The NA48/2 experiment at CERN collected a large sample of charged kaon decays to final states with multiple charged particles in 2003–2004. A new upper limit on the rate of the lepton number ...violating decay K±→π∓μ±μ± is reported: B(K±→π∓μ±μ±)<8.6×10−11 at 90% CL. Searches for two-body resonances X in K±→πμμ decays (such as heavy neutral leptons N4 and inflatons χ) are also presented. In the absence of signals, upper limits are set on the products of branching fractions B(K±→μ±N4)B(N4→πμ) and B(K±→π±X)B(X→μ+μ−) for ranges of assumed resonance masses and lifetimes. The limits are in the (10−11,10−9) range for resonance lifetimes below 100 ps.
The NA48/2 experiment at CERN reports the first observation of the K±→π±π0e+e− decay from an exposure of 1.7×1011 charged kaon decays recorded in 2003–2004. A sample of 4919 candidates with 4.9% ...background contamination allows the determination of the branching ratio in the full kinematic region, BR(K±→π±π0e+e−)=(4.24±0.14)×10−6. The study of the kinematic space shows evidence for a structure dependent contribution in agreement with predictions based on chiral perturbation theory. Several P- and CP-violating asymmetries are also evaluated.
The direct CP violation parameter Re(ϵ′/ϵ) has been measured from the decay rates of neutral kaons into two pions using the NA48 detector at the CERN SPS. The 2001 running period was devoted to ...collecting additional data under varied conditions compared to earlier years (1997–1999). The new data yield the result: Re(ϵ′/ϵ)=(13.7±3.1)×10−4. Combining this result with that published from the 1997, 98 and 99 data, an overall value of Re(ϵ′/ϵ)=(14.7±2.2)×10−4 is obtained from the NA48 experiment.
A sample of more than one million K +/- ? p + p - e +/- ? (K e 4) decay candidates with less than one percent background contamination has been collected by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS in ...2003-2004, allowing a detailed study of the decay properties. The branching ratio, inclusive of K e 4 gamma decays, is measured to be BR (K e 4) = (4.257 +/- 0.016 exp +/- 0.031 ext) X 10 - 5 with a total relative error of 0.8 % . This measurement complements the study of S- and P-wave hadronic form factors by assigning absolute values to the relative hadronic form factors obtained earlier in a simultaneous analysis of the pp scattering lengths conducted on the same data sample. The overall form factor normalization f s = 5.705 +/- 0.017 exp +/- 0.031 ext is obtained with a total relative precision of 0.6 % .
The subject of space charge due to positive ions slowly moving in parallel plate ionization chambers is considered. A model for the degradation of the detector response is developed, with particular ...emphasis on electromagnetic calorimeters.The topics discussed include: (a) the stationary; (b) the time dependent cases; (c) the limit of very large space charge; (d) the electric field dependence of the electron drift velocity; (e) the effect of longitudinal development of showers; (f) the behaviour of the average reductions of response; (g) the non-uniformity of response for different positions of the shower axis inside the cell defined by the electrodes. The NA48 calorimeter is used as application and for comparison of results.
A sample of 1.69×107 fully reconstructed π0→γe+e− decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 experiment at CERN in 2003–2004 is analyzed to search for the dark photon (A′) production in the π0→γA′ ...decay followed by the prompt A′→e+e− decay. No signal is observed, and an exclusion region in the plane of the dark photon mass mA′ and mixing parameter ε2 is established. The obtained upper limits on ε2 are more stringent than the previous limits in the mass range 9 MeV/c2<mA′<70 MeV/c2. The NA48/2 sensitivity to the dark photon production in the K±→π±A′ decay is also evaluated.
The NA48/2 experiment at CERN collected two data samples with minimum bias trigger conditions in 2003 and 2004. A measurement of the rate and dynamic properties of the rare decay K plus or minus ...arrow right pi plus or minus gamma gamma K plus or minus arrow right pi plus or minus gamma gamma from these data sets based on 149 decay candidates with an estimated background of 15.5 plus or minus 0.715.5 plus or minus 0.7 events is reported. The model-independent branching ratio in the kinematic range z=(m gamma gamma /mK)2>0.2z=(m gamma gamma /mK)2>0.2 is measured to be BMI(z>0.2)=(0.877 plus or minus 0.089)10-6BMI(z>0.2)=(0.877 plus or minus 0.089)10-6, and the branching ratio in the full kinematic range assuming a particular Chiral Perturbation Theory description to be B(K pi gamma gamma )=(0.910 plus or minus 0.075)10-6B(K pi gamma gamma )=(0.910 plus or minus 0.075)10-6.
From the 2002 data taking with a neutral kaon beam extracted from the CERN-SPS, the NA48/1 experiment observed 97 I 0 a IL + mu - I12 A= mu candidates with a background contamination of 30.8 +/- 4.2 ...events. From this sample, the BR (I 0 a IL + mu - I12 A= mu ) is measured to be (2.17 +/- 0.32 stat +/- 0.17 syst) X 10 - 6 .
NA48/2 results contributing to ChPT testing are presented. A sample of 1663 events of the rare decay $ K^ \pm \to \mu ^ \pm ve^ + e^ - $ has been selected with a minimum
e
+
e
−
effective mass of 140 ...MeV. The measured model independent decay rate is in agreement with ChPT predictions. The branching ratio of the $ K^ \pm \to \mu ^ \pm ve^ + e^ - $ decay, never observed so far, has been obtained from a sample of about 5000 candidates with less than 6% background, also in agreement with ChPT predictions. In addition, a most precise measurement of the charged kaon semileptonic formfactors has been obtained from 4.4 million
K
e3
and 2.3 million
K
µ3
events collected in 2004.