G. Poulard

The macro detector at the Gran Sasso Laboratory

Abstract The MACRO detector is presently under construction, its installation at Gran Sasso being planned to start in September 1987. It is a large area detector, the acceptance for isotropic particle fluxes being around 10 000 m 2 sr, designed to search for rare phenomena in the cosmic radiation. It makes use of three detection techniques: liquid scintillator counters, plastic streamer tubes, and track-etch. It will perform a search for GUT monopoles (or any supermassive charged penetrating particle), a survey of cosmic point sources of HE gammas and neutrinos, a systematic study of the penetrating cosmic ray muons, and will be sensitive to neutrino bursts from gravitational stellar collapses in the Galaxy.

Direct observation of the decay of beauty particles into charm particles

Abstract The associated production of a pair of beauty particles B− and B 0 by a 350 GeV π− interaction has been observed in an emulsion target inserted in an array of silicon microstrip detectors. Both beauty particles decay into charm particles, both of which are also observed to decay in the emulsion. Two negative muons were identified and their momenta measured in a large muon spectrometer. One muon has a pT of 1.9 GeV/c and is associated with a beauty particle decay. The other, with a pT of 0.45 GeV/c is associated with a charm particle decay. The flight times of the two beauty particles are respectively (0.8 ± 0.1) × 10−13 s and (5+2−1) × 10−13 s. Alternative interpretations of this event have negligible probability.

Identified pion interferometry in heavy-ion collisions at CERN

Abstract π + π + correlations from S + Pb collisions at 200 GeV/ c per nucleon, measured by the focusing spectrometer of the NA44 experiment at CERN, are presented. The large data set, particularly at small values of Q inv , allows determination of the detailed shape of the correlation function. We construct the background by event mixing, and correct for resolution, Coulomb interaction, and distortion of single-particle spectra which produce effects large compared to the statistical errors at small Q inv . An exponential, rather than gaussian, source distribution is slightly favoured, but both are statistically acceptable.

Mid-rapidity protons in 158A·GeV Pb+Pb collisions

Abstract Proton distributions at mid-rapidity (2 ≤ y ≤ 3) have been measured for 158A·GeV Pb+Pb collisions in the focusing spectrometer experiment NA44 at CERN. From baryon number conservation and by comparing the experimentally measured d N d y distribution with the transport model RQMD, we conclude that a rather high degree of nuclear stopping has been reached for the truly heavy-ion collisions at these energies. Transverse mass distributions exhibit characteristically thermal shapes and the slope parameters increase with the mass of the colliding system.

A-dependence of the charm production cross section in 300 GeV/c proton interactions

Abstract The A-dependence of the charm production cross section is determined by measuring the yield of prompt single muons in a beam-dump experiment, using a 300 GeV/c proton beam on Al, Fe, and U targets. Assuming that the production cross section varies as Aα, we obtain α(μ+) = 0.79±0.12 and α(μ−) = 0.76±0.13 in the kinematical region xF≳0.1 of the charm.

Three Pion Correlations in Sulphur Lead Collisions at the CERN SPS

Abstract π + π + π + correlations from sulphur-lead collisions at 200 GeV/c per nucleon are presented as measured by the focusing spectrometer of experiment NA44 at CERN. We have investigated the three-pion correlation function at mid-rapidity and found that a genuine three-body correlation is suppressed. A possible interpretation of this result is that the emission of particles is partially coherent.

Total cross sections and nucleon structure functions in the gargamelle SPS neutrino/antineutrino experiment

Abstract Total neutrino and antineutrino cross sections in the energy range 15 to 150 GeV, and the nucleon structure functions, F 2 ( x , Q 2 ) and xF 3 ( x , Q 2 ) in the Q 2 range 0.5 to 50 (GeV/ c ) 2 have been measured using a data sample of 3000 neutrino and 3800 antineutrino events. The structure functions show a weak Q 2 dependence at different x values.

THE DOUBLE ASSOCIATED PRODUCTION OF CHARMED PARTICLES BY THE INTERACTION OF 350 GEV/C PI-MESONS WITH EMULSION NUCLEI

Abstract Evidence is reported for the simultaneous production of four charmed particles in interactions induced by 350 GeV/ c π − mesons in stacks of nuclear emulsions. The events were found during a search for beauty particles among a sample of about 200 interactions with candidates for charmed particles. The events selected required the presence of at least one muon with a high component of momentum transverse to the beam direction.

Experimental study of the reaction νμ + e− → μ− + νe

Abstract The first observation of the reaction ν μ + e − → μ − + ν e has been made in the bubble chamber Gargamelle exposed to the CERN SPS wide-band neutrino beam. A signal of 26 ± 6 events has been found. This is 0.90 ± 0.20 times the prediction of the V - A theory.

The production of beauty particles in π−-U interactions at 320 GeV energy

Abstract B B production in π − -uranium interactions has been observed at 320 GeV beam energy looking at events with three muons in the final state. The cross section is found to be σ B B = 4.5±1.4±1.4 nb per nucleon (for a linear A -dependence) or σ B B = 17.6±5.5±5.5 nb per nucleon (assuming A 0.75 dependence). An estimate of x F distribution is given.