Search

We outline the opportunities to study the production of the Standard Model bosons,W±,Z0, andH0, at “low” energies at fixed-target experiments based on possible future ultrahigh-energy proton colliders, that is, the High-Energy LHC, the Super proton-proton Collider, and the Future Circular Collider hadron-hadron. These can be indeed made in conjunction with the proposed future colliders designed to reach up tos=100 TeV by using bent crystals to extract part of the halo of the beam which would then impinge on a fixed target. Without disturbing the collider operation, this technique allows for the extraction of a substantial amount of particles in addition to serving for a beam-cleaning purpose. With this method, high-luminosity fixed-target studies at centre-of-mass energies above theW±,Z0, andH0masses,s≃170–300 GeV, are possible. We also discuss the possibility offered by an internal gas target, which can also be used as luminosity monitor by studying the beam transverse shape.

We report on the first experimental observations of quasichanneling oscillations, recently seen in simulations and described theoretically. Although above-barrier particles penetrating a single crystal are generally seen as behaving almost as in an amorphous substance, distinct oscillation peaks nevertheless appear for particles in that category. The quasichanneling oscillations were observed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory by aiming 20.35 GeV positrons and electrons at a thin silicon crystal bent to a radius of $R=0.15\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$, exploiting the quasimosaic effect. For electrons, two relatively faint quasichanneling peaks were observed, while for positrons, seven quasichanneling peaks were clearly identified.

We treat, as an illustrative example of gravitational time dilation in relativity, the observation that the center of the Earth is younger than the surface by an appreciable amount. Richard Feynman first made this insightful point and presented an estimate of the size of the effect in a talk; a transcription was later published in which the time difference is quoted as 'one or two days'. However, a back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that the result is in fact a few years. In this paper we present this estimate alongside a more elaborate analysis yielding a difference of two and a half years. The aim is to provide a fairly complete solution to the relativity of the 'aging' of an object due to differences in the gravitational potential. This solution - accessible at the undergraduate level - can be used for educational purposes, as an example in the classroom. Finally, we also briefly discuss why exchanging 'years' for 'days' - which in retrospect is a quite simple, but significant, mistake - has been repeated seemingly uncritically, albeit in a few cases only. The pedagogical value of this discussion is to show students that any number or observation, no matter who brought it forward, must be critically examined., Published version, apart from minor editing (e.g. corrections of 'center' to 'centre')

Author(s): Mikkelsen, RE; Poulsen, T; Uggerhoj, UI; Klein, SR | Abstract: We revisit the theory of Cherenkov radiation in uniaxial crystals. Historically, a number of flawed attempts have been made at explaining this radiation phenomenon, and a consistent error-free description is nowhere available. We apply our calculation to a large modern day telescope - IceCube. Located in Antarctica, this detector makes use of the naturally occurring ice as a medium to generate Cherenkov radiation. However, due to the high pressure at the depth of the detector site, large volumes of hexagonal ice crystals are formed. We calculate how this affects the Cherenkov radiation yield and angular dependence. We conclude that the effect is small, at most about a percent, and would only be relevant in future high-precision instruments like e.g. Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU). For radio-Cherenkov experiments which use the presence of a clear Cherenkov cone to determine the arrival direction, any variation in emission angle will directly and linearly translate into a change in apparent neutrino direction. In closing, we also describe a simple experiment to test this formalism and calculate the impact of anisotropy on light yields from lead tungstate crystals as used, for example, in the CMS calorimeter at the CERN LHC.

In this paper, we provide a procedure to calculate the bremsstrahlung spectrum for virtually any relativistic bare ion with charge 6e or beyond, Z ⩾ 6 , in ultraperipheral collisions with target nuclei. We apply the Weizsacker–Williams method of virtual quanta to model the effect of the distribution of nuclear constituents on the interaction of the ion with the radiation target. This leads to a bremsstrahlung spectrum peaking at 2 γ times the energy of the giant dipole resonance ( γ is the projectile energy in units of its rest energy). A central ingredient in the calculation is the cross section for elastic scattering of photons on the ion. This is only available in the literature for a few selected nuclei and, usually, only in a rather restricted parameter range. Hence we develop a procedure applicable for all Z ⩾ 6 to estimate the elastic scattering. The elastic cross section is obtained at low to moderate photon energies, somewhat beyond the giant dipole resonance, by means of the optical theorem, a dispersion relation, and data on the total absorption cross section. The cross section is continued at higher energies by invoking depletion due to loss of coherence in the scattering. Our procedure is intended for any ion where absorption data is available and for moderate to high energies, γ ≳ 10 .

