S. Argirò

Construction of the first stage of the Pierre Auger Observatory has begun. The aim of the Observatory is to collect unprecedented information about cosmic rays above 1018eV. The first phase of the project, the construction and operation of a prototype system, known as the engineering array, has now been completed. It has allowed all of the sub-systems that will be used in the full instrument to be tested under field conditions. In this paper, the properties and performance of these sub-systems are described and their success illustrated with descriptions of some of the events recorded thus far.

Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above 6 × 10 19 electron volts and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within ∼75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest-energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar spatial distribution are possible sources.

The Pierre Auger Observatory, located on a vast, high plain in western Argentina, is the world's largest cosmic ray observatory. The objectives of the Observatory are to probe the origin and characteristics of cosmic rays above $10^{17}$ eV and to study the interactions of these, the most energetic particles observed in nature. The Auger design features an array of 1660 water-Cherenkov particle detector stations spread over 3000 km$^2$ overlooked by 24 air fluorescence telescopes. In addition, three high elevation fluorescence telescopes overlook a 23.5 km$^2$, 61-detector infilled array with 750 m spacing. The Observatory has been in successful operation since completion in 2008 and has recorded data from an exposure exceeding 40,000 km$^2$ sr yr. This paper describes the design and performance of the detectors, related subsystems and infrastructure that make up the Auger Observatory.

The energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5 x 10;{18} eV, derived from 20,000 events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory, is described. The spectral index gamma of the particle flux, J proportional, variantE;{-gamma}, at energies between 4 x 10;{18} eV and 4 x 10;{19} eV is 2.69+/-0.02(stat)+/-0.06(syst), steepening to 4.2+/-0.4(stat)+/-0.06(syst) at higher energies. The hypothesis of a single power law is rejected with a significance greater than 6 standard deviations. The data are consistent with the prediction by Greisen and by Zatsepin and Kuz'min.

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory provide evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of the cosmic rays with the highest energies, which are correlated with the positions of relatively nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) \cite{science}. The correlation has maximum significance for cosmic rays with energy greater than ~ 6x10^{19}$ eV and AGN at a distance less than ~ 75 Mpc. We have confirmed the anisotropy at a confidence level of more than 99% through a test with parameters specified {\em a priori}, using an independent data set. The observed correlation is compatible with the hypothesis that cosmic rays with the highest energies originate from extra-galactic sources close enough so that their flux is not significantly attenuated by interaction with the cosmic background radiation (the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min effect). The angular scale of the correlation observed is a few degrees, which suggests a predominantly light composition unless the magnetic fields are very weak outside the thin disk of our galaxy. Our present data do not identify AGN as the sources of cosmic rays unambiguously, and other candidate sources which are distributed as nearby AGN are not ruled out. We discuss the prospect of unequivocal identification of individual sources of the highest-energy cosmic rays within a few years of continued operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory.

A method is developed to search for air showers initiated by photons using data recorded by the surface detector of the Auger Observatory. The approach is based on observables sensitive to the longitudinal shower development, the signal risetime and the curvature of the shower front. Applying this method to the data, upper limits on the flux of photons of 3.8*10^-3, 2.5*10^-3, and 2.2*10^-3 km^-2 sr^-1 yr^-1 above 10^19 eV, 2*10^19 eV, and 4*10^19 eV are derived, with corresponding limits on the fraction of photons being 2.0%, 5.1%, and 31% (all limits at 95% c.l.). These photon limits disfavor certain exotic models of sources of cosmic rays. The results also show that the approach adopted by the Auger Observatory to calibrate the shower energy is not strongly biased by a contamination from photons.

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to Earth-skimming tau neutrinos that interact in Earth's crust. Tau leptons from nu(tau) charged-current interactions can emerge and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a significant electromagnetic component. The data collected between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2007 are used to place an upper limit on the diffuse flux of nu(tau) at EeV energies. Assuming an E(nu)(-2) differential energy spectrum the limit set at 90% C.L. is E(nu)(2)dN(nu)(tau)/dE(nu)<1.3 x 10(-7) GeV cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) in the energy range 2 x 10(17) eV< E(nu)< 2 x 10(19) eV.

