arXiv subjects

L. Gatignon

Publications and source records attributed to L. Gatignon.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

First observation and study of the $K^{\pm} \rightarrow \pi^{0} \pi^{0} \mu^{\pm} \nu$ decay

The NA48/2 experiment at CERN reports the first observation of the $K^{\pm} \rightarrow \pi^{0} \pi^{0} \mu^{\pm} \nu$ decay based on a sample of 2437 candidates with 15% background contamination collected in 2003--2004. The decay branching ratio in the kinematic region of the squared dilepton mass above $0.03$~GeV$^2/c^4$ is measured to be $(0.65 \pm 0.03) \times 10^{-6}$. The extrapolation to the full kinematic space, using a specific model, is found to be $(3.45 \pm 0.16) \times 10^{-6}$, in agreement with chiral perturbation theory predictions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2022

Controlling the CERN Experimental Area Beams

The CERN fixed target experimental areas are composed of more than 8 km of beam lines with around 800 devices used to define and monitor the beam parameters. Each year more than 140 groups of users come to perform experiments in these areas, with a need to control and access the data from these devices. The software to allow this therefore has to be simple and robust, and be able to control and read out all types of beam devices. This contribution describes the functionality of the beam line control system, CESAR, and its evolution. This includes all the features that can be used by the beam line physicists, operators, and device experts that work in the experimental areas. It also underlines the flexibility that the software provides to the experimental users for control of their beam line, allowing them to manage this in a very easy and independent way. This contribution also covers the on-going work of providing MAD-X support to CESAR to achieve an easier way of integrating beam optics. An overview of the on-going software migration of the Experimental Areas is also given.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2021

SHADOWS (Search for Hidden And Dark Objects With the SPS)

We propose a new beam-dump experiment, SHADOWS, to search for a large variety of feebly-interacting particles possibly produced in the interactions of a 400 GeV proton beam with a high-Z material dump. SHADOWS will use the 400 GeV primary proton beam extracted from the CERN SPS currently serving the NA62 experiment in the CERN North area and will take data off-axis when the P42 beam line is operated in beam-dump mode. SHADOWS can accumulate up to a ~2 x10^19 protons on target per year and expand the exploration for a large variety of FIPs well beyond the state-of-the-art in the mass range of MeV-GeV in a parameter space that is allowed by cosmological and astrophysical observations. So far the strongest bounds on the interaction strength of new feebly-interacting light particles with Standard Model particles exist up to the kaon mass; above this threshold the bounds weaken significantly. SHADOWS can do an important step into this still poorly explored territory and has the potential to discover them if they have a mass between the kaon and the beauty mass. If no signal is found, SHADOWS will push the limits on their couplings with SM particles between one and four orders of magnitude in the same mass range, depending on the model and scenario.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

SPS Beam Dump Facility -- Comprehensive Design Study

The proposed Beam Dump Facility (BDF) is foreseen to be located at the North Area of the SPS. It is designed to be able to serve both beam dump like and fixed target experiments. The SPS and the new facility would offer unique possibilities to enter a new era of exploration at the intensity frontier. Possible options include searches for very weakly interacting particles predicted by Hidden Sector models, and flavour physics measurements. In the first instance, exploitation of the facility, in beam dump mode, is envisaged to be for the Search for Hidden Particle (SHiP) experiment. Following the first evaluation of the BDF in 2014-2016, CERN management launched a Comprehensive Design Study over three years for the facility. The BDF study team has since executed an in-depth feasibility study of proton delivery to target, the target complex, and the underground experimental area, including prototyping of key sub-systems and evaluations of the radiological aspects and safety. A first iteration of detailed integration and civil engineering studies have been performed in order to produce a realistic schedule and cost. This document gives a detailed overview of the proposed facility together with the results of the studies, and draws up a possible road map for a three-year Technical Design Report phase, followed by a 5 to 6 year construction phase.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2019

KLEVER: An experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) at the CERN SPS