We calculate the emission of bremsstrahlung from lead and argon ions in A Fixed Target ExpeRiment (AFTER) that uses the LHC beams. With nuclear charges of $Ze$ equal $208$ and $18$ respectively, these ions are accelerated to energies of $7$ TeV$\times Z $. The bremsstrahlung peaks around $\approx 100$ GeV and the spectrum exposes the nuclear structure of the incoming ion. The peak structure is significantly different from the flat power spectrum pertaining to a point charge. Photons are predominantly emitted within an angle of $1/\gamma$ to the direction of ion propagation. Our calculations are based on the Weizs\"{a}cker-Williams method of virtual quanta with application of existing experimental data on photonuclear interactions., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Advances in High Energy Physics

We report on the studies of Transverse-Momentum-Dependent distributions (TMDs) at a future fixed-target experiment --AFTER@LHC-- using the $p^+$ or Pb ion LHC beams, which would be the most energetic fixed-target experiment ever performed. AFTER@LHC opens new domains of particle and nuclear physics by complementing collider-mode experiments, in particular those of RHIC and the EIC projects. Both with an extracted beam by a bent crystal or with an internal gas target, the luminosity achieved by AFTER@LHC surpasses that of RHIC by up to 3 orders of magnitude. With an unpolarised target, it allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions and the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using polarised targets, one can access the quark and gluon Sivers TMDs through single transverse-spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan and quarkonium production. In terms of kinematics, the fixed-target mode combined with a detector covering $\eta_{\rm lab} \in [1,5]$ allows one to measure these asymmetries at large $x^\uparrow$ in the polarised nucleon., Comment: Symposium SPIN2014, Beijing

When an ultrarelativistic electron traverses two closely spaced foils, a radiation spectrum 'resonance' appears, arising from the photon formation length extending from one foil, across the gap and into the second foil. Several theoretical approaches yield quite different answers to the spectral location of this 'resonance', and we have therefore in the CERN NA63 collaboration addressed the question experimentally with a 178 GeV electron beam. The experimental technique used - where a variable gap separates two thin gold foils - allows for a direct measurement of a length that is closely related to the distance over which the photon formation takes place. These are the first measurements to observe the gap dependence of the energy of the 'resonance' in the radiation spectrum from a structured target on a truly macroscopic scale up to 0.5 mm. The results are compared with the theory of Baier and Katkov, with both the modified and unmodified theories of Blankenbecler as well as with a naïve, straightforward expectation. Surprisingly, the experiment shows a clear preference for the two latter, comparatively unsophisticated, approaches. © 2014 The Authors.

A new scheme of making crystalline undulators was recently proposed and investigated theoretically by Andriy Kostyuk, concluding that a new type of crystalline undulator would be not only viable, but better than the previous scheme. This article describes the first experimental measurement of such a crystalline undulator, produced by using Si(1-x)Ge(x)-graded composition and measured at the Mainzer Microtron facility at beam energies of 600 and 855 MeV. We also present theoretical models developed to compare with the experimental data.

We report on the opportunities for spin physics and Transverse-Momentum Dependent distribution (TMD) studies at a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment using the proton or lead ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The LHC multi-TeV beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed, opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing that of collider physics, in particular that of RHIC and the EIC projects. The luminosity achievable with AFTER@LHC using typical targets would surpass that of RHIC by more that 3 orders of magnitude in a similar energy region. In unpolarised proton-proton collisions, AFTER@LHC allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions, the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using the polarisation of hydrogen and nuclear targets, one can measure transverse single-spin asymmetries of quark and gluon sensitive probes, such as, respectively, Drell-Yan pair and quarkonium production. The fixed-target mode has the advantage to allow for measurements in the target-rapidity region, namely at large x^uparrow in the polarised nucleon. Overall, this allows for an ambitious spin program which we outline here., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, LaTeX. Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Transverse Polarisation Phenomena in Hard Processes (Transversity 2014), 9-13 June, 2013, Chia, Italy

We report the first observation of a shoulder in the radiation spectrum from GeV electrons in a structured target consisting of two thin and closely spaced foils. The position of the shoulder depends on the target spacing and is directly connected to the finite formation length of a low-energy photon emitted by an ultrarelativistic electron. With the present setup it is possible to control the separation of the foils on a μm scale and hence measure interference effects caused by the macroscopic dimensions of the formation length. Several theoretical groups have predicted this effect using different methods. Our observations have a preference for the modified theory by Blankenbecler but disagree with the results of Baier and Katkov.