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to unveil the nature and the origins of the highest energy cosmic rays. The large and geographically dispersed collaboration of physicists and the wide-ranging collection of simulation and reconstruction tasks pose some special challenges for the offline analysis software. We have designed and implemented a general purpose framework which allows collaborators to contribute algorithms and sequencing instructions to build up the variety of applications they require. The framework includes machinery to manage these user codes, to organize the abundance of user-contributed configuration files, to facilitate multi-format file handling, and to provide access to event and time-dependent detector information which can reside in various data sources. A number of utilities are also provided, including a novel geometry package which allows manipulation of abstract geometrical objects independent of coordinate system choice. The framework is implemented in C++, and takes advantage of object oriented design and common open source tools, while keeping the user side simple enough for C++ novices to learn in a reasonable time. The distribution system incorporates unit and acceptance testing in order to support rapid development of both the core framework and contributed user code.

From direct observations of the longitudinal development of ultra-high energy air showers performed with the Pierre Auger Observatory, upper limits of 3.8%, 2.4%, 3.5% and 11.7% (at 95% c.l.) are obtained on the fraction of cosmic-ray photons above 2, 3, 5 and 10 EeV (1 EeV = 10^18 eV) respectively. These are the first experimental limits on ultra-high energy photons at energies below 10 EeV. The results complement previous constraints on top-down models from array data and they reduce systematic uncertainties in the interpretation of shower data in terms of primary flux, nuclear composition and proton-air cross-section.

The CMS detector team describes their experiment and observation of decay products from a standard model Higgs boson, allowing its mass to be determined.

Data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory are used to establish an upper limit on the diffuse flux of tau neutrinos in the cosmic radiation. Earth-skimming $\nu_{\tau}$ may interact in the Earth's crust and produce a $\tau$ lepton by means of charged-current interactions. The $\tau$ lepton may emerge from the Earth and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a typical signature, a persistent electromagnetic component even at very large atmospheric depths. The search procedure to select events induced by $\tau$ decays against the background of normal showers induced by cosmic rays is described. The method used to compute the exposure for a detector continuously growing with time is detailed. Systematic uncertainties in the exposure from the detector, the analysis and the involved physics are discussed. No $\tau$ neutrino candidates have been found. For neutrinos in the energy range $2\times10^{17}$ eV $< E_{\nu}$ $<$ $2\times10^{19}$ eV, assuming a diffuse spectrum of the form $E_{\nu}^{-2}$, data collected between 1 January 2004 and 30 April 2008 yield a 90% confidence-level upper limit of $E_\nu^{2} \mathrm{d}N_{\nu_\tau}/\mathrm{d}E_{\nu} < 9 \times 10^{-8}$ GeV cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ sr$^{-1}$.

The high-luminosity phase of operation of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will pose new challenges to the detectors and their readout electronics. In particular, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) barrel electromagnetic calorimeter will require a full redesign of the electronic readout chain in order to cope with the increase in luminosity and trigger rate. In this framework, a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) integrating A/D conversion, lossless data compression, and high-speed transmission has been developed and tested. The ASIC, named Lisboa-Torino Ecal Data Transmission Unit (LiTE-DTU), is designed in a commercial CMOS 65-nm process and embeds two 12-bit, 160-MS/s analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), a data selection and compression logic, and a 1.28-Gb/s output serial link. The high-speed 1.28-GHz clock is generated internally from the 160-MHz input by a clock multiplication phase-locked loop (PLL). The circuit has been designed implementing radiation-tolerant techniques in order to work in the harsh environment of the HL-LHC upgrade. The LiTE-DTU is currently in the preproduction phase. A sample of 600 chips has been tested and incorporated into front-end (FE) boards for systems performance testing.

Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density (ρ∝P/T), affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The rate of events shows a ∼10% seasonal modulation and ∼2% diurnal one. We find that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects associated with the variations of P and ρ. The former affects the longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Molière radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory.

The response of the CMS barrel calorimeter (electromagnetic plus hadronic) to hadrons, electrons and muons over a wide momentum range from 2 to 350 GeV/c has been measured. To our knowledge, this is the widest range of momenta in which any calorimeter system has been studied. These tests, carried out at the H2 beam-line at CERN, provide a wealth of information, especially at low energies. The analysis of the differences in calorimeter response to charged pions, kaons, protons and antiprotons and a detailed discussion of the underlying phenomena are presented. We also show techniques that apply corrections to the signals from the considerably different electromagnetic (EB) and hadronic (HB) barrel calorimeters in reconstructing the energies of hadrons. Above 5 GeV/c, these corrections improve the energy resolution of the combined system where the stochastic term equals 84.7±1.6% and the constant term is 7.4±0.8%. The corrected mean response remains constant within 1.3% rms.

Calibration of the relative response of the individual channels of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector was accomplished, before installation, with cosmic ray muons and test beams. One fourth of the calorimeter was exposed to a beam of high energy electrons and the relative calibration of the channels, the intercalibration, was found to be reproducible to a precision of about 0.3%. Additionally, data were collected with cosmic rays for the entire ECAL barrel during the commissioning phase. By comparing the intercalibration constants obtained with the electron beam data with those from the cosmic ray data, it is demonstrated that the latter provide an intercalibration precision of 1.5% over most of the barrel ECAL. The best intercalibration precision is expected to come from the analysis of events collected in situ during the LHC operation. Using data collected with both electrons and pion beams, several aspects of the intercalibration procedures based on electrons or neutral pions were investigated.

Studies of the correlations of ultra-high energy cosmic ray directions with extra-Galactic objects, of general anisotropy, of photons and neutrinos, and of other astrophysical effects, with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Contributions to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.

Studies of the composition of the highest energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory, including examination of hadronic physics effects on the structure of extensive air showers. Submissions to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland (July 2009).

We report the branching ratios of the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c2}{(1}^{3}{P}_{2})$ and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c0}{(1}^{3}{P}_{0})$ charmonium resonances to two photons using event samples collected by Fermilab experiment E835 in the reactions $\overline{p}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{p}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c2}{(1}^{3}{P}_{2})[{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c0}{(1}^{3}{P}_{0})].$ Our result for the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c2}$ is $B({\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma})=(1.35\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.25\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.12)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}.$ We set a 95% upper limit for the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c0}$ branching ratio $B({\ensuremath{\chi}}_{c0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma})$ at $2.09\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}.$

We provide a comprehensive description of experiment E835 at Fermilab, a high-precision experimental study of charmonium bound states. The c̄c states are formed in p̄p annihilations of cooled antiprotons stored in the Fermilab Antiproton Accumulator using a dense internal hydrogen gas-jet target. We describe the experimental strategies adopted for detecting the tiny c̄c resonant signals in the huge non-resonant hadronic background, and for measuring resonance parameters with high precision.

Ensuring the radiation hardness of PbWO4 crystals was one of the main priorities during the construction of the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at CERN. The production on an industrial scale of radiation hard crystals and their certification over a period of several years represented a difficult challenge both for CMS and for the crystal suppliers. The present article reviews the related scientific and technological problems encountered.

In this paper we describe the development and first tests of a neutron spectrometer designed for high flux environments, such as the ones found in fast nuclear reactors. The spectrometer is based on the conversion of neutrons impinging on $^6$Li into $\alpha$ and $t$ whose total energy comprises the initial neutron energy and the reaction $Q$-value. The $^6$LiF layer is sandwiched between two CVD diamond detectors, which measure the two reaction products in coincidence. The spectrometer was calibrated at two neutron energies in well known thermal and 3 MeV neutron fluxes. The measured neutron detection efficiency varies from 4.2$\times 10^{-4}$ to 3.5$\times 10^{-8}$ for thermal and 3 MeV neutrons, respectively. These values are in agreement with Geant4 simulations and close to simple estimates based on the knowledge of the $^6$Li(n,$\alpha$)$t$ cross section. The energy resolution of the spectrometer was found to be better than 100 keV when using 5 m cables between the detector and the preamplifiers.

