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J. Osborne

Publications and source records attributed to J. Osborne.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Status of the International Linear Collider

This paper is not a proposal for a CERN future project but provides information on the International Linear Collider (ILC) considered for Japan in order to facilitate the European Strategy discussion in a global context. It describes progress to date, ongoing engineering studies, updated cost estimate for the machine at $\sqrt{s}=250~\rm GeV$ and the situation in Japan. The physics of the ILC is not presented here, but jointly for all Linear Collider projects in a separate document ``A Linear Collider Vision for the Future of Particle Physics'' submitted for the forthcoming European Strategy deliberations.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2023

Post-LS3 Experimental Options in ECN3

The Experimental Cavern North 3 (ECN3) is an underground experimental cavern on the CERN Pr\'evessin site. ECN3 currently hosts the NA62 experiment, with a physics programme devoted to rare kaon decays and searches of hidden particles approved until Long Shutdown 3 (LS3). Several options are proposed on the longer term in order to make best use of the worldwide unique potential of the high-intensity/high-energy proton beam extracted from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) in ECN3. The current status of their study by the CERN Physics Beyond Colliders (PBC) Study Group is presented, including considerations on beam requirements and upgrades, detector R&D and construction, schedules and cost, as well as physics potential within the CERN and worldwide landscape.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

The CLIC project

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a multi-TeV high-luminosity linear e$^+$e$^-$-collider under development by the CLIC accelerator collaboration, hosted by CERN. The CLIC accelerator has been optimised for three energy stages at centre-of-mass energies 380 GeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV. CLIC uses a novel two-beam acceleration technique, with normal-conducting accelerating structures operating in the range of 70-100 MV/m. The report describes recent achievements in accelerator design, technology development and prototyping, system tests and beam tests. Large-scale CLIC-specific beam tests have taken place, for example, at the CLIC Test Facility CTF3 at CERN, at the Accelerator Test Facility ATF2 at KEK, at the FACET facility at SLAC and at the FERMI facility in Trieste. Together, they demonstrate that all implications of the CLIC design parameters are well understood and reproducible in beam tests and prove that the CLIC performance goals are realistic. The implementation of CLIC near CERN has been investigated. Focusing on a staged approach starting at 380 GeV, this includes civil engineering aspects, electrical networks, cooling and ventilation and installation scheduling, transport. All CLIC studies have put emphasis on optimising cost and energy efficiency, and the resulting power and cost estimates are reported. The report follows very closely the accelerator project description in the CLIC Summary Report for the European Particle Physics Strategy update 2018-19. Detailed studies of the physics potential and detector for CLIC, and R&D on detector technologies, have been carried out by the CLIC detector and physics (CLICdp) collaboration. CLIC provides excellent sensitivity to Beyond Standard Model physics, through direct searches and via a broad set of precision measurements of Standard Model processes, particularly in the Higgs and top-quark sectors.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2021

Multi-messenger-Athena Synergy White Paper

In this paper we explore the scientific synergies between Athena and some of the key multi-messenger facilities that should be operative concurrently with Athena. These facilities include LIGO A+, Advanced Virgo+ and future detectors for ground-based observation of gravitational waves (GW), LISA for space-based observations of GW, IceCube and KM3NeT for neutrino observations, and CTA for very high energy observations. These science themes encompass pressing issues in astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics such as: the central engine and jet physics in compact binary mergers, accretion processes and jet physics in Super-Massive Binary Black Holes (SMBBHs) and in compact stellar binaries, the equation of state of neutron stars, cosmic accelerators and the origin of Cosmic Rays (CRs), the origin of intermediate and high-Z elements in the Universe, the Cosmic distance scale and tests of General Relativity and the Standard Model. Observational strategies for implementing the identified science topics are also discussed. A significant part of the sources targeted by multi-messenger facilities is of transient nature. We have thus also discussed the synergy of \textsl{Athena} with wide-field high-energy facilities, taking THESEUS as a case study for transient discovery. This discussion covers all the Athena science goals that rely on follow-up observations of high-energy transients identified by external observatories, and includes also topics that are not based on multi-messenger observations, such as the search for missing baryons or the observation of early star populations and metal enrichment at the cosmic dawn with Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs).

