B. Winstein

Search for the decay

Abstract Data collected in Fermilab experiment E731 was used to perform the first search for the decay K L →π 0 ν ν . This decay is dominated by short distance effects and is almost entirely direct CP violating within the standard model. Cuts were developed to reject the background processes Λ→nπ0 and KL→π+e−γν. No candidate events were seen. We find BR (K L →π 0 ν ν ) −4 at the 90% confidence level.We report on a search for the rare decay K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar in the KTeV experiment at Fermilab. We searched for two-photon events whose kinematics were consistent with an isolated pi^0 coming from the decay K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar. One candidate event was observed, which was consistent with the expected level of background. An upper limit on the branching ratio was determined to be B(K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar) < 1.6E-6 at the 90% confidence level.We report on a search for the rare decay K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar in the KTeV experiment at Fermilab. We searched for two-photon events whose kinematics were consistent with an isolated pi^0 coming from the decay K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar. One candidate event was observed, which was consistent with the expected level of background. An upper limit on the branching ratio was determined to be B(K_L -> pi^0 nu nubar) < 1.6E-6 at the 90% confidence level.

Measurements of direct CP violation, CPT symmetry, and other parameters in the neutral kaon system

The authors present precision measurements of the direct CP violation parameter, Re({epsilon}{prime}/{epsilon}), the kaon parameters, {Delta}m and {tau}{sub S}, and the CPT tests, {phi}{sub {+-}} and {Delta}{phi}, in neutral kaon decays. These results are based on the full dataset collected by the KTeV experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory during 1996, 1997, and 1999. This dataset contains {approx} 15 million K {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0} decays and {approx} 69 million K {yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} decays. They describe significant improvements to the precision of these measurements relative to previous KTeV analyses. They find Re({epsilon}{prime}/{epsilon}) = [19.2 {+-} 1.1(stat) {+-} 1.8(syst)] x 10{sup -4}, {Delta}m = (5265 {+-} 10) x 10{sup 6} hs{sup -1}, and {tau}{sub S} = (89.62 {+-} 0.05) x 10{sup -12} s. They measure {phi}{sub {+-}} = (44.09 {+-} 1.00){sup o} and {Delta}{phi} = (0.29 {+-} 0.31){sup o}; these results are consistent with CPT symmetry.

Observation of CP violation in K(L) ---> pi+ pi- e+ e- decays

We report the first observation of a manifestly CP violating effect in the K(L)->pi+pi-e+e- decay mode. A large asymmetry was observed in the distribution of these decays in the CP-odd and T-odd angle phi between the decay planes of the e+e- and pi+pi- pairs in the K(L) center of mass system. After acceptance corrections, the overall asymmetry is found to be 13.6+-2.5 (stat) +-1.2 (syst)%. This is the largest CP-violating effect yet observed integrating over the entire phase space of a mode and the first such effect observed in an angular variable.

The Cosmic Microwave Background for Pedestrians: A Review for Particle and Nuclear Physicists

We intend to show how fundamental science is drawn from the patterns in the temperature and polarization fields of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, and thus to motivate the field of CMB research. We discuss the fields history, potential science and current status, contaminating foregrounds, detection and analysis techniques, and future prospects. Throughout the review we draw comparisons to particle physics, a field that has many of the same goals and that has gone through many of the same stages.

A determination of the cabibbo-kobayashi-maskawa parameter |VUS| using KL decays

We present a determination of the CKM parameter |Vus| based on new measurements of the six largest KL branching fractions and semileptonic form factors by the KTeV (E832) experiment at Fermilab. We find |Vus| = 0.2252 +- 0.0008(KTeV) +- 0.0021(ext), where the errors are from KTeV measurements and from external sources. We also use the measured branching fractions to determine the CP violation parameter |eta+-| = [2.228 +- 0.005(KTeV) +- 0.009(ext)]E-3.

