A. Ichikawa

The K2K SciBar detector

A new near detector, SciBar, for the K2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation expe riment was installed to improve the measurement of neutrino energy spectrum and to study neutrino interactions in the energy region around 1 GeV. SciBar is a fully active tracking detector with fine segmentation consisting of plastic scintillator bars. The detector was constructed in summer 2003 and is taking data since October 2003. The basic design and initial performance is presented.

Superconducting magnet system at the 50 GeV proton beam line for the J-PARC neutrino experiment

A neutrino oscillation experiment using the J-PARC 50 GeV 0.75 MW proton beam is planned as a successor to the K2K project currently being operated at KEK. A superconducting magnet system is required for the arc section of the primary proton beam line to be within the space available at the site. A system with 28 combined function magnets is proposed to simplify the system and optimize the cost. The required fields for the magnets are 2.6 T dipole and 19 T/m quadrupole. The magnets are also required to have a large aperture, 173.4 mm diameter, to accommodate the large beam emittance. The magnets will be protected by cold diodes and cooled by forced flow supercritical helium produced by a 4.5 K, 2/spl sim/2.5 kW refrigerator. This paper reports the system overview and the design status.

Search for double-Λ hypernuclei and the H-dibaryon in the (K−,K+) reaction on 12C

Abstract A search for double- Λ hypernuclei ( 12 ΛΛ Be) and H -dibaryons using the 12 C( K − , K + ) reaction was performed at the BNL-AGS using a high-intensity 1.8 GeV/ c K − beam. A missing-mass analysis below the end point of the quasi-free Ξ − production was used to investigate these S =−2 systems. The upper limit obtained for the forward-angle cross section of 12 ΛΛ Be production is 6 to 10 nb/sr. This is the first search for the direct production of double- Λ hypernuclei to reach the sensitivity required to observe the signal predicted by theoretical calculations. For the H -production cross section, we have obtained an upper limit in the range of a few nb/sr to 10 nb/sr for the H mass below 2100 MeV/ c 2 . This upper limit is the most sensitive H search result to date for a tightly bound H .

Design and performance of the muon monitor for the T2K neutrino oscillation experiment

This article describes the design and performance of the muon monitor for the T2K (Tokai-to-Kamioka) long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. The muon monitor consists of two types of detector arrays: ionization chambers and silicon PIN photodiodes. It measures the intensity and profile of muons produced, along with neutrinos, in the decay of pions. The measurement is sensitive to the intensity and direction of the neutrino beam. The linearity and stability of the detectors were measured in beam tests to be within 2.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Based on the test results, the precision of the beam direction measured by the muon monitor is expected to be 0.25 mrad.

Construction of Superconducting Magnet System for the J-PARC Neutrino Beam Line

Following success of a prototype R&D, construction of a superconducting magnet system for J-PARC neutrino beam line has been carried out since 2005. A new conceptual beam line with the superconducting combined function magnets demonstrated the successful beam transport to the neutrino production target.

Superconducting combined function magnet system for J-PARC neutrino experiment

The J-PARC Neutrino Experiment, the construction of which starts in JFY 2004, will use a superconducting magnet system for its primary proton beam line. The system, which bends the 50 GeV 0.75 MW proton beam by about 80 degrees, consists of 28 superconducting combined function magnets. The magnets utilize single layer left/right asymmetric coils that generate a dipole field of 2.6 T and a quadrupole field of 18.6 T/m with the operation current of about 7.35 kA. The system also contains a few conduction cooled superconducting corrector magnets that serve as vertical and horizontal steering magnets. All the magnets are designed to provide a physical beam aperture of 130 mm in order to achieve a large beam acceptance. Extensive care is also required to achieve safe operation with the high power proton beam. The paper summarizes the system design as well as some safety analysis results.

Production of twin λ-hypernuclei from ξ- hyperon capture at rest

Abstract A hybrid emulsion experiment was carried out to study double-strangeness nuclei produced via Ξ− hyperon capture at rest with the expectation of ten times larger statistics than previous experiments. We have analyzed 5% of the total emulsion and found one “twin-hypernuclei” event involving the emission of two single-Λ hypernuclei and a nuclear fragment from a Ξ− hyperon stopping point. The event is interpreted as the decay of a Ξ − + 14 N atomic system to 5 Λ He + 5 Λ He + 4 He + neutron . The species of the Ξ−-atom and the fragmentation products are uniquely identified for the first time for twin-hypernuclei events. Combined with the results from a past hybrid-emulsion experiment, one double-Λ hypernucleus and three twin-hypernuclei events have been found from Ξ− captures on light emulsion nuclei. The ratio of the detected rate of double-Λ hypernuclei to that of twin-hypernuclei is compared with theoretical estimates.

Active target-detector with scintillating fibers for hyperon proton scattering

Abstract An active target with scintillating fibers has been developed and constructed. This target-detector is designed for measurements of hyperon–proton scattering for hyperon momenta of several hundredxa0MeV/c. The detector serves as a production target of hyperons as well as a hyperon scattering target on hydrogen. It works as a 4π-detector for the production, scattering, and decay of charged particles in the target region. A spectrometer system for an incident beam and outgoing particles is linked with this target-detector in order to produce triggers for the imaging device. Reactions inside the fiducial volume of the detector are reconstructed kinematically by using image data together with spectrometer information.

Quench stability against beam-loss in superconducting magnets at the 50 GeV proton beam line for the J-PARC neutrino experiment

The heat load on superconducting magnets induced by beam loss is a major subject to be solved for stable operation of the 50 GeV-0.75 MW J-PARC neutrino beam line. Heat load for a 10 W/point beam loss in an actual coil was calculated using the MARS code which simulates the actual magnet. Calculated heat load was up to 20 kJ/m/sup 3//pulse. Instantaneous heating of 0-40 kJ/m/sup 3//pulse was induced in Rutherford type cable in an experiment, and the thermal characteristic measured using SHe. The cable specimen for an experimental verification used the same structure as the superconducting cable for the magnet in the test. It was found that a heat pulse of 20 kJ/m/sup 3/ caused an instantaneous temperature rise of 0.25 K in the experiment and will not induce a quench according to the quench simulation calculation.

Doubly strange nuclei by a hybrid-emulsion experiment E373 at KEK

A hybrid emulsion experiment E373 at KEK has been carried out to study doubly strange nuclear system. By the 8% data analysis of all, one twin single-Λ hypernuclei event and two events of double-Λ hypernucleus have been successfully detected. The twin single-Λ event is uniquely interpreted as Ⅺ−+14N→Λ5He+Λ5He+4He+n for the first time. In the first double-Λ hypernucleus event, “Demachi-Yanagi,” it is interpreted as Ⅺ−+12C→ΛΛ10Be* (or ΛΛ10Be*)+t. The second double-Λ hypernucleus event, “NAGARA,” shows a clearly recognized topology and the interpretation is unique as Ⅺ−+12C→ΛΛ6He+4He+t, ΛΛ6He→Λ5He+π−+p, Λ5He→p+d+2n etc. By the preliminary result of the ΛΛ6He, the attractive ΛΛ interaction has been confirmed with the ΔBΛΛ∼1u2009MeV.