arXiv subjects

T. K. Komatsubara

Publications and source records attributed to T. K. Komatsubara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Search for $K_L \rightarrow π^0π^0γγ$ and $K_L\rightarrow π^0π^0X$ where $X\rightarrow 2γ$ at the KOTO Experiment

We performed searches for $K_L\rightarrow π^0π^0X$ where $X$ may be an axion-like particle which promptly decays to two photons, and the first search for $K_L \rightarrow π^0π^0γγ$ at the KOTO experiment using data taken in 2021. The search is performed for $X$ mass in the range of 160$\unicode{x2013}$220 MeV/$c^2$. Three events were observed in the signal region, with two events near an $X$ mass of 177 MeV/$c^2$. This result led to a range of upper limits on the branching ratio, BR($K_L\rightarrow π^0π^0X$) $< (1\unicode{x2013}20) \times 10^{-7}$ at the 95% confidence level (C.L.). No events were observed for the analysis of $K_L \rightarrow π^0π^0γγ$, setting an upper limit on the branching ratio, BR($K_L \rightarrow π^0π^0γγ$) $< 1.69 \times 10^{-6}$ at the 95% C.L.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Experimental Study of Rare Kaon Decays at J-PARC with KOTO and KOTO II

The rare kaon decay $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$ is extremely sensitive to new physics, because the contribution to this decay in the Standard Model (SM) is highly suppressed and known very accurately; the branching ratio is $3\times 10^{-11}$ in the SM with a theoretical uncertainty of just 2%. The measurement of this branching ratio could provide essential new information about the flavor structure of the quark sector from the $s\to d$ transition. The decay is being searched for in the KOTO experiment at J-PARC, which has obtained the current best upper limit on the branching ratio of $2.2\times 10^{-9}$; a sensitivity to branching ratios below $10^{-10}$ is achievable by the end of the decade. A next-generation experiment at J-PARC, KOTO II, was proposed in 2024 with 82 members worldwide, including significant contributions from European members. The goal of KOTO II is to measure the $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$ branching ratio with sensitivity below $10^{-12}$ in the 2030s. Discovery of the decay with $5σ$ significance is achievable at the SM value of the branching ratio. An indication of new physics with a significance of 90% is possible if the observed branching ratio differs by 40% from the SM value. Another important goal of KOTO II is to measure the branching ratio of the unobserved $K_L\to π^0e^+e^-$ decay, which can give an input to flavor structures of new physics. Other rare $K_L$ decays and hidden-sector particles are also in the scope of the study. After 2026, KOTO will be the only dedicated rare kaon decay experiment in the world, and KOTO II is the only future rare kaon decay project currently proposed. We would like to lead a global initiative for the experimental study of rare kaon decays, with significant contributions and support from the European community.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Search for the $K_{L} \to π^{0} ν\barν$ Decay at the J-PARC KOTO Experiment

We performed a search for the $K_L \to π^{0} ν\barν$ decay using the data taken in 2021 at the J-PARC KOTO experiment. With newly installed counters and new analysis method, the expected background was suppressed to $0.252\pm0.055_{\mathrm{stat}}$$^{+0.052}_{-0.067}$$_{\mathrm{syst}}$. With a single event sensitivity of $(9.33 \pm 0.06_{\rm stat} \pm 0.84_{\rm syst})\times 10^{-10}$, no events were observed in the signal region. An upper limit on the branching fraction for the decay was set to be $2.2\times10^{-9}$ at the 90% confidence level (C.L.), which improved the previous upper limit from KOTO by a factor of 1.4. With the same data, a search for $K_L \to π^{0} X^{0}$ was also performed, where $X^{0}$ is an invisible boson with a mass ranging from 1 MeV/$c^{2}$ to 260 MeV/$c^{2}$. For $X^{0}$ with a mass of 135 MeV/$c^{2}$, an upper limit on the branching fraction of $K_L \to π^{0} X^{0}$ was set to be $1.6\times10^{-9}$ at the 90% C.L.

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arXiv2023

Suppression of Neutron Background using Deep Neural Network and Fourier Frequency Analysis at the KOTO Experiment

We present two analysis techniques for distinguishing background events induced by neutrons from photon signal events in the search for the rare $K^0_L\rightarrowπ^0ν\barν$ decay at the J-PARC KOTO experiment. These techniques employed a deep convolutional neural network and Fourier frequency analysis to discriminate neutrons from photons, based on their variations in cluster shape and pulse shape, in the electromagnetic calorimeter made of undoped CsI. The results effectively suppressed the neutron background by a factor of $5.6\times10^5$, while maintaining the efficiency of $K^0_L\rightarrowπ^0ν\barν$ at $70\%$.

