arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R. Ehrlich.
We present the first search for the decay $D^+_{s}\to ωe^{+}ν$ to test the four-quark content of the $D^+_{s}$ and the $ω$-$ϕ$ mixing model for this decay. We use 586 $\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}e^{-}$ collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 4170 MeV. We find no evidence of a signal, and set an upper limit on the branching fraction of $\mathcal{B}(D^+_{s}\toωe^+ν)<$0.20% at the 90% confidence level.
Using 586 $\textrm{pb}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}e^{-}$ collision data acquired at $\sqrt{s}=4.170$ GeV with the CLEO-c detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we report the first observation of $D_{s}^{*+} \to D_{s}^{+} e^{+} e^{-}$ with a significance of $5.3 σ$. The ratio of branching fractions $\calB(D_{s}^{*+} \to D_{s}^{+} e^{+} e^{-}) / \calB(D_{s}^{*+} \to D_{s}^{+} γ)$ is measured to be $[ 0.72^{+0.15}_{-0.13} (\textrm{stat}) \pm 0.10 (\textrm{syst})]%$, which is consistent with theoretical expectations.
Using 9.32, 5.88 million Upsilon(2S,3S) decays taken with the CLEO-III detector, we obtain five product branching fractions for the exclusive processes Upsilon(2S) => gamma chi_{b0,1,2}(1P) => gamma gamma Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(3S) => gamma chi_{b1,2}(1P) => gamma gamma Upsilon(1S). We observe the transition chi_{b0}(1P) => gamma Upsilon(1S) for the first time. Using the known branching fractions for B[Upsilon(2S) => gamma chi_{bJ}(1P)], we extract values for B[chi_{bJ}(1P) => gamma Upsilon(1S)] for J=0, 1, 2. In turn, these values can be used to unfold the Upsilon(3S) product branching fractions to obtain values for B[Upsilon(3S) => gamma chi_{b1,2}(1P) for the first time individually. Comparison of these with each other and with the branching fraction B[Upsilon(3S) => gamma chi_{b0}] previously measured by CLEO provides tests of relativistic corrections to electric dipole matrix elements.
IceCube has become the first neutrino telescope with a sensitivity below the TeV neutrino flux predicted from gamma-ray bursts if GRBs are responsible for the observed cosmic-ray flux above $10^{18}$ eV. Two separate analyses using the half-complete IceCube detector, one a dedicated search for neutrinos from $p γ$-interactions in the prompt phase of the GRB fireball, and the other a generic search for any neutrino emission from these sources over a wide range of energies and emission times, produced no evidence for neutrino emission, excluding prevailing models at 90% confidence.
SN 2008D, a core collapse supernova at a distance of 27 Mpc, was serendipitously discovered by the Swift satellite through an associated X-ray flash. Core collapse supernovae have been observed in association with long gamma-ray bursts and X-ray flashes and a physical connection is widely assumed. This connection could imply that some core collapse supernovae possess mildly relativistic jets in which high-energy neutrinos are produced through proton-proton collisions. The predicted neutrino spectra would be detectable by Cherenkov neutrino detectors like IceCube. A search for a neutrino signal in temporal and spatial correlation with the observed X-ray flash of SN 2008D was conducted using data taken in 2007-2008 with 22 strings of the IceCube detector. Events were selected based on a boosted decision tree classifier trained with simulated signal and experimental background data. The classifier was optimized to the position and a "soft jet" neutrino spectrum assumed for SN 2008D. Using three search windows placed around the X-ray peak, emission time scales from 100 - 10000 s were probed. No events passing the cuts were observed in agreement with the signal expectation of 0.13 events. Upper limits on the muon neutrino flux from core collapse supernovae were derived for different emission time scales and the principal model parameters were constrained.
Self-annihilating or decaying dark matter in the Galactic halo might produce high energy neutrinos detectable with neutrino telescopes. We have conducted a search for such a signal using 276 days of data from the IceCube 22-string configuration detector acquired during 2007 and 2008. The effect of halo model choice in the extracted limit is reduced by performing a search that considers the outer halo region and not the Galactic Center. We constrain any large scale neutrino anisotropy and are able to set a limit on the dark matter self-annihilation cross section of <σ_{A}v> \simeq 10^{-22} cm^3/s for WIMP masses above 1 TeV, assuming a monochromatic neutrino line spectrum.
