arXiv subjects

S. Wagner

Publications and source records attributed to S. Wagner.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Study of the $γp\to π^0ηp$ reaction with the A2 setup at MAMI

The data available from the A2 Collaboration at MAMI were analyzed to select the $γp\to π^0ηp$ reaction on an event-by-event basis, which allows for partial-wave analyses of three-body final states to obtain more reliable results, compared to fits to measured distributions. These data provide the world's best statistical accuracy in the energy range from threshold to $E_γ=1.45$ GeV, allowing a finer energy binning in the measurement of all observables needed for understanding the reaction dynamics. The results obtained for the measured observables are compared to existing models, and the impact from the new data is checked by the fit with the revised Mainz model.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2018

Photoproduction of {\boldmath{$π^{0}$}} Mesons off Protons and Neutrons in the Second and Third Nucleon Resonance Region

Photoproduction of mesons off quasi-free nucleons bound in the deuteron allows to study the electromagnetic excitation spectrum of the neutron and the isospin structure of the excitation of nucleon resonances. The database for such reactions is much more sparse than for free proton targets. Single $π^0$ photoproduction off quasi-free nucleons from the deuteron was experimentally studied. Nuclear effects were investigated by a comparison of the results for free protons and quasi-free protons and used as a correction for the quasi-free neutron data. The experiment was performed at the tagged photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator for photon energies between 0.45~GeV and 1.4~GeV, using an almost $4π$ electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors. A complete kinematic reconstruction of the final state removed the effects of Fermi motion. Reaction model predictions and PWA for $γn\rightarrow nπ^{0}$, based on fits to data for the other isospin channels, disagreed between themselves and no model provided a good description of the new data. The results demonstrate clearly the importance of a measurement of the fully neutral final state for the isospin decomposition of the cross section. Model refits, for example from the Bonn-Gatchina analysis, show that the new and the previous data for the other three isospin channels can be simultaneously described when the contributions of several partial waves are modified. The results are also relevant for the suppression of the higher resonance bumps in total photoabsorption on nuclei, which are not well understood.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2018

Novel event classification based on spectral analysis of scintillation waveforms in Double Chooz

Liquid scintillators are a common choice for neutrino physics experiments, but their capabilities to perform background rejection by scintillation pulse shape discrimination is generally limited in large detectors. This paper describes a novel approach for a pulse shape based event classification developed in the context of the Double Chooz reactor antineutrino experiment. Unlike previous implementations, this method uses the Fourier power spectra of the scintillation pulse shapes to obtain event-wise information. A classification variable built from spectral information was able to achieve an unprecedented performance, despite the lack of optimization at the detector design level. Several examples of event classification are provided, ranging from differentiation between the detector volumes and an efficient rejection of instrumental light noise, to some sensitivity to the particle type, such as stopping muons, ortho-positronium formation, alpha particles as well as electrons and positrons. In combination with other techniques the method is expected to allow for a versatile and more efficient background rejection in the future, especially if detector optimization is taken into account at the design level.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Hyperpolarization of Amino Acid Derivatives in Water for Biological Applications

We report on the successful synthesis and hyperpolarization of N unprotected α amino acid ethyl acrylate esters and extensively, on an alanine derivative hyperpolarized by PHIP (4.4$\pm$1% $^{13}$C-polarization), meeting required levels for in vivo detection. Using water as solvent increases biocompatibility and the absence of N-protection is expected to maintain biological activity.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2017

Target of Opportunity Observations of Blazars with H.E.S.S

The very-high-energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) extragalactic sky is dominated by blazars, a class of active galactic nuclei which show rapid variability at all wavelengths. Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations triggered by flaring activity detected at longer wavelengths are, thus, an important part of the blazar observing strategy of H.E.S.S., an array of five imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes sensitive to VHE photons. In this contribution we detail the H.E.S.S. extragalactic ToO program, describing the specific procedures currently in place to follow up on multi-wavelength alerts. The program is illustrated by discussing a few recent noteworthy targets observed with the H.E.S.S. phase II array over the last two years of blazar ToO observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