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arXiv2023

Search for the Pair Production of Dark Particles $X$ with $K_L^0 \to XX$, $X \to γγ$

We present the first search for the pair production of dark particles $X$ via $K_L^0\to XX$ with $X$ decaying into two photons using the data collected by the KOTO experiment. No signal was observed in the mass range of 40 - 110 MeV/c$^2$ and 210 - 240 MeV/c$^2$. This sets upper limits on the branching fractions as $\mathcal{B}(K_L^0 \to XX)$ $<$ (1-4) $\times$ 10$^{-7}$ and $\mathcal{B}(K_L^0 \to XX)$ $<$ (1-2) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ at the 90% confidence level for the two mass regions, respectively.

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arXiv2021

First Search for the $K_L \to π^0 γ$ Decay

We report the first search for the $K_L \to π^0 γ$ decay, which is forbidden by Lorentz invariance, using the data from 2016 to 2018 at the J-PARC KOTO experiment. With a single event sensitivity of $(7.1\pm 0.3_{\rm stat.} \pm 1.6_{\rm syst.})\times 10^{-8}$, no candidate event was observed in the signal region. The upper limit on the branching fraction was set to be $1.7\times 10^{-7}$ at the 90\% confidence level.

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arXiv2021

Study of the $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ Decay at the J-PARC KOTO Experiment

The rare decay $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ was studied with the dataset taken at the J-PARC KOTO experiment in 2016, 2017, and 2018. With a single event sensitivity of $( 7.20 \pm 0.05_{\rm stat} \pm 0.66_{\rm syst} ) \times 10^{-10}$, three candidate events were observed in the signal region. After unveiling them, contaminations from $K^{\pm}$ and scattered $K_L$ decays were studied, and the total number of background events was estimated to be $1.22 \pm 0.26$. We conclude that the number of observed events is statistically consistent with the background expectation. For this dataset, we set an upper limit of $4.9 \times 10^{-9}$ on the branching fraction of $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ at the 90% confidence level.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Search for $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ and $K_L \!\to\! π^0 X^0$ Decays at the J-PARC KOTO Experiment

A search for the rare decay $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ was performed. With the data collected in 2015, corresponding to $2.2 \times 10^{19}$ protons on target, a single event sensitivity of $( 1.30 \pm 0.01_{\rm stat} \pm 0.14_{\rm syst} ) \times 10^{-9}$ was achieved and no candidate events were observed. We set an upper limit of $3.0 \times 10^{-9}$ for the branching fraction of $K_L \!\to\! π^0 ν\overlineν$ at the 90% confidence level (C.L.), which improved the previous limit by almost an order of magnitude. An upper limit for $K_L \!\to\! π^0 X^0$ was also set as $2.4 \times 10^{-9}$ at the 90% C.L., where $X^0$ is an invisible boson with a mass of $135~{\rm MeV}/c^2$.

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arXiv2016

A new search for the $K_{L} \to π^0 ν\overlineν$ and $K_{L} \to π^{0} X^{0}$ decays

We searched for the $CP$-violating rare decay of neutral kaon, $K_{L} \to π^0 ν\overlineν$, in data from the first 100 hours of physics running in 2013 of the J-PARC KOTO experiment. One candidate event was observed while $0.34\pm0.16$ background events were expected. We set an upper limit of $5.1\times10^{-8}$ for the branching fraction at the 90\% confidence level (C.L.). An upper limit of $3.7\times10^{-8}$ at the 90\% C.L. for the $K_{L} \to π^{0} X^{0}$decay was also set for the first time, where $X^{0}$ is an invisible particle with a mass of 135 MeV/$c^{2}$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2016

Search for the rare decay $K^+\toμ^+ν\barνν$

Evidence of the $K^+\toμ^+ν\barνν$ decay was searched for using E949 experimental data with an exposure of $1.70\times 10^{12}$ stopped kaons. The data sample is dominated by the backgrond process $K^+\toμ^+ν_μγ$. An upper limit on the decay rate $Γ(K^+\toμ^+ν\barνν)< 2.4\times 10^{-6}Γ(K^+\to all)$ at 90% confidence level was set assuming the Standard Model muon spectrum. The data are presented in such a way as to allow calculation of rates for any assumed $μ^+$ spectrum.

