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M. Weber

Publications and source records attributed to M. Weber.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Recent results from HADES on electron pair production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Systematic investigations of dilepton production are performed at the SIS accelerator of GSI with the HADES spectrometer. The goal of this program is a detailed understanding of di-electron emission from hadronic systems at moderate temperatures and densities. New results obtained in HADES experiments focussing on electron pair production in elementary collisions are reported here. They pave the way to a better understanding of the origin of the so-called excess pairs earlier on observed in heavy-ion collisions by the DLS collaboration and lately confirmed in two measurements of the HADES collaboration using C+C and Ar+KCl collisions. Results of these studies are discussed.

nucl-ex↗

Origin of the low-mass electron pair excess in light nucleus-nucleus collisions

We report measurements of electron pair production in elementary p+p and d+p reactions at 1.25 GeV/u with the HADES spectrometer. For the first time, the electron pairs were reconstructed for n+p reactions by detecting the proton spectator from the deuteron breakup. We find that the yield of electron pairs with invariant mass Me+e- > 0.15 GeV/c2 is about an order of magnitude larger in n+p reactions as compared to p+p. A comparison to model calculations demonstrates that the production mechanism is not sufficiently described yet. The electron pair spectra measured in C+C reactions are compatible with a superposition of elementary n+p and p+p collisions, leaving little room for additional electron pair sources in such light collision systems.

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Deep sub-threshold $Ξ^-$ production in Ar+KCl reactions at 1.76A GeV

We report first results on a deep sub-threshold production of the doubly strange hyperon $Ξ^-$ in a heavy-ion reaction. At a beam energy of 1.76A GeV the reaction Ar+KCl was studied with the High Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at SIS18/GSI. A high-statistics and high-purity $Λ$ sample was collected, allowing for the investigation of the decay channel $Ξ^- \to Λπ^-$. The deduced $Ξ^-/(Λ+Σ^0)$ production ratio of $(5.6 \pm 1.2 ^{+1.8}_{-1.7})\cdot 10^{-3}$ is significantly larger than available model predictions.

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Performances of multi-gap timing RPCs for relativistic ions in the range Z=1-6

We present the performance of Multi-gap timing RPCs under irradiation by fully stripped relativistic ions (gamma*beta=2.7, Z=1-6). A time resolution of 80 ps at high efficiency has been obtained by just using standard `off the shelf' 4-gap timing RPCs from the new HADES ToF wall. The resolution worsened to 100 ps for ~ 1 kHz/cm2 proton flux and for ~ 100 Hz/cm2 Carbon flux. The chambers were operated at a standard field of E=100 kV/cm and showed a high stability during the experiment, supporting the fact that RPCs are a convenient choice when accommodating a very broad range of ionizing particles is needed. The data provides insight in the region of very highly ionizing particles (up to x 36 mips) and can be used to constrain the existing avalanche and Space-Charge models far from the usual `mip valley'. The implications of these results for the general case of detection based on secondary processes (n, gamma) resulting in highly ionizing particles with characteristic energy distributions will be discussed, together with the nature of the time-charge correlation curve.

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First measurement of the magnetic field on FK Com and its relation to the contemporaneous starspot locations

In this study we present simultaneous low-resolution longitudinal magnetic field measurements and high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the cool single giant FK Com. The variation of the magnetic field over the rotational period of 2.4 days is compared with the starspot location obtained using Doppler imaging techniques, V-band photometry and V-I colours. The chromospheric activity is studied simultaneously with the photospheric activity using high resolution observations of the Halpha, Hbeta and Hgamma line profiles. Both the maximum (272 +/- 24 G) and minimum (60 +/- 17 G) in the mean longitudinal magnetic field, , are detected close to the phases where cool spots appear on the stellar surface. A possible explanation for such a behaviour is that the active regions at the two longitudes separated by 0.2 in phase have opposite polarities.

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The chromospherically active binary star EI Eridani II. Long-term Doppler imaging

Data from 11 years of continuous spectroscopic observations of the active RS CVn-type binary star EI Eridani - gained at NSO/McMath-Pierce, KPNO/Coude Feed and during the MUSICOS 98 campaign - were used to obtain 34 Doppler maps in three spectroscopic lines for 32 epochs, 28 of which are independent of each other. Various parameters are extracted from our Doppler maps: average temperature, fractional spottedness, and longitudinal and latitudinal spot-occurrence functions. We find that none of these parameters show a distinct variation nor a correlation with the proposed activity cycle as seen from photometric long-term observations. This suggests that the photometric brightness cycle may not necessarily be due to just a cool spot cycle. The general morphology of the spot pattern remains persistent over the whole period of 11 years. A large cap-like polar spot was recovered from all our images. A high degree of variable activity was noticed near latitudes of approx. 60-70 degrees where the appendages of the polar spot emerged and dissolved.