GRB Observations with H.E.S.S. II

The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) has been searching for counterparts of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) for many years. In 2012 the system was upgraded with a fifth $28$ m diameter telescope (CT5) which is equipped with faster motors for rapid repointing, marking the start of the second phase of H.E.S.S. operation (H.E.S.S. II). CT5s large light collection area of $600\,{\rm m}^{2}$ improves the sensitivity to low-energy gamma-rays and even extends the energy range below $100$ GeV. The search for counterparts continues now in the energy range of tens of GeV to tens of TeV. A detection in this energy range would open a new window to the part of the spectrum of these highly energetic explosions which Fermi-LAT has only successfully detected in a reduced subset of events, with rather limited statistics. In the past years, H.E.S.S. has performed followup observations based on GRB detections by Swift-BAT and Fermi-GBM/-LAT. This Target of Opportunity observation program was carried out with a generalised Target of Opportunity Alert system. This contribution will highlight key features of the Target of Opportunity Alert system, present follow-up statistics of GRBs as well as detailed results of promising follow-up observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

First measurement of the polarization observable $E$ and helicity-dependent cross sections in single $π^{0}$ photoproduction from quasi-free nucleons

The double-polarization observable $E$ and the helicity-dependent cross sections $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ have been measured for the first time for single $π^{0}$ photoproduction from protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron at the electron accelerator facility MAMI in Mainz, Germany. The experiment used a circularly polarized photon beam and a longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target. The reaction products, recoil nucleons and decay photons from the $π^0$ meson were detected with the Crystal Ball and TAPS electromagnetic calorimeters. Effects from nuclear Fermi motion were removed by a kinematic reconstruction of the $π^{0}N$ final state. A comparison to data measured with a free proton target showed that the absolute scale of the cross sections is significantly modified by nuclear final-state interaction (FSI) effects. However, there is no significant effect on the asymmetry $E$ since the $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ components appear to be influenced in a similar way. Thus, the best approximation of the two helicity-dependent cross sections for the free neutron is obtained by combining the asymmetry $E$ measured with quasi-free neutrons and the unpolarized cross section corrected for FSI effects under the assumption that the FSI effects are similar for neutrons and protons.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Measurement of the omega -> pi^0 e^+e^- and eta -> e^+e^-g Dalitz decays with the A2 setup at MAMI

The Dalitz decays eta -> e^+e^-g and omega -> pi^0 e^+e^- have been measured in the g p -> eta p and g p -> omega p reactions, respectively, with the A2 tagged-photon facility at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. The value obtained for the slope parameter of the electromagnetic transition form factor of eta, Lambda^{-2}_eta=(1.97+/-0.11_tot) GeV^{-2}, is in good agreement with previous measurements of the eta -> e^+e^-g and eta -> mu^+mu^-g decays. The uncertainty obtained in the value of Lambda^{-2}_eta is lower than in previous results based on the eta -> e^+e^-g decay. The value obtained for the omega slope parameter, Lambda^{-2}_omega_pi^0 = (1.99+/-0.21_tot) GeV^{-2}, is somewhat lower than previous measurements based on omega -> pi^0 mu^+mu^-, but the results for the omega transition form factor are in better agreement with theoretical calculations, compared to earlier experiments.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Helicity-dependent cross sections and double-polarization observable E in eta photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons

Precise helicity-dependent cross sections and the double-polarization observable $E$ were measured for $η$ photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron. The $η\rightarrow 2γ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0\rightarrow 6γ$ decay modes were used to optimize the statistical quality of the data and to estimate systematic uncertainties. The measurement used the A2 detector setup at the tagged photon beam of the electron accelerator MAMI in Mainz. A longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target was used in combination with a circularly polarized photon beam from bremsstrahlung of a longitudinally polarized electron beam. The reaction products were detected with the electromagnetic calorimeters Crystal Ball and TAPS, which covered 98\% of the full solid angle. The results show that the narrow structure observed earlier in the unpolarized excitation function of $η$ photoproduction off the neutron appears only in reactions with antiparallel photon and nucleon spin ($σ_{1/2}$). It is absent for reactions with parallel spin orientation ($σ_{3/2}$) and thus very probably related to partial waves with total spin 1/2. The behavior of the angular distributions of the helicity-dependent cross sections was analyzed by fitting them with Legendre polynomials. The results are in good agreement with a model from the Bonn-Gatchina group, which uses an interference of $P_{11}$ and $S_{11}$ partial waves to explain the narrow structure.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Measurement of the pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma Dalitz decay at the Mainz Microtron