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2019

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) - Project Implementation Plan

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a TeV-scale high-luminosity linear $e^+e^-$ collider under development by international collaborations hosted by CERN. This document provides an overview of the design, technology, and implementation aspects of the CLIC accelerator. For an optimal exploitation of its physics potential, CLIC is foreseen to be built and operated in stages, at centre-of-mass energies of 380 GeV, 1.5 TeV and 3 TeV, for a site length ranging between 11 km and 50 km. CLIC uses a Two-Beam acceleration scheme, in which normal-conducting high-gradient 12 GHz accelerating structures are powered via a high-current Drive Beam. For the first stage, an alternative with X-band klystron powering is also considered. CLIC accelerator optimisation, technical developments, and system tests have resulted insignificant progress in recent years. Moreover, this has led to an increased energy efficiency and reduced power consumption of around 170 MW for the 380 GeV stage, together with a reduced cost estimate of approximately 6 billion CHF. The construction of the first CLIC energy stage could start as early as 2026 and first beams would be available by 2035, marking the beginning of a physics programme spanning 25-30 years and providing excellent sensitivity to Beyond Standard Model physics, through direct searches and via a broad set of precision measurements of Standard Model processes, particularly in the Higgs and top-quark sectors.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2018

Particle physics applications of the AWAKE acceleration scheme

The AWAKE experiment had a very successful Run 1 (2016-8), demonstrating proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration for the first time, through the observation of the modulation of a long proton bunch into micro-bunches and the acceleration of electrons up to 2 GeV in 10 m of plasma. The aims of AWAKE Run 2 (2021-4) are to have high-charge bunches of electrons accelerated to high energy, about 10 GeV, maintaining beam quality through the plasma and showing that the process is scalable. The AWAKE scheme is therefore a promising method to accelerate electrons to high energy over short distances and so develop a useable technology for particle physics experiments. Using proton bunches from the SPS, the acceleration of electron bunches up to about 50 GeV should be possible. Using the LHC proton bunches to drive wakefields could lead to multi-TeV electron bunches, e.g. with 3 TeV acceleration achieved in 4 km of plasma. This document outlines some of the applications of the AWAKE scheme to particle physics and shows that the AWAKE technology could lead to unique facilities and experiments that would otherwise not be possible. In particular, experiments are proposed to search for dark photons, measure strong field QED and investigate new physics in electron-proton collisions. The community is also invited to consider applications for electron beams up to the TeV scale.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2018

The Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) on-board the THESEUS mission

We summarize in this contribution the capabilities, design status, and the en- abling technologies of the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) planned to be on-board the THESEUS mission. We describe its central role in making THESEUS a powerful machine to probe the physical conditions of the early Universe (close to the reionization era) and to explore the time-domain Universe.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2017

ThunderKAT: The MeerKAT Large Survey Project for Image-Plane Radio Transients

ThunderKAT is the image-plane transients programme for MeerKAT. The goal as outlined in 2010, and still today, is to find, identify and understand high-energy astrophysical processes via their radio emission (often in concert with observations at other wavelengths). Through a comprehensive and complementary programme of surveying and monitoring Galactic synchrotron transients (across a range of compact accretors and a range of other explosive phenomena) and exploring distinct populations of extragalactic synchrotron transients (microquasars, supernovae and possibly yet unknown transient phenomena) - both from direct surveys and commensal observations - we will revolutionise our understanding of the dynamic and explosive transient radio sky. As well as performing targeted programmes of our own, we have made agreements with the other MeerKAT large survey projects (LSPs) that we will also search their data for transients. This commensal use of the other surveys, which remains one of our key programme goals in 2016, means that the combined MeerKAT LSPs will produce by far the largest GHz-frequency radio transient programme to date.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2016