Studies of the cosmic ray energy spectrum at the highest energies with the Pierre Auger Observatory.

The performance of electromagnetic calorimeter modules made of proton-irradiated PbWO4 crystals has been studied in beam tests. The modules, similar to those used in the Endcaps of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL), were formed from 5×5 matrices of PbWO4 crystals, which had previously been exposed to 24 GeV protons up to integrated fluences between 2.1× 1013 and 1.3× 1014 cm−2. These correspond to the predicted charged-hadron fluences in the ECAL Endcaps at pseudorapidity η = 2.6 after about 500 fb−1 and 3000 fb−1 respectively, corresponding to the end of the LHC and High Luminosity LHC operation periods. The irradiated crystals have a lower light transmission for wavelengths corresponding to the scintillation light, and a correspondingly reduced light output. A comparison with four crystals irradiated in situ in CMS showed no significant rate dependence of hadron-induced damage. A degradation of the energy resolution and a non-linear response to electron showers are observed in damaged crystals. Direct measurements of the light output from the crystals show the amplitude decreasing and pulse becoming faster as the fluence increases. The latter is interpreted, through comparison with simulation, as a side-effect of the degradation in light transmission. The experimental results obtained can be used to estimate the long term performance of the CMS ECAL.

The resonance parameters of the charmonium ground state, ηc(11S0), have been measured by means of the reaction p̄p→ηc→γγ. The mass and total width are determined to be 2984.1±2.1±1.0 MeV/c2 and 20.4+7.7−6.7±2.0 MeV, respectively. The product of branching ratios B(p̄p→ηc)B(ηc→γγ) is determined to be 22.4+3.8−3.7±2.0×10−8, from which B(ηc→γγ)=1.87+0.32+0.95−0.31−0.50×10−4, and Γ(ηc→γγ)=3.8+1.1+1.9−1.0−1.0 keV are derived using B(ηc→p̄p)=(12±4)×10−4 from the literature.

The Pierre Auger Observatories (PAO) for the highest energy cosmic rays will make use of both the Cherenkov and Air Fluorescence techniques. Surface Detectors (SD) and Fluorescence Detectors (FD) will have to operate in a desert-type environment during at least 15 years. In order to avoid dust deposition, due to electrostatics, and other practical inconveniences derived from biasing the cathode with a negative potential, the 15 000 PMTs of the FD will operate in the grounded cathode configuration. Despite the fact that the anodes will remain at high voltage with respect to ground, the DC anode current, which varies with background light, will have to be recorded. We have developed a current monitoring system based on a novel optocoupled feedback circuit that allows sensitive, linear, and temperature-independent measurements of the DC anode current. A distinctive feature of this circuit is that it uses optical coupling between passive components at high voltage and active components near the ground potential. This represents a substantial improvement over classical solutions which require the supply of power to an active circuit at high voltage. We report on the first tests performed with both active and passive biasing networks which demonstrate the validity of this new method.

The Auger Fluorescence Detector will allow to determine the longitudinal development of atmospheric showers in the range 1019–1021eV. A detector module comprises an array of 20×22 PMTs at the focal surface of a large-aperture telescope. Thirty such modules will be used. The PMTs pixel signal is variable in shape depending on the shower-eye geometry. The sky background light (BL) is also variable. We have developed an analog signal processor to obtain best energy and timing resolution despite those constrains. The Head Electronics (HE) bias the PMTs and keeps its pulse-gain constant even for large BL. This is measured using a current-monitor of novel design. Both the signal pulse and the BL DC level are sent via a single twisted pair to the Analog Board (AB). The AB performs the compression of the 15–16 bit signal dynamic range into 12 bits of the FADC which follows the AB. A three-pole Bessel filter was adopted for antialiasing. The AB includes 16 bit sigma-delta chips to readout the BL DC level, and a test-pulse distribution system.

