We have measured the fully inclusive K+→μ+ν(γ) absolute branching ratio with the KLOE experiment at DAΦNE, the Frascati ϕ-factory. From some 865 283 K+→μ+ν(γ) decays obtained from a sample of ...∼5.2×108, ϕ-meson decays, we find BR(K+→μ+νμ(γ))=0.6366±0.0009stat.±0.0015syst., corresponding to an overall fractional error of 0.27%. Using recent lattice results on the decay constants of pseudoscalar mesons one can obtain an estimate for the CKM mixing matrix element |Vus|=0.2223±0.0026.
We present a measurement of the KL lifetime using the KLOE detector. From a sample of ∼4×108KSKL pairs following the reaction e+e−→ϕ→KSKL we select ∼15×106KL→π0π0π0 decays tagged by KS→π+π− events. ...From a fit of the proper time distribution we find τL=(50.92±0.17stat±0.25syst) ns. This is the most precise measurement of the KL lifetime performed to date.
A novel single-particle technique to measure emittance has been developed and used to characterise seventeen different muon beams for the Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment (MICE). The muon beams, ...whose mean momenta vary from 171 to 281 MeV/c, have emittances of approximately 1.2-2.3 π mm-rad horizontally and 0.6-1.0 π mm-rad vertically, a horizontal dispersion of 90-190 mm and momentum spreads of about 25 MeV/c. There is reasonable agreement between the measured parameters of the beams and the results of simulations. The beams are found to meet the requirements of MICE.
We describe the method of measuring the integrated luminosity of the e+e- collider DAΦNE, the Frascati φ-factory. The measurement is done with the KLOE detector selecting large angle Bhabha ...scattering events and normalizing them to the effective cross section. The e+e-→e+e-(γ) cross section is calculated using different event generators which account for the \(\mathcal{O}(\alpha)\) radiative initial and final state corrections, and the φ resonance contribution. The accuracy of the measurement is 0.6%, where 0.3% comes from systematic errors related to the event counting and 0.5% from theoretical evaluations of the cross section.
Using a sample of over 400 million φ→KSKL decays produced during the years 2001 and 2002 at the DAΦNE e+e- collider, the ratio RSπ=Γ(KS→π+π-(γ))/Γ(KS→π0π0) has been measured with the KLOE detector. ...The result is RSπ=2.2555±0.0012stat±0.0021corr-stat±0.0050syst, which is in good agreement with the previously published result based on the KLOE data sample from the year 2000. The average of the KLOE results is RSπ=2.2549±0.0054, reducing the total error by a factor of three, to 0.25%.
In recent years, the lack of a conclusive detection of WIMP dark matter at the 10 GeV/c\(^{2}\) mass scale and above has encouraged development of low-threshold detector technology aimed at probing ...lighter dark matter candidates. Detectors based on Cooper-pair-breaking sensors have emerged as a promising avenue for this detection due to the low (meV-scale) energy required for breaking a Cooper pair in most superconductors. Among them, devices based on superconducting qubits are interesting candidates for sensing due to their observed sensitivity to broken Cooper pairs. We have developed an end-to-end G4CMP-based simulation framework and have used it to evaluate performance metrics of qubit-based devices operating in a gate-based "energy relaxation" readout scheme, akin to those used in recent studies of qubit sensitivity to ionizing radiation. We find that for this readout scheme, the qubit acts as a phonon sensor with an energy threshold ranging down to \(\simeq\)0.4 eV for near-term performance parameters.
We have developed a calibration system based on a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror that is capable of delivering an optical beam over a wavelength range of 180 -- 2000 nm (0.62 -- 6.89 ...eV) in a sub-Kelvin environment. This portable, integrated system can steer the beam over a \(\sim\)3 cm \(\times\) 3 cm area on the surface of any sensor with a precision of \(\sim\)100 \(\mu\)m, enabling characterization of device response as a function of position. This fills a critical need in the landscape of calibration tools for sub-Kelvin devices, including those used for dark matter detection and quantum computing. These communities have a shared goal of understanding the impact of ionizing radiation on device performance, which can be pursued with our system. This paper describes the design of the first-generation calibration system and the results from successfully testing its performance at room temperature and 20 mK.
We measure space- and time-correlated charge jumps on a four-qubit device, operating 107 meters below the Earth's surface in a low-radiation, cryogenic facility designed for the characterization of ...low-threshold particle detectors. The rock overburden of this facility reduces the cosmic ray muon flux by over 99% compared to laboratories at sea level. Combined with 4\(\pi\) coverage of a movable lead shield, this facility enables quantifiable control over the flux of ionizing radiation on the qubit device. Long-time-series charge tomography measurements on these weakly charge-sensitive qubits capture discontinuous jumps in the induced charge on the qubit islands, corresponding to the interaction of ionizing radiation with the qubit substrate. The rate of these charge jumps scales with the flux of ionizing radiation on the qubit package, as characterized by a series of independent measurements on another energy-resolving detector operating simultaneously in the same cryostat with the qubits. Using lead shielding, we achieve a minimum charge jump rate of 0.19\(^{+0.04}_{-0.03}\) mHz, almost an order of magnitude lower than that measured in surface tests, but a factor of roughly eight higher than expected based on reduction of ambient gammas alone. We operate four qubits for over 22 consecutive hours with zero correlated charge jumps at length scales above three millimeters.
We have searched with the KLOE detector for the P and CP violating decay η→π+π− in a sample of 1.55×107η's from the decay ϕ→ηγ of ϕ-mesons produced in e+e− annihilations at DAΦNE. No signal is found. ...We obtain the upper limit BR(η→π+π−)<1.3×10−5 at 90% confidence level.
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