I. A. Pless

Inclusive production of neutral strange particles by 147 GeV/cπ+/K+/p interactions in hydrogen

Results are presented from a study of inclusive neutral strange particle production by a 147 GeV/c tagged π+/K+/p beam in the Fermilab 30-inch hydrogen bubble chamber. The experiment made use of the proportional hybrid spectrometer system. Results are based on 995 KS0, 485 Λ, and 83 Λ found in a sample of 132 000 pictures. Cross sections are given for inclusive production of these particles by each of the three beam particles, and comparisons are made with measurements at other energies. Topological cross sections are also calculated, and KNO multiplicity scaling is investigated. Distributions are presented of invariant cross sections as functions of the Feynman scaling variable x and c.m. rapidity y. The transverse momentum-squared distributions with their fitted slopes are also given. Comparisons are made of the production characteristics for the three beam types.

Measurement of the velocity of neutrinos from the CNGS beam with the large volume detector.

We report the measurement of the time of flight of ∼17 GeV ν(μ) on the CNGS baseline (732 km) with the Large Volume Detector (LVD) at the Gran Sasso Laboratory. The CERN-SPS accelerator has been operated from May 10th to May 24th 2012, with a tightly bunched-beam structure to allow the velocity of neutrinos to be accurately measured on an event-by-event basis. LVD has detected 48 neutrino events, associated with the beam, with a high absolute time accuracy. These events allow us to establish the following limit on the difference between the neutrino speed and the light velocity: -3.8 × 10(-6) < (v(ν)-c)/c < 3.1 × 10(-6) (at 99% C.L.). This value is an order of magnitude lower than previous direct measurements.

Cross sections and charged multiplicity distributions for π−p and K−p interactions at 147 GeV/c

Abstract The results presented in this paper were obtained from a 105 000 frame exposure of the FNAL Hybrid Proportional Wire Chamber-30 inch Bubble Chamber System, in a tagged beam of 147 GeV/ c negative particles. Elastic, total and topological cross sections were obtained for both π − p and K − p interactions. Comparisons with other data, taken with various beam particles over large momentum intervals, show good agreement with KNO scaling, and similarity in the scaling behavior of σ n for the different beam particles.

Inclusive and semi-inclusive ϱ0 production in π−p interactions at 15 GeV/c☆

Abstract We have done an inclusive study of ϱ0 production in π−p interactions at 15 GeV/c. Evidence for two different production mechanisms, in addition to the known quasi two-body processes, is presented: production of ϱ0s in the central region of rapidity similar to the “pionization” region seen in the inclusive studies of pions; and forward production in the beam dissociation region of rapidity. Cross sections and rapidity distributions for the ϱ0 are given inclusively and by topology, and the results are compared with similar studies at other energies and with other incident particles. Results are also presented for the semi-inclusive reaction π−p → pϱ0 + X− and the exclusive final state pπ−ϱ0.

A new method to investigate the nuclear effect in leptonic interactions

Abstract High energy neutrino interactions in a heavy liquid bubble chamber were classified by the presence or absence of dark tracks (stubs) at the interaction vertices. Quark distributions, σ ( x ), were compared in the two groups of data. Those with dark tracks, presumably indicative of an interaction with a deeply bound nucleon, show an enhanced nuclear effect.

Search for charged strange quark matter produced in 11.5A GeV/c Au+Pb collisions

We present results of a search for strange quark matter (strangelets) in 11.5 A GeV/c Au+Pb collisions from the 1994 and 1995 runs of experiment E864 at Brookhavens AGS. We observe no strangelet candidates and set a 90% confidence level upper limit of approximately 3x10**-8 per 10% central interaction for the production of |Z|=1 and |Z|=2 strangelets over a large mass range and with metastable lifetimes of about 50 ns or more. These results place constraints primarily on quark-gluon plasma based production models for strangelets.

Measurements of light nuclei production in 11.5a GeV/c Au+Pb heavy-ion collisions

We report on measurements by the E864 experiment at the BNL-AGS of the yields of light nuclei in collisions of Au(197) with beam momentum of 11.5 A GeV/c on targets of Pb(208) and Pt(197). The yields are reported for nuclei with baryon number A=1 up to A=7, and typically cover a rapidity range from y(cm) to y(cm)+1 and a transverse momentum range of approximately 0.1<p(T)/A<0.5 GeV/c. We calculate coalescence scale factors B(A) from which we extract model dependent source dimensions and collective flow velocities. We also examine the dependences of the yields on baryon number, spin, and isospin of the produced nuclei.

Upper limit on the prompt muon flux derived from the LVD underground experiment

We present the analysis of the muon events with all muon multiplicities collected during 21804 hours of operation of the first LVD tower. The measured depth-angular distribution of muon intensities has been used to obtain the normalization factor, A, the power index, gamma, of the primary all-nucleon spectrum and the ratio, R_c, of prompt muon flux to that of pi-mesons - the main parameters which determine the spectrum of cosmic ray muons at the sea level. The value of gamma = 2.77 +/- 0.05 (68% C.L.) and R_c<2.0 x 10^-3 (95% C.L.) have been obtained. The upper limit to the prompt muon flux favours the models of charm production based on QGSM and the dual parton model.

Inclusive and semi-inclusive ϱ0 production in π−p interactions at 147 GeV/c

Abstract We present data on inclusive and semi-inclusive ϱ 0 production in 147 GeV/ c π − p interactions. We find a total cross section of 7.3 ± 1.3 mb. Most of this cross section is found in the lower topology events (⩽ 10 prongs), and in the central and forward rapidity regions. The P T 2 dependence of ϱ 0 production, 〈: n > ϱ 0 per event, and the ϱ 0 / π + ratios are also discussed.

Antideuteron yield at the AGS and coalescence implications

We present Experiment 864s measurement of invariant antideuteron yields in 11.5A GeV/c Au + Pt collisions. The analysis includes 250 million triggers representing 14 billion 10% central interactions sampled for events with high mass candidates. We find (1/2 pi pt) d^(2)N/dydpt = 3.5 +/- 1.5 (stat.) +0.9,-0.5 (sys.) x 10^(-8) GeV^(-2)c^(2) for 1.8=0.35 GeV/c (y(cm)=1.6) and 3.7 +/- 2.7 (stat.) +1.4,-1.5 (sys.) x 10^(-8) GeV^(-2)c^(2) for 1.4=0.26 GeV/c, and a coalescence parameter B2-bar of 4.1 +/- 2.9 (stat.) +2.3,-2.4 (sys.) x 10^(-3) GeV^(2)c^(-3). Implications for the coalescence model and antimatter annihilation are discussed.