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V. Kozhuharov

Publications and source records attributed to V. Kozhuharov.

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Characterisation and performance of the PADME electromagnetic calorimeter

The PADME experiment at the LNF Beam Test Facility searches for dark photons produced in the annihilation of positrons with the electrons of a fix target. The strategy is to look for the reaction $e^{+}+e^{-}\rightarrow γ+A'$, where $A'$ is the dark photon, which cannot be observed directly or via its decay products. The electromagnetic calorimeter plays a key role in the experiment by measuring the energy and position of the final-state $γ$. The missing four-momentum carried away by the $A'$ can be evaluated from this information and the particle mass inferred. This paper presents the design, construction, and calibration of the PADME's electromagnetic calorimeter. The results achieved in terms of equalisation, detection efficiency and energy resolution during the first phase of the experiment demonstrate the effectiveness of the various tools used to improve the calorimeter performance with respect to earlier prototypes.

physics.ins-det↗

KLEVER: An experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) at the CERN SPS

Precise measurements of the branching ratios for the flavor-changing neutral current decays $K\toπν\barν$ can provide unique constraints on CKM unitarity and, potentially, evidence for new physics. It is important to measure both decay modes, $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$ and $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$, since different new physics models affect the rates for each channel differently. The goal of the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is to measure the BR for the charged channel to within 10%. For the neutral channel, the BR has never been measured. We are designing the KLEVER experiment to measure BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$) to $\sim$20% using a high-energy neutral beam at the CERN SPS starting in LHC Run 4. The boost from the high-energy beam facilitates the rejection of background channels such as $K_L\toπ^0π^0$ by detection of the additional photons in the final state. On the other hand, the layout poses particular challenges for the design of the small-angle vetoes, which must reject photons from $K_L$ decays escaping through the beam exit amidst an intense background from soft photons and neutrons in the beam. Background from $Λ\to nπ^0$ decays in the beam must also be kept under control. We present findings from our design studies for the beamline and experiment, with an emphasis on the challenges faced and the potential sensitivity for the measurement of BR($K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$).

hep-ex↗

Characterization and Performance of PADME's Cherenkov-Based Small-Angle Calorimeter

The PADME experiment, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF), in Italy, will search for invisible decays of the hypothetical dark photon via the process $e^+e^-\rightarrow γA'$, where the $A'$ escapes detection. The dark photon mass range sensitivity in a first phase will be 1 to 24 MeV. We report here on measurement and simulation studies of the performance of the Small-Angle Calorimeter, a component of PADME's detector dedicated to rejecting 2- and 3-gamma backgrounds. The crucial requirement is a timing resolution of less than 200 ps, which is satisfied by the choice of PbF$_2$ crystals and the newly released Hamamatsu R13478UV photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). We find a timing resolution of 81 ps (with double-peak separation resolution of 1.8 ns) and a single-crystal energy resolution of 5.7%/$\sqrt{E}$ with light yield of 2.07 photo-electrons per MeV, using 100 to 400 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility of LNF. We also propose the investigation of a two-PMT solution coupled to a single PbF$_2$ crystal for higher-energy applications, which has potentially attractive features.

physics.ins-det↗

The PADME Tracking System

The Positron Annihilation into Dark Matter Experiment (PADME) at LNF-INFN Linac aims to perform a search for dark photons in positron-on-target annihilation process. A key component of the setup is the tracking system which allows vetoing the bremsstrahlung-induced background. Different solutions for the detector will be shown and will be discussed. Attention will be paid to the possibility to construct a hybrid tracker based on plastic scintillator fibers read out by CCD matrices.

physics.ins-det↗

Design and performance of a low-intensity LED driver for detector study purposes

A custom LED driver producing light pulses with very low intensity and O(10 ns) duration was designed and constructed. A microcontroller was employed to handle the amplitudes and the repetition rates of the output pulses. In addition, it also provided both a PC control of the system through a RS232 interface and an external trigger I/O. A WLS fibre directly coupled to a LED provides unique characteristics of the output light pulse. The combination of a quasi delta light pulse source and physical absorption-emission medium results in an output light profile maximally close to the plastic sctintillators. The light generator is intended to be used to test the response and the rate capability of different photodetectors. Its design, operational characteristics, and stability are described and discussed.

physics.ins-det↗

Performance of the PADME calorimeter prototype at the DA$Φ$NE BTF

The PADME experiment at the DA$Φ$NE Beam-Test Facility (BTF) aims at searching for invisible decays of the dark photon by measuring the final state missing mass in the process $e^+e^- \to γ+ A'$, with $A'$ undetected. The measurement requires the determination of the 4-momentum of the recoil photon, performed using a homogeneous, highly segmented BGO crystals calorimeter. We report the results of the test of a 5$\times$5 crystals prototype performed with an electron beam at the BTF in July 2016.