We report on a search by Fermilab experiment E835 for the η′c (21S0) charmonium resonance in the process ¯p→pη′c→γγ. No signal was observed and, based on 34 pb−1 integrated luminosity, we determine the following upper limits (90% confidence level) to the product of the branching ratios for a resonance mass in the region 3575–3660 MeV/c2: Br(η′c→¯pp)×Br(η′c→γγ)<12.0×10−8 for Γ=5 MeV; <5.9×10−8 for Γ=10 MeV; <4.8×10−8 for Γ=15 MeV. Combining the present data with those of the predecessor experiment, E760, the upper limits become 8.0×10−8, 5.0×10−8, and 4.5×10−8, respectively. In the restricted region 3589–3599 MeV/c2, where a candidate was reported by the Crystal Ball experiment, we obtain the following limits from the combined E760–E835 experiments: Br(η′c→¯pp)×Br(η′c→γγ)<5.6×10−8 for Γ=5 MeV; <3.7×10−8 for Γ=8 MeV. A comparison of these with other experimental results is presented.Received 18 January 2001DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.64.052003©2001 American Physical Society

We present the first measurement of the angular distribution for the exclusive process p¯p→ψ(2S)→e+e− based on a sample of 6844 events collected by the Fermilab E835 experiment. We find that the angular distribution is well described by the expected functional form dNdcosθ∗∝1+λcos2θ∗, where θ∗ is the angle between the antiproton and the electron in the center of mass frame, with λ=0.67±0.15(stat)±0.04(sys). The measured value for λ implies a small but non-zero ψ(2S) helicity 0 formation amplitude in p¯p, comparable to what is observed in J/ψ decays to baryon pairs.

The resonance parameters of χc0, the 31P0 resonance of charmonium, have been measured at the Fermilab Antiproton Accumulator by means of the reaction ¯pp→χc0→γJ/ψ→γ(e+e−). The results are M(χc0)=3417.4+1.8−1.9±0.2MeV/c2, Γ(χc0)=16.6+5.2−3.7±0.1MeV, and Γ(χc0→¯pp)×B(χc0→J/ψγ)×B(J/ψ→e+e−)=2.89+0.67−0.53±0.14eV. Using known branching ratios we also obtain Γ(χc0→¯pp)=8.0+1.9+3.5−1.5−1.9keV. These results are discussed in relation to the other χcJ states and to theoretical predictions.Received 3 June 1999DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.2902©1999 American Physical Society

Abstract The readout electronics for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is undergoing a re-design in order to cope with the LHC ugrade. In particular, a fourfold increase in the sampling frequency (from 40 to 160 MS/s) is required. Therefore a new readout ASIC has been developed. The ASIC, named LiTE-DTU, is designed in a CMOS 65 nm technology. The LiTE-DTU embeds two 12 bit, 160 MS/s ADCs, a time window based sample selection, lossless data compression and 1.28 Gb/s serialization. An on-chip PLL provides the 1.28 GHz clock required by the ADCs and the serializers from the 160 MHz clock.

Two drift tubes (DTs) chambers of the CMS muon barrel system were exposed to a 40 MHz bunched muon beam at the CERN SPS, and for the first time the whole CMS Level-1 DTs-based trigger system chain was tested. Data at different energies and inclination angles of the incident muon beam were collected, as well as data with and without an iron absorber placed between the two chambers, to simulate the electromagnetic shower development in CMS. Special data-taking runs were dedicated to test for the first time the Track Finder system, which reconstructs track trigger candidates by performing a proper matching of the muon segments delivered by the two chambers. The present paper describes the results of these measurements.

