Laser-plasma accelerator group

Abstract:

Photoproduction of beauty quarks in events with two jets and an electron associated with one of the jets has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 120pb-1. The fractions of events containing b quarks, and also of events containing c quarks, were extracted from a likelihood fit using variables sensitive to electron identification as well as to semileptonic decays. Total and differential cross sections for beauty and charm production were measured and compared with next-to-leading-order QCD calculations and MonteCarlo models. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

Inclusive KS0KS0 production in ep collisions at the DESY ep collider HERA was studied with the ZEUS detector using an integrated luminosity of 0.5fb-1. Enhancements in the mass spectrum were observed and are attributed to the production of f2(1270)/a20(1320), f2′(1525) and f0(1710). Masses and widths were obtained using a fit which takes into account theoretical predictions based on SU(3) symmetry arguments, and are consistent with the Particle Data Group values. The f0(1710) state, which has a mass consistent with a glueball candidate, was observed with a statistical significance of 5 standard deviations. However, if this state is the same as that seen in γγ→KS0KS0, it is unlikely to be a pure glueball state. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

Deep inelastic scattering and its diffractive component, e p → e^′ γ^* p → e^′ X N, have been studied at HERA with the ZEUS detector using an integrated luminosity of 52.4 pb^-1. The MX method has been used to extract the diffractive contribution. A wide range in the centre-of-mass energy W (37-245 GeV), photon virtuality Q² (20-450 GeV²) and mass MX (0.28-35 GeV) is covered. The diffractive cross section for 2 < MX < 15 GeV rises strongly with W, the rise becoming steeper as Q² increases. The data are also presented in terms of the diffractive structure function, F2^{D (3)}, of the proton. For fixed Q² and fixed MX, xP F2^{D (3)} shows a strong rise as xP → 0, where xP is the fraction of the proton momentum carried by the pomeron. For Bjorken-x < 1 × 10^-3, xP F2^{D (3)} shows positive log Q² scaling violations, while for x ≥ 5 × 10^-3 negative scaling violations are observed. The diffractive structure function is compatible with being leading twist. The data show that Regge factorisation is broken. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

Laser-driven, quasimonoenergetic electron beams of up to ∼200MeV in energy have been observed from steady-state-flow gas cells. These beams emitted within a low-divergence cone of 2.1±0.5mrad FWHM display unprecedented shot-to-shot stability in energy (2.5% rms), pointing (1.4 mrad rms), and charge (16% rms) owing to a highly reproducible gas-density profile within the interaction volume. Laser-wakefield acceleration in gas cells of this type provides a simple and reliable source of relativistic electrons suitable for applications such as the production of extreme-ultraviolet undulator radiation. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

Jet cross sections were measured in charged-current deep inelastic e±p scattering at high boson virtualities Q2 with the ZEUS detector at HERA II using an integrated luminosity of 0.36fb-1. Differential cross sections are presented for inclusive-jet production as functions of Q2, Bjorken x and the jet transverse energy and pseudorapidity. The dijet invariant mass cross section is also presented. Observation of three- and four-jet events in charged-current e±p processes is reported for the first time. The predictions of next-to-leading-order (NLO) QCD calculations are compared to the measurements. The measured inclusive-jet cross sections are well described in shape and normalization by the NLO predictions. The data have the potential to constrain the u and d valence-quark distributions in the proton if included as input to global fits. © 2008 The American Physical Society.