used as an insulating medium allowing significantly higher electric fields, compared to previous experiments, to be maintained across the measurement cells. These features provide an ultimate statistical uncertainty for the EDM of $2-3\times 10^{-28}$ e-cm, with anticipated systematic uncertainties below this level.

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arXiv2019

The neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

Novel experimental techniques are required to make the next big leap in neutron electric dipole moment experimental sensitivity, both in terms of statistics and systematic error control. The nEDM experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source (nEDM@SNS) will implement the scheme of Golub & Lamoreaux [Phys. Rep., 237, 1 (1994)]. The unique properties of combining polarized ultracold neutrons, polarized $^3$He, and superfluid $^4$He will be exploited to provide a sensitivity to $\sim 10^{-28}\,e{\rm \,\cdot\, cm}$. Our cryogenic apparatus will deploy two small ($3\,{\rm L}$) measurement cells with a high density of ultracold neutrons produced and spin analyzed in situ. The electric field strength, precession time, magnetic shielding, and detected UCN number will all be enhanced compared to previous room temperature Ramsey measurements. Our $^3$He co-magnetometer offers unique control of systematic effects, in particular the Bloch-Siegert induced false EDM. Furthermore, there will be two distinct measurement modes: free precession and dressed spin. This will provide an important self-check of our results. Following five years of "critical component demonstration," our collaboration transitioned to a "large scale integration" phase in 2018. An overview of our measurement techniques, experimental design, and brief updates are described in these proceedings.

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arXiv2019

Design and Operation of a Windowless Gas Target Internal to a Solenoidal Magnet for Use with a Megawatt Electron Beam

A windowless hydrogen gas target of nominal thickness $10^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$ is an essential component of the DarkLight experiment, which is designed to utilize the megawatt electron beam at an Energy Recovery Linac (ERL). The design of such a target is challenging because the pressure drops by many orders of magnitude between the central, high-density section of the target and the surrounding beamline, resulting in laminar, transitional, and finally molecular flow regimes. The target system was assembled and operated at Jefferson Lab's Low Energy Recirculator Facility (LERF) in 2016, and subsequently underwent several revisions and calibration tests at MIT Bates in 2017. The system at dynamic equilibrium was simulated in COMSOL to provide a better understanding of its optimal operation at other working points. We have determined that a windowless gas target with sufficiently high density for DarkLight's experimental needs is feasible in an ERL environment.

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arXiv2019

Measurement of Moller Scattering at 2.5 MeV

Moller scattering is one of the most fundamental processes in QED. Understanding it to high precision is necessary for a variety of modern nuclear and particle physics experiments. In a recent calculation, existing soft-photon radiative corrections were combined with new hard-photon bremsstrahlung calculations to take into account the effect of photon emission at any photon energy, where the electron mass was included at all steps. To test the calculation, an experiment was carried out using the 3 MV Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator at the MIT High Voltage Research Laboratory. Momentum spectra at three scattering angles at an incident electron energy of 2.5 MeV are reported here, and compared to the simulated radiative Moller spectra, based on our previous calculation. Good agreement between the measurements and our calculation is observed in the momentum spectrum at the three angles.

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arXiv2018

Realization of a Large-Acceptance Faraday Cup for 3 MeV Electrons

The design, construction, installation, and testing of a Faraday Cup intended to measure the current of a 3 MeV, 1 microampere electron beam is described. Built as a current monitor for a Møller scattering measurement at the MIT High Voltage Research Laboratory, the device combines a large angular acceptance with the capability to measure a continuous, low energy beam. Bench studies of its performance demonstrate current measurements accurate to the percent level at 1 microampere. The Faraday Cup was designed and constructed at MIT and has been in use at the HVRL since 2017, providing a significantly more detailed measurement of beam current than was previously available.

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arXiv2016

Hard Two-Photon Contribution to Elastic Lepton-Proton Scattering: Determined by the OLYMPUS Experiment

The OLYMPUS collaboration reports on a precision measurement of the positron-proton to electron-proton elastic cross section ratio, $R_{2γ}$, a direct measure of the contribution of hard two-photon exchange to the elastic cross section. In the OLYMPUS measurement, 2.01~GeV electron and positron beams were directed through a hydrogen gas target internal to the DORIS storage ring at DESY. A toroidal magnetic spectrometer instrumented with drift chambers and time-of-flight scintillators detected elastically scattered leptons in coincidence with recoiling protons over a scattering angle range of $\approx 20\degree$ to $80\degree$. The relative luminosity between the two beam species was monitored using tracking telescopes of interleaved GEM and MWPC detectors at $12\degree$, as well as symmetric Møller/Bhabha calorimeters at $1.29\degree$. A total integrated luminosity of 4.5~fb$^{-1}$ was collected. In the extraction of $R_{2γ}$, radiative effects were taken into account using a Monte Carlo generator to simulate the convolutions of internal bremsstrahlung with experiment-specific conditions such as detector acceptance and reconstruction efficiency. The resulting values of $R_{2γ}$, presented here for a wide range of virtual photon polarization $0.456<ε<0.978$, are smaller than some hadronic two-photon exchange calculations predict, but are in reasonable agreement with a subtracted dispersion model and a phenomenological fit to the form factor data.

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arXiv2015

Focal-plane detector system for the KATRIN experiment

The focal-plane detector system for the KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment consists of a multi-pixel silicon p-i-n-diode array, custom readout electronics, two superconducting solenoid magnets, an ultra high-vacuum system, a high-vacuum system, calibration and monitoring devices, a scintillating veto, and a custom data-acquisition system. It is designed to detect the low-energy electrons selected by the KATRIN main spectrometer. We describe the system and summarize its performance after its final installation.

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