A prototype of neutron spectrometer based on diamond detectors has been developed. This prototype consists of a <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> Li neutron converter sandwiched between two CVD diamond crystals. The radiation hardness of the diamond crystals makes it suitable for applications in low power research reactors, while a low sensitivity to gamma rays and low leakage current of the detector permit to reach good energy resolution. A fast coincidence between two crystals is used to reject background. The detector was read out using two different electronic chains connected to it by a few meters of cable. The first chain was based on conventional charge-sensitive amplifiers, the other used a custom fast charge amplifier developed for this purpose. The prototype has been tested at various neutron sources and showed its practicability. In particular, the detector was calibrated in a TRIGA thermal reactor (LENA laboratory, University of Pavia) with neutron fluxes of 108 n/cm2s and at the 3 MeV D-D monochromatic neutron source named FNG (ENEA, Rome) with neutron fluxes of 106 n/cm2s. The neutron spectrum measurement was performed at the TAPIRO fast research reactor (ENEA, Casaccia) with fluxes of 109 n/cm2s. The obtained spectra were compared to Monte Carlo simulations, modeling detector response with MCNP and Geant4.

A LIDAR network is being built for the measurement and online monitoring of the atmospheric optical parameters, which play a central role in the energy measurement of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Four LIDAR systems, each one equipped by an Nd:YAG UV laser and three parabolic mirrors with PMTs for the detection of the backscatter photons, are scheduled to be installed in the proximity of the four fluorescence detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory (Malargue, Argentina). In this paper a report describing hardware components, commissioning and shooting strategies of the LIDAR systems is given.

The Pierre Auger Observatory aims to discover the nature and origins of the highest energy cosmic rays. The large number of physicists involved in the project and the diversity of simulation and reconstruction tasks pose a challenge for the offline analysis software, not unlike the challenges confronting software for very large high energy physics experiments. Previously we have reported on the design and implementation of a general purpose but relatively lightweight framework which allows collaborators to contribute algorithms and sequencing instructions to build up the variety of applications they require. In this report, we update the status of this work and describe some of the successes and difficulties encountered over the last few years of use. We explain the machinery used to manage user contributions, to organize the abundance of configuration files, to facilitate multi-format file handling, and to provide access to event and time-dependent detector information residing in various data sources. We also describe the testing procedures used to help maintain stability of the code in the face of a large number of contributions. Foundation classes will also be discussed, including a novel geometry package which allows manipulation of abstract geometrical objects independent of coordinate system choice.

Particle therapy uses protons or $^{12}$C beams for the treatment of deep-seated solid tumors. Due to the features of the energy deposition of charged particles in matter, a limited amount of dose is released to the healthy tissue in the beam entrance region, while the maximum of the dose is released to the tumor at the end of the beam range, in the Bragg peak region. However nuclear interactions between beam and patient tissues induce fragmentation both of projectile and target. This has to be carefully taken into account since different ions have different effectiveness in producing a biological damage. par In $^{12}$C treatments the main concern are long range forward emitted secondary ions produced in projectile fragmentation that release dose in the healthy tissue after the tumor. Instead, in a proton treatment, the target fragmentation produces low energy, short range fragments along all the beam range. The FOOT experiment (FragmentatiOn Of Target) is designed to study these processes. Target nuclei ($^{16}$O, $^{12}$C) fragmentation induced by 150-250 MeV proton beam will be studied by means of the inverse kinematic approach: $^{16}$O,$^{12}$C therapeutic beams, at the quoted kinetic energy per nucleon, collide on graphite and hydrocarbons target. The cross section on Hydrogen can be then extracted by subtraction. This configuration explores also the projectile fragmentation of these O and C beams, or other ions of therapeutic interest, such as $^4$He for instance. The detector includes a magnetic spectrometer based on silicon pixel and strip detectors, a scintillating crystal calorimeter able to stop the heavier produced fragments, and a $\Delta E$ detector, with TOF capability, to achieve the needed energy resolution and particle identification. In addition to the electronic apparatus, an alternative setup based on the concept of the "Emulsion Cloud Chamber", coupled with the interaction region of the electronic FOOT setup, will provide the measurement of lighter charged fragments: protons, deuterons, tritons and Helium nuclei. The FOOT data taking is foreseen in the available experimental rooms existing in the presently operational charged particle therapy facilities in Europe, and possibly at GSI. An initial phase with the emulsion setup will start in early 2018, while the complete electronic detector will take data starting in 2019. In this work a general description of the FOOT experiment and of its expected performances is presented.

