The RICH detector of the AMS-02 experiment: status and physics prospects
Rui Pereira, M. Aguilar-Benitez, L. Arruda, F. Barao, B. Baret, A. Barrau, G. Barreira, E. Belmont, J. Berdugo, J. Borges, M. Buenerd, D. Casadei, J. Casaus, E.… 展开作者
Rui Pereira, M. Aguilar-Benitez, L. Arruda, F. Barao, B. Baret, A. Barrau, G. Barreira, E. Belmont, J. Berdugo, J. Borges, M. Buenerd, D. Casadei, J. Casaus, E. Cortina, M. Costado, D. Crespo, C. Delgado, C. Diaz, L. Derome, P. Goncalves, R. Garcia-Lopez, C. de la Guia, A. Herrero, E. Lanciotti, G. Laurenti, A. Malinin, C. Mana, J. Marin, M. Mangin-Brinet, G. Martinez, A. Menchaca-Rocha, C. Palomares, M. Pimenta, A. Putze, Y. Sallaz-Damaz, E. S. Seo, I. Sevilla, A. Torrento, M. Vargas-Trevino, O. Veziant
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5 pages. Contribution to the 10th ICATPP Conference on Astroparticle, Particle, Space Physics, Detectors and Medical Physics Applications (Como 2007). Presenter: Rui Pereira
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), whose final version AMS-02 is to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) for at least 3 years, is a detector designed to measure charged cosmic ray spectra with energies up to the TeV region and with high energy photon detection capability up to a few hundred GeV. It is equipped with several subsystems, one of which is a proximity focusing RICH detector with a dual radiator (aerogel+NaF) that provides reliable measurements for particle velocity and charge. The assembly and testing of the AMS RICH is currently being finished and the full AMS detector is expected to be ready by the end of 2008. The RICH detector of AMS-02 is presented. Physics prospects are briefly discussed.
The results of the AMS01 experiment are reviewed. The proton flux measured below the geomagnetic cutoff is interpreted. Some Physics prospects for AMS02 on the International Space Station are outlined.
This article gives a brief overview of the status of attempts to constrain inflation using observations, and examines prospects for future developments.
In this review I will describe progress that has been made in determining masses of galaxy clusters using `weak lensing' and how this technique my be applied in the future to determine the dark matter distribution both on supercluster scales and on the scale of galaxy haloes.
The study of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization is still in a pioneering stage, but promises to bring a huge advancement in cosmology in the near future, just as high-accuracy observations of the anisotropies in the total intensity of the CMB revolutionized our understanding of the universe in the past few years. In this contribution, we outline the scientific case for observing CMB polarization, and review the current observational status and future experimental prospects in the field.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a particle detector, designed to search for cosmic antimatter and dark matter and to study the elemental and isotopic composition of primary cosmic rays, that will be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2008 to operate for at least three years. The detector will be equipped with a ring imaging Cherenkov detector (RICH) enabling measurements of particle electric charge and velocity with unprecedented accuracy. Physics prospects and test beam results are shortly presented.
The recent detection of linear polarization from GRB120206 has piqued the interest of the community in this relatively unexplored avenue of research. Here, we review the current status and prospects for GRB polarimetry at hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray energies. After reviewing the most recent results, we present a brief survey of current and planned experiments that are capable of making GRB polarization measurements in the energy range between 30 keV and 30 MeV.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a project to definitively map $π$ steradians of the local Universe. An array of CCD detectors used in drift-scan mode will digitally image the sky in five passbands to a limiting magnitude of $r' \sim 23$. Selected from the imaging survey, $10^6$ galaxies and $10^5$ quasars will be observed spectroscopically. I describe the current status of the survey, which is due to begin observations early in 1997, and its prospects for constraining models for dark matter in the Universe.
The spectrum emitted by the Broad Emission Line Regions of Active Galactic Nuclei can measure the luminosity of the central object and the chemical composition of the interstellar medium in a very young galaxy, and so constrain the expansion of the universe and the first stages of the evolution of massive galaxies. Here I review some recent developments in our understanding of the nature of the clouds and the interpretation of their spectra.