The Dalitz decay pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma has been measured in the gamma p -> pi^0 p reaction with the A2 tagged-photon facility at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. The value obtained for the slope parameter of the pi^0 electromagnetic transition form factor, a_pi = 0.030+/-0.010_tot, is in agreement with existing measurements of this decay and with recent theoretical calculations. The uncertainty obtained in the value of a_pi is lower than in previous results based on the pi^0 -> e^+e^-gamma decay.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2017

Insight into the narrow structure in {\boldmath{$η$}}-photoproduction on the neutron from helicity dependent cross sections

The double polarization observable $E$ and the helicity dependent cross sections $σ_{1/2}$ and $σ_{3/2}$ were measured for $η$ photoproduction from quasi-free protons and neutrons. The circularly polarized tagged photon beam of the A2 experiment at the Mainz MAMI accelerator was used in combination with a longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target. The almost $4π$ detector setup of the Crystal Ball and TAPS is ideally suited to detect the recoil nucleons and the decay photons from $η\rightarrow 2γ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0$. The results show that the narrow structure previously observed in $η$ photoproduction from the neutron is only apparent in $σ_{1/2}$ and hence, most likely related to a spin-1/2 amplitude. Nucleon resonances that contribute to this partial wave in $η$ production are only $N1/2^-$ ($S_{11}$) and $N1/2^+$ ($P_{11}$). Furthermore, the extracted Legendre coefficients of the angular distributions for $σ_{1/2}$ are in good agreement with recent reaction model predictions assuming a narrow resonance in the $P_{11}$ wave as the origin of this structure.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Determination of the scalar polarizabilities of the proton using beam asymmetry $Σ_{3}$ in Compton scattering

The scalar dipole polarizabilities, $α_{E1}$ and $β_{M1}$, are fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by fitting to unpolarized proton Compton scattering cross section data. The measurement of the beam asymmetry $Σ_{3}$ in a certain kinematical range provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities. At the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) the beam asymmetry was measured for Compton scattering below pion photoproduction threshold for the first time. The results are compared with model calculations and the influence of the experimental data on the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities is determined.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2017

Study of $η$ and $η'$ photoproduction at MAMI

The reactions $γp\to ηp$ and $γp\to η' p$ have been measured from their thresholds up to the center-of-mass energy $W=1.96$GeV with the tagged-photon facilities at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI. Differential cross sections were obtained with unprecedented accuracy, providing fine energy binning and full production-angle coverage. A strong cusp is observed in the total cross section and excitation functions for $η$ photoproduction at the energies in vicinity of the $η'$ threshold, $W=1896$MeV ($E_γ=1447$MeV). This behavior is explained in a revised $η$MAID isobar model by a significant branching of the $N(1895)1/2^-$ nucleon resonance to both, $ηp$ and $η' p$, confirming the existence and constraining the properties of this poorly known state.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2016

Preventing Incomplete/Hidden Requirements: Reflections on Survey Data from Austria and Brazil

Many software projects fail due to problems in requirements engineering (RE). The goal of this paper is analyzing a specific and relevant RE problem in detail: incomplete/hidden requirements. We replicated a global family of RE surveys with representatives of software organizations in Austria and Brazil. We used the data to (a) characterize the criticality of the selected RE problem, and to (b) analyze the reported main causes and mitigation actions. Based on the analysis, we discuss how to prevent the problem. The survey includes 14 different organizations in Austria and 74 in Brazil, including small, medium and large sized companies, conducting both, plan-driven and agile development processes. Respondents from both countries cited the incomplete/hidden requirements problem as one of the most critical RE problems. We identified and graphically represented the main causes and documented solution options to address these causes. Further, we compiled a list of reported mitigation actions. From a practical point of view, this paper provides further insights into common causes of incomplete/hidden requirements and on how to prevent this problem.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2016

