Test-beam and laboratory characterisation of the TORCH prototype detector

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment Elsevier 845 (2016) 452-458

Authors:

Ana Ros, Nick H Brook, Lucia Castillo-Garcia, Tom Conneely, David Cussans, Klaus Foehl, Roger Forty, Christophe Frei, Rui Gao, Thierry Gys, Neville Harnew, James Milnes, Didier Piedigrossi, Jonas Rademacker, Maarten Van Dijk

Abstract:

The TORCH time-of-flight (TOF) detector is being developed to provide particle identification up to a momentum of 10 GeV/c over a flight distance of 10 m. It has a DIRC-like construction with thick synthetic amorphous fused-silica plates as a Cherenkov radiator. Photons propagate by total internal reflection to the plate periphery where they are focused onto an array of customised position-sensitive micro-channel plate (MCP) detectors. The goal is to achieve a 15 ps time-of-flight resolution per incident particle by combining arrival times from multiple photons. The MCPs have pixels of effective size 0.4 mm×6.6 mm2 in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, by incorporating a novel charge-sharing technique to improve the spatial resolution to better than the pitch of the readout anodes. Prototype photon detectors and readout electronics have been tested and calibrated in the laboratory. Preliminary results from testbeam measurements of a prototype TORCH detector are also presented.

First observation of the decay $D^{0}\rightarrow K^{-}π^{+}μ^{+}μ^{-}$ in the $ρ^{0}$-$ω$ region of the dimuon mass spectrum

Physics Letters B Elsevier 757 (2016) 558-567

Authors:

R Aaij, C Beteta, B Adeva, M Adinolfi, A Affolder, Z Ajaltouni, S Akar, J Albrecht, A Alessio, M Alexander, S Ali, G Alkhazov, P Cartelle, S Amato, S Amerio, Y Amhis, L An, L Anderlini, J Anderson, G Andreassi, M Andreotti, JE Andrews, RB Appleby, OA Gutierrez, F Archilli, P d'Argent, A Artamonov, M Artuso, E Aslanides, G Auriemma, M Baalouch, S Bachmann, J Back, A Badalov, C Baesso, W Baldini, R Barlow, C Barschel, S Barsuk, W Barter, V Batozskaya, V Battista, A Bay, L Beaucourt, J Beddow, F Bedeschi, I Bediaga, L Bel, V Bellee

Abstract:

A study of the decay $D^{0}\rightarrow K^{-}\pi^{+}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ is performed using data collected by the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb$^{-1}$. Decay candidates with muon pairs that have an invariant mass in the range 675--875 MeV$/c^2$ are considered. This region is dominated by the $\rho^{0}$ and $\omega$ resonances. The branching fraction in this range is measured to be ${\cal B}$($D^{0}\rightarrow K^{-}\pi^{+}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ ) = $( 4.17 \pm 0.12(stat) \pm 0.40(syst) )\times10^{-6}$. This is the first observation of the decay $D^{0}\rightarrow K^{-}\pi^{+}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$. Its branching fraction is consistent with the value expected in the Standard Model.

Improved determination of the D→K-π+π+π- coherence factor and associated hadronic parameters from a combination of e+e-→ψ(3770)→cc- and

Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics 757 (2016) 520-527

Authors:

T Evans, ST Harnew, J Libby, S Malde, J Rademacker, G Wilkinson

Abstract:

© 2016 The Authors.Measurements of the coherence factor RK3π, the average strong-phase difference δDK3π and mean amplitude ratio rDK3π for the decay D→K-π+π+π- are presented. These parameters are important inputs to the determination of the unitarity triangle angle γ in B-→DK- decays, where D designates a superposition of D0 and D-0 mesons decaying to a common final state. The results are based on a combined fit to observables obtained from a re-analysis of the CLEO-c ψ(3770) data set and those measured in a D0D-0 mixing study performed by the LHCb Collaboration.

First observation of D⁰-D⁰ oscillations in D⁰ → K⁺π⁻π⁺π⁻ decays and measurement of the associated coherence parameters.

Physical Review Letters American Physical Society 116:24 (2016) 241801

Authors:

Shu-Faye Cheung, Tim Evans, Paolo Gandini, Thomas Hadavizadeh, Neville Harnew, Donal Hill, Pawel G Jalocha, Malcolm John, Oliver J Lupton, Sneha S Malde, Anita K Nandi, Stig Topp-Jorgenson, Guy R Wilkinson

Abstract:

Charm meson oscillations are observed in a time-dependent analysis of the ratio of D⁰ → K⁺π⁻π⁺π⁻ to D⁰ → K⁻π⁺π⁻π⁺ decay rates, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0  fb^⁻1 recorded by the LHCb experiment. The measurements presented are sensitive to the phase-space averaged ratio of doubly Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored amplitudes rDK3π and the product of the coherence factor RDK3π and a charm mixing parameter y'K3π. The constraints measured are rDK3π=(5.67±0.12)×10^-2, which is the most precise determination to date, and RDK3π . y'K3π=(0.3 ± 1.8) × 10^-3, which provides useful input for determinations of the CP-violating phase γ in B^± → DK^±, D → K∓π^±π^∓π^± decays. The analysis also gives the most precise measurement of the D⁰ → K⁺π⁻π⁺π⁻ branching fraction, and the first observation of D0 - D0 oscillations in this decay mode, with a significance of 8.2 standard deviations.

Measurement of CP observables in B +/- → DK +/- and B +/- → Dπ +/- with two- and four-body D decays

Physics Letters B Elsevier 760 (2016) 117-131

Authors:

R Aaij, C Abellán Beteta, B Adeva, Thomas Evans, Paolo Gandini, Thomas Hadavizadeh, Neville Harnew, Donal Hill, Pawel G Jalocha, Malcolm JJ John, Sneha Malde, Anita K Nandi, Stig Topp-Jorgenson, Guy R Wilkinson

Abstract:

Measurements of CP observables in B± → DK± and B± → Dπ± decays are presented where the D meson is reconstructed in the final states K±π∓, π±K∓, K+K−, π+π−, K±π∓π+π−, π±K∓π+π− and π+π−π+π−. This analysis uses a sample of charged B mesons from pp collisions collected by the LHCb experiment in 2011 and 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb^−1. Various CP-violating effects are reported and together these measurements provide important input for the determination of the unitarity triangle angle γ. The analysis of the four-pion D decay mode is the first of its kind.