The Deep and Transient Universe in the SVOM Era: New Challenges and Opportunities - Scientific prospects of the SVOM mission

To take advantage of the astrophysical potential of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), Chinese and French astrophysicists have engaged the SVOM mission (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor). Major advances in GRB studies resulting from the synergy between space and ground observations, the SVOM mission implements space and ground instrumentation. The scientific objectives of the mission put a special emphasis on two categories of GRBs: very distant GRBs at z$>$5 which constitute exceptional cosmological probes, and faint/soft nearby GRBs which allow probing the nature of the progenitors and the physics at work in the explosion. These goals have a major impact on the design of the mission: the on-board hard X-ray imager is sensitive down to 4 keV and computes on line image and rate triggers, and the follow-up telescopes on the ground are sensitive in the NIR. At the beginning of the next decade, SVOM will be the main provider of GRB positions and spectral parameters on very short time scale. The SVOM instruments will operate simultaneously with a wide range of powerful astronomical devices. This rare instrumental conjunction, combined with the relevance of the scientific topics connected with GRB studies, warrants a remarkable scientific return for SVOM. In addition, the SVOM instrumentation, primarily designed for GRB studies, composes a unique multi-wavelength observatory with rapid slew capability that will find multiple applications for the whole astronomy community beyond the specific objectives linked to GRBs. This report lists the scientific themes that will benefit from observations made with SVOM, whether they are specific GRB topics, or more generally all the issues that can take advantage of the multi-wavelength capabilities of SVOM.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2015

The SVOM gamma-ray burst mission

We briefly present the science capabilities, the instruments, the operations, and the expected performance of the SVOM mission. SVOM (Space-based multiband astronomical Variable Objects Monitor) is a Chinese-French space mission dedicated to the study of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) in the next decade. The SVOM mission encompasses a satellite carrying four instruments to detect and localize the prompt GRB emission and measure the evolution of the afterglow in the visible band and in X-rays, a VHF communication system enabling the fast transmission of SVOM alerts to the ground, and a ground segment including a wide angle camera and two follow-up telescopes. The pointing strategy of the satellite has been optimized to favor the detection of GRBs located in the night hemisphere. This strategy enables the study of the optical emission in the first minutes after the GRB with robotic observatories and the early spectroscopy of the optical afterglow with large telescopes to measure the redshifts. The study of GRBs in the next decade will benefit from a number of large facilities in all wavelengths that will contribute to increase the scientific return of the mission. Finally, SVOM will operate in the era of the next generation of gravitational wave detectors, greatly contributing to searches for the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave triggers at Xray and gamma-ray energies.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2015

The Microchannel X-ray Telescope on Board the SVOM Satellite

We present the Micro-channel X-ray Telescope (MXT), a new narrow-field (about 1°) telescope that will be flying on the Sino-French SVOM mission dedicated to Gamma-Ray Burst science, scheduled for launch in 2021. MXT is based on square micro pore optics (MPOs), coupled with a low noise CCD. The optics are based on a "Lobster Eye" design, while the CCD is a focal plane detector similar to the type developed for the seven eROSITA telescopes. MXT is a compact and light (<35 kg) telescope with a 1 m focal length, and it will provide an effective area of about 45 cmsq on axis at 1 keV. The MXT PSF is expected to be better than 4.2 arc min (FWHM) ensuring a localization accuracy of the afterglows of the SVOM GRBs to better than 1 arc min (90\% c.l. with no systematics) provided MXT data are collected within 5 minutes after the trigger. The MXT sensitivity will be adequate to detect the afterglows for almost all the SVOM GRBs as well as to perform observations of non-GRB astrophysical objects. These performances are fully adapted to the SVOM science goals, and prove that small and light telescopes can be used for future small X-ray missions.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2014