We report on the first search for atmospheric and for diffuse astrophysical neutrino-induced showers (cascades) in the IceCube detector using 257 days of data collected in the year 2007-2008 with 22 strings active. A total of 14 events with energies above 16 TeV remained after event selections in the diffuse analysis, with an expected total background contribution of $8.3\pm 3.6$. At 90% confidence we set an upper limit of $E^2Φ_{90%CL}<3.6\times10^{-7} GeV \cdot cm^{-2} \cdot s^{-1}\cdot sr^{-1} $ on the diffuse flux of neutrinos of all flavors in the energy range between 24 TeV and 6.6 PeV assuming that $Φ\propto E^{-2}$ and that the flavor composition of the $ν_e : ν_μ: ν_τ$ flux is $1 : 1 : 1$ at the Earth. The atmospheric neutrino analysis was optimized for lower energies. A total of 12 events were observed with energies above 5 TeV. The observed number of events is consistent with the expected background, within the uncertainties.
We report on a study of exclusive radiative decays of the Upsilon(1S) resonance into a final state consisting of a photon and two K0s candidates. We find evidence for a signal for Upsilon(1S)->gamma f_2'(1525); f_2'(1525)->K0sK0s, at a rate (4.0+/-1.3+/-0.6)x10^{-5}, consistent with previous observations of Upsilon(1S)->gamma f_2'(1525); f_2'(1525)->K+K-, and isospin. Combining this branching fraction with existing branching fraction measurements of Upsilon(1S)->gamma f_2'(1525) and J/psi->gamma f_2'(1525), we obtain the ratio of branching fractions: B(Upsilon(1S)->gamma f_2'(1525))/B(J/psi->gamma f_2'(1525))=0.09+/-0.02, approximately consistent with expectations based on soft collinear effective theory.
A measurement of the atmospheric muon neutrino energy spectrum from 100 GeV to 400 TeV was performed using a data sample of about 18,000 up-going atmospheric muon neutrino events in IceCube. Boosted decision trees were used for event selection to reject mis-reconstructed atmospheric muons and obtain a sample of up-going muon neutrino events. Background contamination in the final event sample is less than one percent. This is the first measurement of atmospheric neutrinos up to 400 TeV, and is fundamental to understanding the impact of this neutrino background on astrophysical neutrino observations with IceCube. The measured spectrum is consistent with predictions for the atmospheric muon neutrino plus muon antineutrino flux.
We have searched for flavor-changing neutral current decays and lepton-number-violating decays of D^+ and D^+_s mesons to final states of the form h^+- e^-+ e^+, where h is either πor K. We use the complete samples of CLEO-c open-charm data, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 818 pb^-1 at the center-of-mass energy E_CM = 3.774 GeV containing 2.4 x 10^6 D^+D^- pairs and 602 pb^-1 at E_CM = 4.170 GeV containing 0.6 x 10^6 D^*+-_s D^-+_s pairs. No signal is observed in any channel, and we obtain 90% confidence level upper limits on branching fractions B(D^+ --> π^+ e^+ e^-) < 5.9 x 10^-6, B(D^+ --> π^- e^+ e^+) < 1.1 x 10^-6, B(D^+ --> K^+ e^+ e^-) < 3.0 x 10^-6, B(D^+ --> K^- e^+ e^+) < 3.5 x 10^-6, B(D^+_s --> π^+ e^+ e^-) < 2.2 x 10^-5, B(D^+_s --> π^- e^+ e^+) < 1.8 x 10^-5, B(D^+_s --> K^+ e^+ e^-) < 5.2 x 10^-5, and B(D^+_s --> K^- e^+ e^+) < 1.7 x 10^-5.
A search for sidereal modulation in the flux of atmospheric muon neutrinos in IceCube was performed. Such a signal could be an indication of Lorentz-violating physics. Neutrino oscillation models, derivable from extensions to the Standard Model, allow for neutrino oscillations that depend on the neutrino's direction of propagation. No such direction-dependent variation was found. A discrete Fourier transform method was used to constrain the Lorentz and CPT-violating coefficients in one of these models. Due to the unique high energy reach of IceCube, it was possible to improve constraints on certain Lorentz-violating oscillations by three orders of magnitude with respect to limits set by other experiments.
The decays of psi(2S) into gamma p bar{p}, pi^0 p bar{p} and eta p bar{p} have been studied with the CLEO-c detector using a sample of 24.5 million psi(2S) events obtained from e^+e^- annihilations at sqrt{s} = 3686 MeV. The data show evidence for the excitation of several N^* resonances in p pi^0 and p eta channels in pi^0 p bar{p} and eta p bar{p} decays, and f_2 states in gamma p bar{p} decay. Branching fractions for decays of psi(2S) to gamma p bar{p}, pi^0 p bar{p} and eta p bar{p} have been determined. No evidence for p bar{p} threshold enhancements was found in the reactions psi(2S)-> X p bar{p}, where X = gamma, pi^0, eta. We do, however, find confirming evidence for a p bar{p} threshold enhancement in J/psi-> gamma p bar{p} as previously reported by BES.