physics.ins-det↗

New Projects on Dark Photon Search

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics the nature of Dark Matter still remains unclear. Recently, the idea of the existence of a hidden sector coupling only weakly with the ordinary matter was revitalized and gained popularity. A simple mediator between the hidden and the visible sector could be a vector particle of a new gauge interaction, the so called dark photon. Numerous of activities were initiated to probe its parameter space. The present results and the foreseen experiments aimed to search for dark photons in few directions are reviewed and discussed.

hep-ex↗

Study of the performance of the NA62 Small-Angle Calorimeter at the DA$Φ$NE Linac

The measurement of $BR(K^+\toπ^+ν\barν)$ with 10% precision by the NA62 experiment requires extreme background suppression. The Small Angle Calorimeter aims to provide an efficient veto for photons flying at angles down to zero with respect to the kaon flight direction. The initial prototype was upgraded and tested at the Beam Test Facility of the DA$Φ$NE Linac at Frascati. The energy resolution and the efficiency were measured and are presented.

physics.ins-det↗

ChPT tests at the NA48 and NA62 experiments at CERN

The NA48/2 Collaboration at CERN has accumulated unprecedented statistics of rare kaon decays in the Ke4 modes: Ke4(+-) ($K^\pm \to π^+ π^- e^\pm ν$) and Ke4(00) ($K^\pm \to π^0 π^0 e^\pm ν$) with nearly one percent background contamination. The detailed study of form factors and branching rates, based on these data, has been completed recently. The results brings new inputs to low energy strong interactions description and tests of Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) and lattice QCD calculations. In particular, new data support the ChPT prediction for a cusp in the $π^0π^0$ invariant mass spectrum at the two charged pions threshold for Ke4(00) decay. New final results from an analysis of about 400 $K^\pm \to π^\pm γγ$ rare decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments at CERN during low intensity runs with minimum bias trigger configurations are presented. The results include a model-independent decay rate measurement and fits to ChPT description.

hep-ex↗

Time over threshold in the presence of noise

The time over threshold is a widely used quantity to describe signals from various detectors in particle physics. Its electronics implementation is straightforward and in this paper we present the studies of its behavior in the presence of noise. A unique comb-like structure was identified in the data for a first time and was explained and modeled successfully. The effects of that structure on the efficiency and resolution are also discussed.

physics.ins-det↗

Prospects for $K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar{ ν}$ at CERN in NA62

The NA62 experiment will begin taking data in 2015. Its primary purpose is a 10% measurement of the branching ratio of the ultrarare kaon decay $K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar{ ν}$, using the decay in flight of kaons in an unseparated beam with momentum 75 GeV/c.The detector and analysis technique are described here.

hep-ex↗

Recent NA48/2 and NA62 results

The NA48/2 Collaboration at CERN has accumulated and analysed unprecedented statistics of rare kaon decays in the $K_{e4}$ modes: $K_{e4}(+-)$ ($K^\pm \to π^+ π^- e^\pm ν$) and $K_{e4}(00)$ ($K^\pm \to π^0 π^0 e^\pm ν$) with nearly one percent background contamination. It leads to the improved measurement of branching fractions and detailed form factor studies. New final results from the analysis of 381 $K^\pm \to π^\pm γγ$ rare decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 and NA62 experiments at CERN are presented. The results include a decay rate measurement and fits to Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) description.

hep-ex↗

Measurement of the branching ratio of the decay $Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$

From the 2002 data taking with a neutral kaon beam extracted from the CERN-SPS, the NA48/1 experiment observed 97 $Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$ candidates with a background contamination of $30.8 \pm 4.2$ events. From this sample, the BR($Ξ^{0}\rightarrow Σ^{+} μ^{-} \barν_μ$) is measured to be $(2.17 \pm 0.32_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.17_{\mathrm{syst}})\times10^{-6}$.

hep-ex↗

Empirical parameterization of the K+- -> pi+- pi0 pi0 decay Dalitz plot

As first observed by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, the $\p0p0$ invariant mass (M00) distribution from $\kcnn$ decay shows a cusp-like anomaly at M00=2m+, where m+ is the charged pion mass. An analysis to extract the pi pi scattering lengths in the isospin I=0 and I=2 states, a0 and a2, respectively, has been recently reported. In the present work the Dalitz plot of this decay is fitted to a new empirical parameterization suitable for practical purposes, such as Monte Carlo simulations of K+- -> pi+- pi0 pi0 decays.

hep-ex↗