Analysing Text in Software Projects

Most of the data produced in software projects is of textual nature: source code, specifications, or documentations. The advances in quantitative analysis methods drove a lot of data analytics in software engineering. This has overshadowed to some degree the importance of texts and their qualitative analysis. Such analysis has, however, merits for researchers and practitioners as well. In this chapter, we describe the basics of analysing text in software projects. We first describe how to manually analyse and code textual data. Next, we give an overview of mixed methods to automatic text analysis including N-Grams and clone detection as well as more sophisticated natural language processing identifying syntax and contexts of words. Those methods and tools are of critical importance to aid in the challenges in today's huge amounts of textual data. We illustrate the introduced methods via a running example and conclude by presenting two industrial studies.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2016

A Case Study on Artefact-based RE Improvement in Practice

Most requirements engineering (RE) process improvement approaches are solution-driven and activity-based. They focus on the assessment of the RE of a company against an external norm of best practices. A consequence is that practitioners often have to rely on an improvement approach that skips a profound problem analysis and that results in an RE approach that might be alien to the organisational needs. In recent years, we have developed an RE improvement approach (called \emph{ArtREPI}) that guides a holistic RE improvement against individual goals of a company putting primary attention to the quality of the artefacts. In this paper, we aim at exploring ArtREPI's benefits and limitations. We contribute an industrial evaluation of ArtREPI by relying on a case study research. Our results suggest that ArtREPI is well-suited for the establishment of an RE that reflects a specific organisational culture but to some extent at the cost of efficiency resulting from intensive discussions on a terminology that suits all involved stakeholders. Our results reveal first benefits and limitations, but we can also conclude the need of longitudinal and independent investigations for which we herewith lay the foundation.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2016

Field study on requirements engineering: Investigation of artefacts, project parameters, and execution strategies

Requirements Engineering (RE) is a critical discipline mostly driven by uncertainty, since it is influenced by the customer domain or by the development process model used. We aim to investigate RE processes in successful project environments to discover characteristics and strategies that allow us to elaborate RE tailoring approaches in the future. We perform a field study on a set of projects at one company. First, we investigate by content analysis which RE artefacts were produced in each project and to what extent they were produced. Second, we perform qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews to discover project parameters that relate to the produced artefacts. Third, we use cluster analysis to infer artefact patterns and probable RE execution strategies, which are the responses to specific project parameters. Fourth, we investigate by statistical tests the effort spent in each strategy in relation to the effort spent in change requests to evaluate the efficiency of execution strategies. Our results show no statistically significant difference between the efficiency of the strategies. In addition, it turned out that many parameters considered as the main causes for project failures can be successfully handled. Hence, practitioners can apply the artefact patterns and related project parameters to tailor the RE process according to individual project characteristics.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2016

Naming the Pain in Requirements Engineering: A Design for a Global Family of Surveys and First Results from Germany

For many years, we have observed industry struggling in defining a high quality requirements engineering (RE) and researchers trying to understand industrial expectations and problems. Although we are investigating the discipline with a plethora of empirical studies, they still do not allow for empirical generalisations. To lay an empirical and externally valid foundation about the state of the practice in RE, we aim at a series of open and reproducible surveys that allow us to steer future research in a problem-driven manner. We designed a globally distributed family of surveys in joint collaborations with different researchers and completed the first run in Germany. The instrument is based on a theory in the form of a set of hypotheses inferred from our experiences and available studies. We test each hypothesis in our theory and identify further candidates to extend the theory by correlation and Grounded Theory analysis. In this article, we report on the design of the family of surveys, its underlying theory, and the full results obtained from Germany with participants from 58 companies. The results reveal, for example, a tendency to improve RE via internally defined qualitative methods rather than relying on normative approaches like CMMI. We also discovered various RE problems that are statistically significant in practice. For instance, we could corroborate communication flaws or moving targets as problems in practice. Our results are not yet fully representative but already give first insights into current practices and problems in RE, and they allow us to draw lessons learnt for future replications. Our results obtained from this first run in Germany make us confident that the survey design and instrument are well-suited to be replicated and, thereby, to create a generalisable empirical basis of RE in practice.

cs.SE↗