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The chromospherically active binary star EI Eridani I. Absolute dimensions

We present a detailed determination of the astrophysical parameters of the chromospherically active binary star EI Eridani. Our new radial velocities allow to improve the set of orbital elements and reveal long-term variations of the barycentric velocity. A possible third-body orbit with a period of approximately 19 years is presented. Absolute parameters are determined in combination with the Hipparcos parallax. EI Eri's inclination angle of the rotational axis is confined to 56.0 plus/minus 4.5 degrees, its luminosity class IV is confirmed by its radius of 2.37 plus/minus 0.12 R_Sun. A comparison to theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks suggests a mass of 1.09 plus/minus 0.05 M_Sun and an age of approximately 6.15 Gyr. The present investigation is the basis of our long-term Doppler imaging study of its stellar surface.

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Long-distance atom-photon entanglement

We report the observation of entanglement between a single trapped atom and a single photon at remote locations. The degree of coherence of the entangled atom-photon pair is verified via appropriate local correlation measurements, after communicating the photon via an optical fiber link of 300 m length. In addition we measured the temporal evolution of the atomic density matrix after projecting the atom via a state measurement of the photon onto several well defined spin states. We find that the state of the single atom dephases on a timescale of 150 $μ$s, which represents an important step toward long-distance quantum networking with individual neutral atoms.

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The dark connection between the Canis Major dwarf, the Monoceros ring, the gas flaring, the rotation curve and the EGRET excess of diffuse Galactic Gamma Rays

The excess of diffuse galactic gamma rays above 1 GeV, as observed by the EGRET telescope on the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, shows all the key features from Dark Matter (DM) annihilation: (i) the energy spectrum of the excess is the same in all sky directions and is consistent with the gamma rays expected for the annihilation of WIMPs with a mass between 50-100 GeV; (ii) the intensity distribution of the excess in the sky is used to determine the halo profile, which was found to correspond to the usual profile from N-body simulations with additional substructure in the form of two doughnut-shaped structures at radii of 4 and 13 kpc; (iii) recent N-body simulations of the tidal disruption of the Canis Major dwarf galaxy show that it is a perfect progenitor of the ringlike Monoceros tidal stream of stars at 13 kpc with ring parameters in agreement with the EGRET data; (iiii) the mass of the outer ring is so large, that its gravitational effects influence both the gas flaring and the rotation curve of the Milky Way. Both effects are clearly observed in agreement with the DMA interpretation of the EGRET excess.

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Tevatron-for-LHC Report: Top and Electroweak Physics

The top quark and electroweak bosons (W and Z) represent the most massive fundamental particles yet discovered, and as such refer directly to the Standard Model's greatest remaining mystery: the mechanism by which all particles gained mass. This report summarizes the work done within the top-ew group of the Tevatron-for-LHC workshop. It represents a collection of both Tevatron results, and LHC predictions. The hope is that by considering and comparing both machines, the LHC program can be improved and aided by knowledge from the Tevatron, and that particle physics as a whole can be enriched. The report includes measurements of the top quark mass, searches for single top quark production, and physics of the electroweak bosons at hadron colliders.

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Is the Dark Matter interpretation of the EGRET gamma ray excess compatible with antiproton measurements?

The diffuse galactic EGRET gamma ray data show a clear excess for energies above 1 GeV in comparison with the expectations from conventional galactic models. This excess shows all the features expected from Dark Matter WIMP Annihilation: a)it is present and has the same spectrum in all sky directions, not just in the galactic plane, as expected for WIMP annihilation b) it shows an interesting substructure in the form of a doughnut shaped ring at 14 kpc from the centre of the galaxy, where a ring of stars indicated the probable infall of a dwarf galaxy. From the spectral shape of the excess the WIMP mass is estimated to be between 50 and 100 GeV, while from the intensity the halo profile is reconstructed, which is shown to explain the peculiar change of slope in the rotation curve at about 11 kpc (due to the ring of DM at 14 kpc). Recently it was claimed by Bergstrom et al. that the DM interpretation of the EGRET gamma ray excess is excluded by the antiproton fluxes, since in their propagation model with isotropic diffusion the flux of antiprotons would be far beyond the observed flux. However, the propagation can be largely anisotropic, because of the convection of particles perpendicular to the disc and inhomogeneities in the local environment. It is shown that anisotropic propagation can reduce the antiproton yield by an order of magnitude, while still being consistent with the B/C ratio. Therefore it is hard to use antiprotons to search for {\it light} DM particles, which yield a similar antiproton spectrum as the background, but the antiprotons are a perfect means to tune the many degenerate parameters in the propagation models.

astro-ph↗

Strict 2-toposes

A 2-categorical generalisation of elementary topos is provided and some of the properties of the yoneda structure it generates are explored. Examples relevant to the globular approach to higher category theory are discussed. This paper also contains some expository material on the theory of fibrations internal to a finitely complete 2-category as well as a self-contained development of the necessary background on yoneda structures.