The Microchannel X-ray Telescope for the Gamma-Ray Burst mission SVOM

We present the Microchannel X-ray Telescope, a new light and compact focussing telescope that will be flying on the Sino-French SVOM mission dedicated to Gamma-Ray Burst science. The MXT design is based on the coupling of square pore micro-channel plates with a low noise pnCCD. MXT will provide an effective area of about 50 cmsq, and its point spread function is expected to be better than 3.7 arc min (FWHM) on axis. The estimated sensitivity is adequate to detect all the afterglows of the SVOM GRBs, and to localize them to better then 60 arc sec after five minutes of observation.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2013

The Real-Time Analysis of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory must be capable of issuing fast alerts on variable and transient sources to maximize the scientific return. This will be accomplished by means of a Real-Time Analysis (RTA) pipeline, a key system of the CTA observatory. The latency and sensitivity requirements of the alarm system impose a challenge because of the large foreseen data flow rate, between 0.5 and 8 GB/s. As a consequence, substantial efforts toward the optimization of this high-throughput computing service are envisaged, with the additional constraint that the RTA should be performed on-site (as part of the auxiliary infrastructure of the telescopes). In this work, the functional design of the RTA pipeline is presented.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2013

TLEP: A High-Performance Circular e+e- Collider to Study the Higgs Boson

The recent discovery of a light Higgs boson has opened up considerable interest in circular e+e- Higgs factories around the world. We report on the progress of the TLEP concept since last year. TLEP is an e+e- circular collider capable of very high luminosities in a wide centre-of-mass (ECM) spectrum from 90 to 350 GeV. TLEP could be housed in a new 80 to 100 km tunnel in the Geneva region. The design can be adapted to different ring circumference (e.g. LEP3 in the 27 km LHC tunnel). TLEP is an ideal complementary machine to the LHC thanks to high luminosity, exquisite determination of ECM and the possibility of four interaction points, both for precision measurements of the Higgs boson properties and for precision tests of the closure of the Standard Model from the Z pole to the top threshold.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2013

The EUROnu Project

The EUROnu project has studied three possible options for future, high intensity neutrino oscillation facilities in Europe. The first is a Super Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of pions created by bombarding targets with a 4 MW proton beam from the CERN High Power Superconducting Proton Linac. The far detector for this facility is the 500 kt MEMPHYS water Cherenkov, located in the Fréjus tunnel. The second facility is the Neutrino Factory, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of μ+ and μ- beams in a storage ring. The far detector in this case is a 100 kt Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector at a baseline of 2000 km. The third option is a Beta Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of beta emitting isotopes, in particular 6He and 18Ne, also stored in a ring. The far detector is also the MEMPHYS detector in the Fréjus tunnel. EUROnu has undertaken conceptual designs of these facilities and studied the performance of the detectors. Based on this, it has determined the physics reach of each facility, in particular for the measurement of CP violation in the lepton sector, and estimated the cost of construction. These have demonstrated that the best facility to build is the Neutrino Factory. However, if a powerful proton driver is constructed for another purpose or if the MEMPHYS detector is built for astroparticle physics, the Super Beam also becomes very attractive.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2011

alpha_s from tau decays revisited

Being a determination at low energies, the analysis of hadronic tau decay data provides a rather precise determination of the strong coupling alpha_s after evolving the result to M_Z. At such a level of precision, even small non-perturbative effects become relevant for the central value and error. While those effects had been taken into account in the framework of the operator product expansion, contributions going beyond it, so-called duality violations, have previously been neglected. The following investigation fills this gap through a finite-energy sum rule analysis of tau decay spectra from the OPAL experiment, including duality violations and performing a consistent fit of all appearing QCD parameters. The resulting values for alpha_s(M_tau) are 0.307(19) in fixed-order perturbation theory and 0.322(26) in contour-improved perturbation theory, which translates to the n_f=5 values 0.1169(25) and 0.1187(32) at M_Z, respectively.

hep-ph↗