While VLBI experiments at 3mm are nowadays fairly standard, VLBI at 1mm still is technically difficult. Here we summarize the results from previous VLBI pilot experiments at 1.3mm. These included antennas at IRAM (Pico Veleta, Plateau de Bure) and more recently the Heinrich Hertz telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), whose final version AMS-02 is to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) for at least 3 years, is a detector designed to measure charged cosmic ray spectra with energies up to the TeV region and with high energy photon detection capability up to a few hundred GeV, using state-of-the art particle identification techniques. Among several detector subsystems, AMS includes a proximity focusing RICH enabling precise measurements of particle electric charge and velocity. The combination of both these measurements together with the particle rigidit…
In recent years the promise of experimental study of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has been demonstrated. Herein a brief summary of the field is followed by an indication of future directions. The prospects for further revelations from the details of the CMB are excellent. The future work is well-suited to the interests of high energy physics experimentalists: the projects seek to understand the fundamental nature of the universe, require subtle experimental techniques to keep systematics in control, produce large, rich data sets, and must be implemented by multi-institutional collabor…
We report on the current construction status of the IceCube high energy neutrino observatory and possible future construction plans. With the completion of the fourth construction season in Feb. 2008, the observatory is now instrumenting half a cubic kilometer of ice, greatly increasing the horizon for high energy neutrino detection. We briefly describe physics topics related to cosmology, such as indirect searches for supersymmetric cold dark matter, for slow and relativistic magnetic monopoles, GZK neutrinos and violation of Lorentz invariance or Equivalence Principle. It is anticipated that…
Reasons for the current interest in cosmic rays above 10^19 eV are described. The latest results on the energy spectrum, arrival direction distribution and mass composition of cosmic rays are reviewed, including data that were reported after the meeting in Blois in June 2001. The enigma set by the existence of ultra high-energy cosmic rays remains. Ideas proposed to explain it are discussed and progress with the construction of the Pierre Auger Observatory is outlined.
The study of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is a rapidly maturing field. In remarkable advances in the past two years, experiments have begun to probe the detailed structure of the CMB angular spectrum thereby providing insight into the contents of the universe. We briefly review the BOOMERanG and DASI results with an emphasis on what the data tell us with only minimal cosmological assumptions. After a short discussion about a grand future for CMB physics, key features of the MAP satellite, now in orbit, are described. We also discuss how we anticipate MAP will advance the field beyond …
The Telescope Array (TA) experiment is designed to observe cosmic-ray-induced air showers at extremely high energies. It is being deployed in a desert of Utah, USA; an array of 3 m^2 scintillation counters will be distributed over 760 km^ and 3 sets of air fluorescence telescopes will be placed in the perimeter of the array. It's primary purpose is to make a decisive measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum in the GZK cutoff region. We expect the first data from the TA in the spring of 2007. As its unique features are included 1) hybrid measurement planned down to 10^17.5 eV, 2) calibration of f…
The detailed spectral and spatial characteristics of the signature imprinted on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation by Compton scattering of the radiation by electrons in the hot gas in clusters of galaxies - the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (S-Z) effect - are of great astrophysical and cosmological significance. In recent years observations of the effect have improved tremendously; high signal-to-noise images of the effect (at low microwave frequencies) can now be obtained by interferometric arrays. In the near future, high frequency measurements of the effect will be made with ground based …
A solid observational characterization of cluster regions around the virial radius would allow us to improve considerably our understanding of the physics of galaxy clusters as a whole: sadly current and planned experiments will not allow us to study these regions. Unbeknownst to most but not all, the development of an experiment sensitive to cluster outer regions could be achieved with currently available technology, with no need for breakthroughs. Amongst the major factors that will decide whether and when such an experiment will be flown are the awareness of the cluster community of the imp…