Precise measurements of the branching ratios for the flavor-changing neutral current decays $K\toπν\barν$ can provide unique constraints on CKM unitarity and, potentially, evidence for new physics. It is important to measure both decay modes, $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$ and $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$, since different new physics models affect the rates for each channel differently. The goal of the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is to measure the BR for the charged channel to within 10%. For the neutral channel, the BR has never been measured. We are designing the KLEVER experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) to $\sim$20% using a high-energy neutral beam at the CERN SPS starting in LHC Run 4. The boost from the high-energy beam facilitates the rejection of background channels such as $K_L\toπ^0π^0$ by detection of the additional photons in the final state. On the other hand, the layout poses particular challenges for the design of the small-angle vetoes, which must reject photons from $K_L$ decays escaping through the beam exit amidst an intense background from soft photons and neutrons in the beam. Background from $Λ\to nπ^0$ decays in the beam must also be kept under control. We present findings from our design studies for the beamline and experiment, with an emphasis on the challenges faced and the potential sensitivity for the measurement of BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$).

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Summary Report of Physics Beyond Colliders at CERN

Physics Beyond Colliders is an exploratory study aimed at exploiting the full scientific potential of CERN's accelerator complex and its scientific infrastructure in the next two decades through projects complementary to the LHC, HL-LHC and other possible future colliders. These projects should target fundamental physics questions that are similar in spirit to those addressed by high-energy colliders, but that require different types of beams and experiments. A kick-off workshop held in September 2016 identified a number of areas of interest and working groups have been set-up to study and develop these directions. All projects currently under consideration are presented including physics motivation, a brief outline of the experimental set-up and the status of the corresponding beam and detector technological studies. The proposals are also put in context of the worldwide landscape and their implementation issues are discussed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Search for $K^{+}\rightarrowπ^{+}ν\overlineν$ at NA62

$K^{+}\rightarrowπ^{+}ν\overlineν$ is one of the theoretically cleanest meson decay where to look for indirect effects of new physics complementary to LHC searches. The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS is designed to measure the branching ratio of this decay with 10\% precision. NA62 took data in pilot runs in 2014 and 2015 reaching the final designed beam intensity. The quality of 2015 data acquired, in view of the final measurement, will be presented.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

CLIC Muon Sweeper Design

There are several background sources which may affect the analysis of data and detector performans at the CLIC project. One of the important background source is halo muons, which are generated along the beam delivery system (BDS), for the detector performance. In order to reduce muon background, magnetized muon sweepers have been used as a shielding material that is already described in a previous study for CLIC [1]. The realistic muon sweeper has been designed with OPERA. The design parameters of muon sweeper have also been used to estimate muon background reduction with BDSIM Monte Carlo simulation code [2, 3].

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2016

ChPT tests at the NA48 and NA62 experiments at CERN

The NA48/2 Collaboration at CERN has accumulated unprecedented statistics of rare kaon decays in the Ke4 modes: Ke4(+-) ($K^\pm \to π^+ π^- e^\pm ν$) and Ke4(00) ($K^\pm \to π^0 π^0 e^\pm ν$) with nearly one percent background contamination. The detailed study of form factors and branching rates, based on these data, has been completed recently. The results brings new inputs to low energy strong interactions description and tests of Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) and lattice QCD calculations. In particular, new data support the ChPT prediction for a cusp in the $π^0π^0$ invariant mass spectrum at the two charged pions threshold for Ke4(00) decay. New final results from an analysis of about 400 $K^\pm \to π^\pm γγ$ rare decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments at CERN during low intensity runs with minimum bias trigger configurations are presented. The results include a model-independent decay rate measurement and fits to ChPT description.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

Prospects for $K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar{ ν}$ at CERN in NA62

The NA62 experiment will begin taking data in 2015. Its primary purpose is a 10% measurement of the branching ratio of the ultrarare kaon decay $K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar{ ν}$, using the decay in flight of kaons in an unseparated beam with momentum 75 GeV/c.The detector and analysis technique are described here.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2014