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arXiv2016

Long-lived neutral-kaon flux measurement for the KOTO experiment

The KOTO ($K^0$ at Tokai) experiment aims to observe the CP-violating rare decay $K_L \rightarrow π^0 ν\barν$ by using a long-lived neutral-kaon beam produced by the 30 GeV proton beam at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. The $K_L$ flux is an essential parameter for the measurement of the branching fraction. Three $K_L$ neutral decay modes, $K_L \rightarrow 3π^0$, $K_L \rightarrow 2π^0$, and $K_L \rightarrow 2γ$ were used to measure the $K_L$ flux in the beam line in the 2013 KOTO engineering run. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the detector acceptance for these decays. Agreement was found between the simulation model and the experimental data, and the remaining systematic uncertainty was estimated at the 1.4\% level. The $K_L$ flux was measured as $(4.183 \pm 0.017_{\mathrm{stat.}} \pm 0.059_{\mathrm{sys.}}) \times 10^7$ $K_L$ per $2\times 10^{14}$ protons on a 66-mm-long Au target.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Photon-Veto Counters at the Outer Edge of the Endcap Calorimeter for the KOTO Experiment

The Outer-Edge Veto (OEV) counter subsystem for extra-photon detection from the backgrounds for the? $K^0_L\rightarrowπ^0ν\barν$ decay is located at the outer edge of the endcap CsI calorimeter of the KOTO experiment at J-PARC. The subsystem is composed of 44 counters with different cross-sectional shapes. All counters are made of lead and scintillator plates and read out through wavelength-shifting fibers. In this paper, we discuss the design and performances of the OEV counters under heavy load ($\sim8$ tons/m$^2$) in vacuum. For 1-MeV energy deposit, the average light yield and time resolution are 20.9 photo-electrons and 1.5 ns, respectively. Although no pronounced peak by minimum-ionizing particles is observed in the energy distributions, an energy calibration method with cosmic rays works well in monitoring the gain stability with an accuracy of a few percent.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Search for heavy neutrinos in $K^+\toμ^+ν_H$ decays

Evidence of a heavy neutrino, $ν_H$, in the $K^+\toμ^+ν_H$ decays was sought using the E949 experimental data with an exposure of $1.70\times 10^{12}$ stopped kaons. With the major background from the radiative $K^+\toμ^+ν_μγ$ decay understood and suppressed, upper limits (90% C.L.) on the neutrino mixing matrix element between muon and heavy neutrino, $|U_{μH}|^2$, were set at the level of $10^{-7}$ to $10^{-9}$ for the heavy neutrino mass region 175 to 300 MeV/$c^2$.

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arXiv2012

Experiments with K-Meson Decays

Recent results and future prospects of the particle physics experiments with neutral and charged K-meson (kaon) decays are reviewed. Topics include CP violation, rare decays, leptons in kaon decays, tests of CPT and quantum mechanics, radiative decays, hadrons in kaon decays, basic observables, Vus and CKM unitarity, and exotic searches. Experimental techniques developed for the kaon decay experiments are discussed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2011

Study of the K0(L) --> pi0 pi0 nu nu-bar decay

The rare decay K0(L) --> pi0 pi0 nu nu-bar was studied with the E391a detector at the KEK 12-GeV proton synchrotron. Based on 9.4 x 10^9 K0L decays, an upper limit of 8.1 x 10^{-7} was obtained for the branching fraction at 90% confidence level. We also set a limit on the K0(L) --> pi0 pi0 X (X --> invisible particles) process; the limit on the branching fraction varied from 7.0 x 10^{-7} to 4.0 x 10^{-5} for the mass of X ranging from 50 MeV/c^2 to 200 MeV/c^2.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2010

Search for the decay $K_L^0 \rightarrow 3γ$

We performed a search for the decay $K_L^0 \rightarrow 3γ$ with the E391a detector at KEK. In the data accumulated in 2005, no event was observed in the signal region. Based on the assumption of $K_L^0 \rightarrow 3γ$ proceeding via parity-violation, we obtained the single event sensitivity to be $(3.23\pm0.14)\times10^{-8}$, and set an upper limit on the branching ratio to be $7.4\times10^{-8}$ at the 90% confidence level. This is a factor of 3.2 improvement compared to the previous results. The results of $K_L^0 \rightarrow 3γ$ proceeding via parity-conservation were also presented in this paper.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2010

Kaons - Recent Results and Future Plans

Recent results and future plans of kaon physics are reviewed. Topics include CP violation, rare decays, light neutral-boson search, lepton flavor universality, and CPT and QM tests.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2009

Study of the decay K+ => pi+,nu,nubar in the momentum region 140<Ppi<199 MeV/c

Experiment E949 at Brookhaven National Laboratory has observed three new events consistent with the decay K+ => pi+,nu,nubar in the pion momentum region 140 < P_pi < 199 MeV/c in an exposure of 1.71e12 stopped kaons with an estimated total background of 0.93+-0.17(stat.)+0.32-0.24(syst.) events. This brings the total number of observed K+ => pi+,nu,nubar events to seven. Combining this observation with previous results, assuming the pion spectrum predicted by the standard model, results in a branching ratio of (1.73+1.15-1.05)e-10. An interpretation of the results for alternative models of the decay K^ => pi+,nothing is also presented.

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