math.CT↗

A novel automatic film changer for high-speed analysis of nuclear emulsions

This paper describes the recent development of a novel automatic computer-controlled manipulator for emulsion film placement and removal at the microscope object table (also called stage). The manipulator is designed for mass scanning of emulsion films for the OPERA neutrino oscillation experiment and provides emulsion changing time shorter than 30 seconds with an emulsion film positioning accuracy as good as 20 microns RMS.

physics.ins-det↗

The Blazhko behaviour of RR Geminorum I - CCD photometric results in 2004

Extended CCD monitoring of RR Gem revealed that it is a Blazhko type RRab star with the shortest Blazhko period (7.23d) and smallest modulation amplitude (Delta Mmax<0.1 mag) currently known. The short period of the modulation cycle enabled us to obtain complete phase coverage of the pulsation at each phase of the modulation. This is the first multicolour observation of a Blazhko star which is extended enough to define accurate mean magnitudes and colours of the variable at different Blazhko phases. Small, but real, changes in the intensity mean colours at different Blazhko phases have been detected. The Fourier analysis of the light curves shows that, in spite of the mmag and smaller order of the amplitudes, the triplet structure is noticeable up to about the 14th harmonic. The modulation is concentrated to a very narrow, 0.2 phase range of the pulsation, centred on the supposed onset of the H emission during rising light. These observational results raise further complications for theoretical explanation of the long known but poorly understood Blazhko phenomenon.

astro-ph↗

Charge Transfer and Charge Broadening of GEM Structures in High Magnetic Fields

We report on measurements of charge transfer in GEM structures in high magnetic fields. These were performed in the framework of the R&D work for a Time Projection Chamber at a future Linear Collider. A small test chamber has been installed into the aperture of a superconducting magnet with the GEM structures mounted perpendicular to the B field direction. The charge transfer is derived from the electrical currents monitored during irradiation with an ${}^{55}$Fe source. No severe loss of primary ionisation charge is observed, but an improved ion feedback suppression is achieved for high magnetic fields. Additionally, the width of the charge cloud released by individual ${}^{55}$Fe photons is measured using a finely segmented strip readout after the triple GEM structure. Charge widths between 0.3 and 0.5 mm RMS are observed, which originate from the charge broadening inside the GEM readout. This charge broadening is only partly suppressed at high magnetic fields.

physics.ins-det↗

The VLQ Calorimeter of H1 at HERA: A Highly Compact Device for Measurements of Electrons and Photons under Very Small Scattering Angles

In 1998, the detector H1 at HERA has been equipped with a small backward spectrometer, the Very Low Q^2 (VLQ) spectrometer comprising a silicon tracker, a tungsten - scintillator sandwich calorimeter, and a Time-of-Flight system. The spectrometer was designed to measure electrons scattered under very low angles, equivalent to very low squared four - momentum transfers Q^2, and high energy photons with good energy and spatial resolution. The VLQ was in operation during the 1999 and 2000 run periods. This paper describes the design and construction of the VLQ calorimeter, a compact device with a fourfold projective energy read-out, and its performance during test runs and in the experiment.

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Antimatter and Matter Production in Heavy Ion Collisions at CERN (The NEWMASS Experiment NA52)

Besides the dedicated search for strangelets NA52 measures light (anti)particle and (anti)nuclei production over a wide range of rapidity. Compared to previous runs the statistics has been increased in the 1998 run by more than one order of magnitude for negatively charged objects at different spectrometer rigidities. Together with previous data taking at a rigidity of -20 GeV/c we obtained 10^6 antiprotons 10^3 antideuterons and two antihelium3 without centrality requirements. We measured nuclei and antinuclei (p,d,antiprotons, antideuterons) near midrapidity covering an impact parameter range of b=2-12 fm. Our results strongly indicate that nuclei and antinuclei are mainly produced via the coalescence mechanism. However the centrality dependence of the antibaryon to baryon ratios show that antibaryons are diminished due to annihilation and breakup reactions in the hadron dense environment. The volume of the particle source extracted from coalescence models agrees with results from pion interferometry for an expanding source. The chemical and thermal freeze-out of nuclei and antinuclei appear to coincide with each other and with the thermal freeze-out of hadrons.

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Centrality dependence of K+ produced in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon

The NA52 collaboration searches for a discontinuous behaviour of charged kaons produced in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV as a function of the impact parameter, which could reveal a hadron to quark-gluon plasma (QGP) phase transition. The K+ yield is found to grow proportional to the number of participating ('wounded') nucleons N, above N=100. Previous NA52 data agree with the above finding and show a discontinuous behaviour in the kaon centrality dependence near N=100, marking the onset of strangeness enhancement -over e.g. p+A data at the same \sqrt{s}- in a chemically equilibrated phase.

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