The COMPASS Setup for Physics with Hadron Beams

The main characteristics of the COMPASS experimental setup for physics with hadron beams are described. This setup was designed to perform exclusive measurements of processes with several charged and/or neutral particles in the final state. Making use of a large part of the apparatus that was previously built for spin structure studies with a muon beam, it also features a new target system as well as new or upgraded detectors. The hadron setup is able to operate at the high incident hadron flux available at CERN. It is characterised by large angular and momentum coverages, large and nearly flat acceptances, and good two and three-particle mass resolutions. In 2008 and 2009 it was successfully used with positive and negative hadron beams and with liquid hydrogen and solid nuclear targets. This article describes the new and upgraded detectors and auxiliary equipment, outlines the reconstruction procedures used, and summarises the general performance of the setup.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Recent NA48/2 and NA62 results

The NA48/2 Collaboration at CERN has accumulated and analysed unprecedented statistics of rare kaon decays in the $K_{e4}$ modes: $K_{e4}(+-)$ ($K^\pm \to π^+ π^- e^\pm ν$) and $K_{e4}(00)$ ($K^\pm \to π^0 π^0 e^\pm ν$) with nearly one percent background contamination. It leads to the improved measurement of branching fractions and detailed form factor studies. New final results from the analysis of 381 $K^\pm \to π^\pm γγ$ rare decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments at CERN are presented. The results include a decay rate measurement and fits to Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) description.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2013

Measurement of the branching ratio of the decay $Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$

From the 2002 data taking with a neutral kaon beam extracted from the CERN-SPS, the NA48/1 experiment observed 97 $Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$ candidates with a background contamination of $30.8 \pm 4.2$ events. From this sample, the BR($Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$) is measured to be $(2.17 \pm 0.32_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.17_{\mathrm{syst}})\times10^{-6}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2010

Empirical parameterization of the K+- -> pi+- pi0 pi0 decay Dalitz plot

As first observed by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, the $\p0p0$ invariant mass (M00) distribution from $\kcnn$ decay shows a cusp-like anomaly at M00=2m+, where m+ is the charged pion mass. An analysis to extract the pi pi scattering lengths in the isospin I=0 and I=2 states, a0 and a2, respectively, has been recently reported. In the present work the Dalitz plot of this decay is fitted to a new empirical parameterization suitable for practical purposes, such as Monte Carlo simulations of K+- -> pi+- pi0 pi0 decays.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Summary of experimental studies at CERN on a positron source using crystal effects

New kind of positron sources for future linear colliders, where the converter is a tungsten crystal oriented on the <111> axis, has been studied at CERN in the WA103 experiment. In such sources the photons which create the $e^+ e^-$ pairs result from channeling radiation and coherent bremsstrahlung. In this experiment electron beams of 6 and 10 GeV were sent on different kinds of targets: a 4 mm thick crystal, a 8 mm thick crystal and a compound taraget (4 mm crystal + 4 mm amorphous disk). An amorphous tungsten target 20 mm thick was also used for comparison with the 8 mm crystal. Tracks of outgoing charged particles were detected and analyzed by a drift chamber in a magnetic field. The energy and angle spectra of the positrons were obtained for energies up to 150 MeV and angles up to 30 degrees. The measured positron distribution in momentum space (longitudinal versus transverse) is also presented, giving a full momentum space description of the source. Results on outgoing photons are also presented. A significant enhancement of both photon and positron production is clearly observed. At 10 GeV incident energy, the positron enhancement factor is 4 for the 4 mm crystal, about 2 for the 8 mm crystal. Besides, the simulation code for the crystal processes is validated by a quite good agreement between the simulated and experimental spectra, both for positrons and photons.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2000

Experimental Determination of the Characteristics of a Positron Source Using Channeling

Numerical simulations and `proof of principle' experiments showed clearly the interest of using crystals as photon generators dedicated to intense positron sources for linear colliders. An experimental investigation, using a 10 GeV secondary electron beam, of the SPS-CERN, impinging on an axially oriented thick tungsten crystal, has been prepared and operated between May and August 2000. After a short recall on the main features of positron sources using channeling in oriented crystals, the experimental set-up is described. A particular emphasis is put on the positron detector made of a drift chamber, partially immersed in a magnetic field. The enhancement in photon and positron production in the aligned crystal have been observed in the energy range 5 to 40 GeV, for the incident electrons, in crystals of 4 and 8 mm as in an hybrid target. The first results concerning this experiment are presented hereafter.

physics.acc-ph↗