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R. H. Bernstein

Publications and source records attributed to R. H. Bernstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Charged Lepton Flavour Violations searches with muons: present and future

Charged-lepton flavor violation (cLFV) is one of the most powerful probes for New Physics (NP). Since lepton flavor conservation is an accidental symmetry in the Standard Model (SM), it is naturally violated in many NP models, with contributions at the level of the current experimental sensitivities. Moreover, the negligible SM contributions would make the observation of cLFV unambiguous evidence of NP. It makes these searches extremely sensitive and, at the same time, extremely pure. Thanks to the intense muon beams currently available, their intriguing upgrade programs, and the progress in the detection techniques, cLFV muon processes are the golden channels in this field. Experimental programs to search for $μ^+ \to e^+ γ$, $μ^+ \to e^+ e^+ e^-$ and the $μ\to e$ conversion in the nuclear field are currently ongoing. We review the current status and the strategic plans for future searches. This document is an update of the prior cLFV submission to the 2018 European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP); the earlier submission should be consulted for more experimental details.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2023

Workshop on a future muon program at FNAL

The Snowmass report on rare processes and precision measurements recommended Mu2e-II and a next generation muon facility at Fermilab (Advanced Muon Facility) as priorities for the frontier. The Workshop on a future muon program at FNAL was held in March 2023 to discuss design studies for Mu2e-II, organizing efforts for the next generation muon facility, and identify synergies with other efforts (e.g., muon collider). Topics included high-power targetry, status of R&D for Mu2e-II, development of compressor rings, FFA and concepts for muon experiments (conversion, decays, muonium and other opportunities) at AMF. This document summarizes the workshop discussions with a focus on future R&D tasks needed to realize these concepts.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

Mu2e-II: Muon to electron conversion with PIP-II

An observation of Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) would be unambiguous evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model. The Mu2e and COMET experiments, under construction, are designed to push the sensitivity to CLFV in the mu to e conversion process to unprecedented levels. Whether conversion is observed or not, there is a strong case to be made for further improving sensitivity, or for examining the process on additional target materials. Mu2e-II is a proposed upgrade to Mu2e, with at least an additional order of magnitude in sensitivity to the conversion rate over Mu2e. The approach and challenges for this proposal are summarized. Mu2e-II may be regarded as the next logical step in a continued high-intensity muon program at FNAL.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

A New Charged Lepton Flavor Violation Program at Fermilab

The muon has played a central role in establishing the Standard Model of particle physics, and continues to provide valuable information about the nature of new physics. A new complex at Fermilab, the Advanced Muon Facility, would provide the world's most intense positive and negative muon beams by exploiting the full potential of PIP-II and the Booster upgrade. This facility would enable a broad muon physics program, including studies of charged lepton flavor violation, muonium-antimuonium transitions, a storage ring muon EDM experiment, and muon spin rotation experiments. This document describes a staged realization of this complex, together with a series of next-generation experiments to search for charged lepton flavor violation.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

Assessing Gender Bias in Particle Physics and Social Science Recommendations for Academic Jobs

We investigated gender bias in letters of recommendation as a possible cause of the under-representation of women in Experimental Particle Physics (EPP), where about 15% of faculty are female -- well below the 60% level in psychology and sociology. We analyzed 2,206 letters in EPP and these social sciences using standard lexical measures as well as two new measures: author status and an open-ended search for gendered language. In contrast to former studies, women were not depicted as more communal, less agentic, or less standout. Lexical measures revealed few gender differences in either discipline. The open-ended analysis revealed disparities favoring women in social science and men in EPP. However, female EPP candidates were characterized as "brilliant" in nearly three times as many letters as men.