I review results from, and future prospects for, microlensing searches for extrasolar planets. Analyses of well-sampled microlensing light curves by several collaborations have demonstrated that current searches are sensitive to Jupiter-mass planets with few AU separations from M-dwarfs in the Galactic bulge. To date, however, no unambiguous planetary detections have been made. Detailed analysis has shown that this null result implies that <33% of typical stars (i.e. M-dwarfs) in the Galactic bulge have Jupiter-mass companions with separations between 1.5 and 4 AU, and <45% have three-Jupiter-…
This is a report on the findings of the dark matter science working group for the white paper on the status and future of TeV gamma-ray astronomy. The white paper was commissioned by the American Physical Society, and the full white paper can be found on astro-ph (arXiv:0810.0444). This detailed section discusses the prospects for dark matter detection with future gamma-ray experiments, and the complementarity of gamma-ray measurements with other indirect, direct or accelerator-based searches. We conclude that any comprehensive search for dark matter should include gamma-ray observations, both…
The IceCube neutrino observatory, under construction at the South Pole, consists of three sub-detectors: a km-scale array of digital optical modules deployed deep in the ice, the AMANDA neutrino telescope and the surface array IceTop. We summarize results from searches for cosmic neutrinos with the AMANDA telescope and review expected sensitivities for IceCube at various installation phases. Reliability and robustness of installation at the South Pole has been demonstrated during the past four successful construction seasons. The 40 installed IceCube strings are working well. We are developing…
The primary motivation for building neutrino telescopes is to open the road for neutrino astronomy, and to offer another observational window for the study of cosmic ray origins. Other physics topics, such as the search for WIMPs, can also be developed with neutrino telescope. As of March 2008, the IceCube detector, with half of its strings deployed, is the world largest neutrino telescope taking data to date and it will reach its completion in 2011. Data taken with the growing detector are being analyzed. The results of some of these works are summarized here. AMANDA has been successfully int…
LUNASKA (Lunar UHE Neutrino Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array) is a theoretical and experimental project developing the lunar Cherenkov technique for the next generation of giant radio-telescope arrays. Here we report on a series of observations with ATCA (the Australia Telescope Compact Array). Our current observations use three of the six 22m ATCA antennas with a 600 MHz bandwidth at 1.2-1.8 GHz, analogue dedispersion filters to correct for the typical night-time ionospheric dispersion, and state-of-the-art 2 GHz FPGA-based digital pulse detection hardware. We have observed so as …
The last years have been an exciting period for the field of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) research. With recent CMB balloon-borne and ground-based experiments we are entering a new era of 'precision' cosmology that enables us to use the CMB anisotropy measurements to constrain the cosmological parameters and test new theoretical scenarios.
In cores of supernovae and crusts of neutron stars, nuclei can adopt interesting shapes, such as rods or slabs, etc., which are referred to as nuclear "pasta." In recent years, we have studied the pasta phases focusing on their dynamical aspects with a quantum molecular dynamic (QMD) approach. In this article, we review these works. We also focus on the treatment of the Coulomb interaction.
The CAST experiment is being mounted at CERN. It will make use of a decommissioned LHC test magnet to look for solar axions through its conversion into photons inside the magnetic field. The magnet has a field of 9 Tesla and length of 10 m and is installed in a platform which allows to move it ~8 degrees vertically and ~40 degrees horizontally. According to these numbers we expect a sensitivity in axion-photon coupling ~5 x 10^-11 GeV^-1 for axion masses m < ~10^-2 eV, and with a gas filled tube 10^-10 GeV^-1 for m < ~2 eV.
SIMPLE (Superheated Instrument for Massive ParticLE searches) employs superheated droplet detectors (SDDs) to search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter. As a result of the intrinsic SDD insensitivity to minimum ionizing particles and high fluorine content of target liquids, competitive WIMP limits were already obtained at the early prototype stage. We comment here on the expected immediate increase in sensitivity of the program and on future plans to exploit this promising technnique.