We report on the results of the search for extremely-high energy (EHE) neutrinos with energies above $10^7$ GeV obtained with the partially ($\sim$30%) constructed IceCube in 2007. From the absence of signal events in the sample of 242.1 days of effective livetime, we derive a 90% C.L. model independent differential upper limit based on the number of signal events per energy decade at $E^2 ϕ_{ν_e+ν_μ+ν_τ}\simeq 1.4 \times 10^{-6}$ GeV cm$^{-2}$ sec$^{-1}$ sr$^{-1}$ for neutrinos in the energy range from $3\times10^7$ to $3\times10^9$ GeV.
Using a sample of 25.9 million psi(2S) decays acquired with the CLEO-c detector at the CESR e^+e^- collider, we report branching fractions for the decays chi_cJ -> p p-bar pi^0, p p-bar eta, and p p-bar omega, with J=0,1,2. Our results for B(chi_cJ-> p p-bar pi^0) and B(chi_cJ-> p p-bar eta) are consistent with, but more precise than, previous measurements. Furthermore, we include the first measurement of B(chi_cJ-> p p-bar omega).
Using a large sample (~11800 events) of D^+ into K^- pi^+ e^+ nu_e and D^+ into K^- pi^+ mu^+ nu_mu decays collected by the CLEO-c detector running at the psi(3770), we measure the helicity basis form factors free from the assumptions of spectroscopic pole dominance and provide new, accurate measurements of the absolute branching fractions for D^+ into K^- pi^+ e^+ nu_e and D^+ into K^- pi^+ mu^+ nu_mu decays. We find branching fractions which are consistent with previous world averages. Our measured helicity basis form factors are consistent with the spectroscopic pole dominance predictions for the three main helicity basis form factors describing D^+ into anti-K*0 ell^+ nu_mu decay. The ability to analyze D^+ into K^- pi^+ mu^+ nu_mu allows us to make the first non-parametric measurements of the mass-suppressed form factor. Our result is inconsistent with existing Lattice QCD calculations. Finally, we measure the form factor that controls non-resonant s-wave interference with the D^+ into anti-K*0 ell^+ nu_mu amplitude and search for evidence of possible additional non-resonant d-wave or f-wave interference with the anti-K*0.
IceCube Collaboration Contributions to the 2009 International Cosmic Ray Conference
Over 5,000 PMTs are being deployed at the South Pole to compose the IceCube neutrino observatory. Many are placed deep in the ice to detect Cherenkov light emitted by the products of high-energy neutrino interactions, and others are frozen into tanks on the surface to detect particles from atmospheric cosmic ray showers. IceCube is using the 10-inch diameter R7081-02 made by Hamamatsu Photonics. This paper describes the laboratory characterization and calibration of these PMTs before deployment. PMTs were illuminated with pulses ranging from single photons to saturation level. Parameterizations are given for the single photoelectron charge spectrum and the saturation behavior. Time resolution, late pulses and afterpulses are characterized. Because the PMTs are relatively large, the cathode sensitivity uniformity was measured. The absolute photon detection efficiency was calibrated using Rayleigh-scattered photons from a nitrogen laser. Measured characteristics are discussed in the context of their relevance to IceCube event reconstruction and simulation efforts.
We report evidence for the ground state of bottomonium, eta_b(1S), in the radiative decay Upsilon(3S) --> gamma eta_b in e^+e^- annihilation data taken with the CLEO III detector. Using 6 million Upsilon(3S) decays, and assuming Gamma(eta_b) = 10 MeV/c^2, we obtain B(Upsilon(3S) --> gamma eta_b) = (7.1 +- 1.8 +- 1.1) X 10^{-4}, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. The statistical significance is about 4 sigma. The mass is determined to be M(eta_b) = 9391.8 +- 6.6 +- 2.0 MeV/c^2, which corresponds to the hyperfine splitting Delta M_{hf}(1S)_b = 68.5 +- 6.6 +- 2.0 MeV/c^2. Using 9 million Upsilon(2S) decays, we place an upper limit on the corresponding Y(2S) decay, B(Y(2S) --> gamma eta_b) < 8.4 X 10^{-4} at 90 % confidence level.