The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT Instrument

The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) is designed to measure polarization in the cosmic microwave background, targeting the imprint of inflationary gravitational waves at large angular scales(~1°). Between 2008 October and 2010 December, two independent receiver arrays were deployed sequentially on a 1.4 m side-fed Dragonian telescope. The polarimeters that form the focal planes use a compact design based on high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) that provides simultaneous measurements of the Stokes parameters Q, U, and I in a single module. The 17-element Q-band polarimeter array, with a central frequency of 43.1 GHz, has the best sensitivity (69 μKs^(1/2)) and the lowest instrumental systematic errors ever achieved in this band, contributing to the tensor-to-scalar ratio at r < 0.1. The 84-element W-band polarimeter array has a sensitivity of 87 μKs^(1/2) at a central frequency of 94.5 GHz. It has the lowest systematic errors to date, contributing at r < 0.01. The two arrays together cover multipoles in the range l ~ 25-975. These are the largest HEMT-based arrays deployed to date. This article describes the design, calibration, performance, and sources of systematic error of the instrument.The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) is designed to measure polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background, targeting the imprint of inflationary gravitational waves at large angular scales (~ 1 degree). Between 2008 October and 2010 December, two independent receiver arrays were deployed sequentially on a 1.4 m side-fed Dragonian telescope. The polarimeters which form the focal planes use a highly compact design based on High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) that provides simultaneous measurements of the Stokes parameters Q, U, and I in a single module. The 17-element Q-band polarimeter array, with a central frequency of 43.1 GHz, has the best sensitivity (69 uK sqrt(s)) and the lowest instrumental systematic errors ever achieved in this band, contributing to the tensor-to-scalar ratio at r < 0.1. The 84-element W-band polarimeter array has a sensitivity of 87 uK sqrt(s) at a central frequency of 94.5 GHz. It has the lowest systematic errors to date, contributing at r < 0.01. The two arrays together cover multipoles in the range l= 25-975. These are the largest HEMT-based arrays deployed to date. This article describes the design, calibration, performance of, and sources of systematic error for the instrument.

Polarization of Λ and Λ produced by 800-GeV protons☆

Abstract We have measured the polarization of Λ and Λ hyperons produced by 800 GeV protons on a Be target at a fixed targeting angle of 4.8 mrad. Comparison with previous data at 400 GeV production energy and twice the targeting angle shows no significant energy dependence for the Λ polarization. This is in striking contrast to the energy dependence found for σ+ and Ξ− polarizations. We find no evidence for Λ polarization at 800 GeV.

Simultaneous measurement of KS and KL decays into π+π-γ

With the E731 apparatus at Fermilab, we have simultaneously collected 6859 [ital K][sub [ital L]] and [ital K][sub [ital S]] decays into [pi][sup +][pi][sup [minus]][gamma]. Using our sample of over 370 000 [pi][sup +][pi][sup [minus]] decays for normalization we have determined that the ratio [Gamma]([ital K][sup 0][r arrow][pi][sup +][pi][sup [minus]][gamma])/[Gamma]([ital K][sup 0][r arrow][pi][sup +][pi][sup [minus]]) is (23.0[plus minus]0.7)[times]10[sup [minus]3] for [ital K][sub [ital L]] and (7.10[plus minus]0.22)[times]10[sup [minus]3] for [ital K][sub [ital S]], for photon energies greater than 20 MeV in the kaon center of mass. After removing the inner-bremsstrahlung contribution, we find that the photon energy spectrum of the direct emission decay of the [ital K][sub [ital L]] is consistent with the presence of a vector meson propagator in the form factor.

Measurements of K(L) branching fractions and the CP violation parameter |eta+-|

We present new measurements of the six largest branching fractions of the KL using data collected in 1997 by the KTeV experiment (E832) at Fermilab. The results are B(KL -> pi e nu) = 0.4067 +- 0.0011 B(KL -> pi mu nu) = 0.2701 +- 0.0009 B(KL -> pi+ pi- pi0) = 0.1252 +- 0.0007 B(KL -> pi0 pi0 pi0) = 0.1945 +- 0.0018 B(KL -> pi+ pi-) = (1.975 +- 0.012)E-3, and B(KL -> pi0 pi0) = (0.865 +- 0.010)E-3, where statistical and systematic errors have been summed in quadrature. We also determine the CP violation parameter |eta+-| to be (2.228 +- 0.010)E-3. Several of these results are not in good agreement with averages of previous measurements.

Determination of the Parity of the Neutral Pion via Its Four-Electron Decay

We present a new determination of the parity of the neutral pion via the double Dalitz decay pi0-->e+e-e+e-. Our sample, which consists of 30,511 candidate decays, was collected from KL-->pi0pi0pi0 decays in flight at the KTeV-E799 experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. We confirm the negative pi0 parity and place a limit on scalar contributions to the pi0-->e+e-e+e- decay amplitude of less than 3.3% assuming CPT conservation. The pi0gamma*gamma* form factor is well described by a momentum-dependent model with a slope parameter fit to the final state phase-space distribution. Additionally, we have measured the branching ratio of this mode to be B(pi0-->e+e-e+e-)=(3.26+/-0.18)x10(-5).