physics.soc-ph↗
arXiv2019

The Mu2e Experiment

The Mu2e experiment will search for the charged-lepton flavor violating (CLFV) neutrino-less conversion of a negative muon into an electron in the field of a nucleus. The conversion process results in a monochromatic electron with an energy of 104.97 MeV, slightly below the muon rest mass. The goal of the experiment is to improve the previous upper limit by four orders of magnitude and reach a SES (single event sensitivity) of $3 \times 10^{-17}$ on the conversion rate, a 90\% CL of $8 \times 10^{-17}$, and a $5σ$ discovery reach at $2 \times 10^{-16}$. The experiment will use an intense pulsed negative muon beam. The pulsed beam is essential to reducing backgrounds. The other essential element is a sophisticated magnetic system composed of three consecutive solenoids that form the muon beam. Mu2e will use an aluminum target and examine $\sim10^{18}$ stopped muons in three years of running. The Mu2e experiment is under design and construction at the Fermilab Muon Campus. The experiment will begin operations in 2022 and will require about three years of data-taking. Upgrades to other materials than aluminum are already being planned. This article is written specifically for younger researchers to bridge the gap between conference presentations and detailed design reports, and examines issues not covered in the former without the details of the latter.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report, Volume 2: Single-Phase Module

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE far detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 2 describes the single-phase module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report Volume 1: Physics, Technology and Strategies

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE Far Detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 1 contains an executive summary that describes the general aims of this document. The remainder of this first volume provides a more detailed description of the DUNE physics program that drives the choice of detector technologies. It also includes concise outlines of two overarching systems that have not yet evolved to consortium structures: computing and calibration. Volumes 2 and 3 of this IDR describe, for the single-phase and dual-phase technologies, respectively, each detector module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report, Volume 3: Dual-Phase Module

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE far detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 3 describes the dual-phase module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2015

The NuMI Neutrino Beam

This paper describes the hardware and operations of the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam at Fermilab. It elaborates on the design considerations for the beam as a whole and for individual elements. The most important design details of individual components are described. Beam monitoring systems and procedures, including the tuning and alignment of the beam and NuMI long-term performance, are also discussed.

physics.acc-ph↗
arXiv2015

Mu2e Technical Design Report

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will search for charged lepton flavor violation via the coherent conversion process mu- N --> e- N with a sensitivity approximately four orders of magnitude better than the current world's best limits for this process. The experiment's sensitivity offers discovery potential over a wide array of new physics models and probes mass scales well beyond the reach of the LHC. We describe herein the preliminary design of the proposed Mu2e experiment. This document was created in partial fulfillment of the requirements necessary to obtain DOE CD-2 approval.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2013

Charged Leptons

This is the report of the Intensity Frontier Charged Lepton Working Group of the 2013 Community Summer Study "Snowmass on the Mississippi", summarizing the current status and future experimental opportunities in muon and tau lepton studies and their sensitivity to new physics. These include searches for charged lepton flavor violation, measurements of magnetic and electric dipole moments, and precision measurements of the decay spectrum and parity-violating asymmetries.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2012

Mu2e Conceptual Design Report

Mu2e at Fermilab will search for charged lepton flavor violation via the coherent conversion process mu- N --> e- N with a sensitivity approximately four orders of magnitude better than the current world's best limits for this process. The experiment's sensitivity offers discovery potential over a wide array of new physics models and probes mass scales well beyond the reach of the LHC. We describe herein the conceptual design of the proposed Mu2e experiment. This document was created in partial fulfillment of the requirements necessary to obtain DOE CD-1 approval, which was granted July 11, 2012.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2005

Precise Measurement of Neutrino and Anti-neutrino Differential Cross Sections

The NuTeV experiment at Fermilab has obtained a unique high statistics sample of neutrino and anti-neutrino interactions using its high-energy sign-selected beam. We present a measurement of the differential cross section for charged-current neutrino and anti-neutrino scattering from iron. Structure functions, F_2(x,Q^2) and xF_3(x,Q^2), are determined by fitting the inelasticity, y, dependence of the cross sections. This measurement has significantly improved systematic precision as a consequence of more precise understanding of hadron and muon energy scales.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2003

A Departure from Prediction: Electroweak Physics at Nutev

The NuTeV experiment has performed precision measurements of the ratio of neutral-current to charged-current cross-sections in high rate, high energy neutrino and anti-neutrino beams on a dense, primarily steel, target. The separate neutrino and anti-neutrino beams, high statistics, and improved control of other experimental systematics, allow the determination of electroweak parameters with significantly greater precision than past neutrino-nucleon scattering experiments. Our null hypothesis test of the standard model prediction measures sin2thetaW=0.2277+/-0.0013(stat)+/-0.0009(syst), a value which is 3.0 standard deviations above the prediction. We discuss possible explanations for and implications of this discrepancy.

hep-ex↗