119551795
Experimental and simulation study of the behaviour and operation modes of MSGC + GEM detectors
Abstract A small series production of detector modules made of MicroStrip Gas Counters (MSGC) and a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foil has been exposed to a high-intensity hadron beam. We report about the reproductibility and stability of the detector responses and about the occurrence and consequences of discharges in the detector. The interdependence of the four voltage differences used in the detector has been studied by simulation and with X-ray measurements. Rate dependence of the signal amplitude is observed. The behaviour of the MSGC+GEM is compared to that of a state-of-the-art MSGC. Influence of various parameters on the detector response is investigated.
2362172
LHC collimation system hardware commissioning
The stored energy and intensity of the LHC beam exceed the damage level of the machine and the quench level of the magnets by far. Therefore a robust and reliable collimation system is required which prevents the quenching of the magnets during regular operation and protects the accelerator components from damage in the event of beam loss. To assure that the installed collimators will protect the machine and permit the required performance of the collider, an appropriate hardware commissioning has to be implemented. In this contribution we describe the procedures for the hardware commissioning of the LHC collimation system. These procedures will establish the required precision and reliability of collimator movements and settings before the start of beam operation.
27473327
Transverse impendance of LHC collimators
The transverse impedance in the LHC is expected to be dominated by the numerous collimators, most of which are made of Fibre-Reinforced-Carbon to withstand the impacts of high intensity proton beams in case of failures, and which will be moved very close to the beam, with full gaps of few millimetres, in order to protect surrounding super-conducting equipments. We present an estimate of the transverse resistive-wall impedance of the LHC collimators, the total impedance in the LHC at injection and top energy, the induced coupled-bunch growth rates and tune shifts, and finally the result of the comparison of the theoretical predictions with measurements performed in 2004 and 2006 on a prototype collimator installed in the SPS.
55572949
CRITICAL HALO LOSS LOCATIONS IN THE LHC
Results of simulations with all movable elements of the LHC collimation system [1] are discussed for various operation modes. Compared to previous results, the placing of additional collimators reduced the beam losses by a factor 10 in the ideal machine case, i.e. nominal collimators settings for both 450 GeV and 7 TeV beam energies. First results for Beam 2 are also reviewed. The sensitivity of the system to free orbit oscillations is addressed. These results show that it is sufficient to use a limited number of beam loss monitors (BLMs) for the setup and optimization of the LHC Collimation System.
2156470
Performance reach of the "phase 1" LHC collimation system
State-of-the-art tracking tools have been developed for detailed LHC collimation and beam loss studies. This includes full chromatic treatment of both beam lines and error models. This paper reviews the main results on the performance reach of the multi-stage LHC collimation system that is being installed in the LHC. Limitations on the allowed proton loss rates and the stored intensity can be derived from the comparison of local losses with estimated quench limits for the superconducting magnets. The origins of the cleaning-related performance limitations are presented and possible improvements are discussed.
2759886
Construction and Performance of a Micro-Pattern Stereo Detector with Two Gas Electron Multipliers
Abstract The construction of a micro-pattern gas detector of dimensions 40×10 cm 2 is described. Two gas electron multiplier foils (GEM) provide the internal amplification stages. A two-layer readout structure was used, manufactured using the same technology as the GEM foils. The strips of each layer cross at an effective crossing angle of 6.7° and have a 406 μm pitch. The performance of the detector has been evaluated in a muon beam at CERN using a silicon telescope as reference system. The position resolutions of two orthogonal coordinates are measured to be 50 μm and 1 mm , respectively. The muon detection efficiency for two-dimensional space points reaches 96%.
125147295
Neutrinos as messengers from faraway worlds
119115150
Update on tests of the Cen A neutron-emission model of highest energy cosmic rays
We propose that neutron emission from Cen A dominates the cosmic ray sky at the high end of the spectrum. Neutrons that are able to decay generate proton diffusion fronts, whereas those that survive decay produce a spike in the direction of the source. We use recent data reported by the Pierre Auger Collaboration to normalize the injection spectrum and estimate the required luminosity in cosmic rays. We find that such a luminosity, L_{CR} ~ 5 x 10^{40} erg/s, is considerably smaller than the bolometric luminosity of Cen A, L_{bol} ~ 10^{43} erg/s. We compute the incoming current flux density as viewed by an observer on Earth and show that the anisotropy amplitude is in agreement with data at the 1\sigma level. Regardless of the underlying source model, our results indicate that after a decade of data taking the Pierre Auger Observatory will be able to test our proposal.
44191834
Roadmap for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray Physics and Astronomy (whitepaper for Snowmass 2013)
We summarize the remarkable recent progress in ultra-high energy cosmic ray physics and astronomy enabled by the current generation of cosmic ray observatories. We discuss the primary objectives for future measurements and describe the plans for near-term enhancements of existing experiments as well as the next generation of observatories.
17703221
Lower energy consequences of an anomalous high-energy neutrino cross section
A new strong interaction has been postulated for neutrinos above {approximately}10{sup 19}eV to explain the production of highest-energy cosmic-ray events. We derive a dispersion relation relating the hypothesized high-energy cross section to the lower-energy neutrino-nucleon elastic amplitude. Remarkably, we find that the real forward amplitude becomes anomalous seven orders of magnitude lower in energy than does the total cross section. We discuss possible measurable consequences of this early onset of new neutrino physics and conclude that a significantly enhanced elastic {nu}N scattering rate may occur for the neutrino beams available at Fermilab and CERN. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
119955498
A model of lasing axion clusters
Abstract If axions make up the majority of the dark matter, then most are nonthermal and likely to be clustered in gravitational potential wells. For a range of cluster mass M, cluster radius R, and axion mass m a , photons from spontaneous axion decay can trigger exponential growth of photon number via stimulated decay. We derive (i) constraints on these parameters for lasing to occur, and (ii) the lasing rate equations for a general axion distribution. A simple axion cluster model with a flat momentum distribution is studied in analytical and numerical detail.