Particle therapy uses proton or 12C beams for the treatment of deep-seated solid tumors. Due to the features of energy deposition of charged particles a small amount of dose is released to the healthy tissue in the beam entrance region, while the maximum of the dose is released to the tumor at the end of the beam range, in the Bragg peak region. However nuclear interactions between beam and patient tissues induce fragmentation both of projectile and target and must be carefully taken into account. In 12C treatments the main concern are long range fragments due to projectile fragmentation that release dose in the healthy tissue after the tumor, while in proton treatment the target fragmentation produces low energy, short range fragments along all the beam range. The FOOT experiment (FragmentatiOn Of Target) is designed to study these processes. Target nuclei (16O,12C) fragmentation induced by 150-250 AMeV proton beam will be studied via inverse kinematic approach. 16O,12C therapeutic beams, with the quoted kinetic energy, collide on graphite and hydrocarbons target to provide the cross section on Hydrogen. This configuration explores also the projectile fragmentation of these 16O,12C beams. The detector includes a magnetic spectrometer based on silicon pixel detectors, a scintillating crystal calorimeter with TOF capabilities, able to stop the heavier fragments produced, and a ∆E detector to achieve the needed energy resolution and particle identification. An alternative setup of the experiment will exploit the emulsion chamber capabilities. A specific emulsion chambers will be coupled with the interaction region of the FOOT setup to measure the production in target fragmentation of light charged fragments as protons, deuterons, tritons and Helium nuclei. The FOOT data taking is foreseen at the CNAO experimental room and will start during early 2018 with the emulsion setup, while the complete electronic detector will take data since 2019

Particle therapy uses proton and ion beams to treat deep-seated solid tumors, exploiting the favorable energy deposition profile of charged particles. Nuclear interactions with patient tissues can induce fragments production that must be taken into account in treatment planning: in proton treatments target fragmentation produces low-energy, short-range fragments depositing a non-negligible dose in the entry channel, while in heavier-ion beam treatments long-range fragments due to projectile fragmentation release dose in tissues surrounding the tumor. The FOOT experiment aims to study these processes to improve the nuclear interactions description in next generation Treatment Planning Systems softwares and hence the treatments quality. Target (16O and 12C) fragmentation induced by 150–250 MeV proton beams will be studied via inverse kinematics: 16O and 12C beams (150–250 MeV/u) collide on graphite and hydrocarbon targets to provide nuclear fragmentation cross sections on hydrogen. The projectile fragmentation of these beams will be explored as well. The FOOT detector includes a magnetic spectrometer to measure fragments momentum, a plastic scintillator for ΔE and TOF measurements and a scintillating crystal calorimeter to measure fragments kinetic energy. These measurements will be combined to accurately identify fragments charge and mass.

A single-crystal CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) diamond detector was used to measure γ rays in order to assess its performance in terms of energy resolution and linearity. For this purpose, 57Co, 133Ba, 22Na, 207Bi and 137Cs γ sources were used. Electrons scattered by the backward Compton process were detected in the diamond, in coincidence with (backscattered) γs measured in a NaI detector, placed at 180° from the CVD diamond detector with respect to the source. The resulting calibration shows a linear dependence of the charge deposited in the diamond and a resolution of about 24 keV FWHM for the energy of the incident γs between 40 keV (57Co) and 477 keV (137Cs), comparable with the resolution of our electronic chain.

The CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is a hermetic, highly granular scintillating lead-tungstate crystal detector designed to provide excellent energy resolution for electrons and photons at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider will provide higher instantaneous and integrated luminosity in a highly challenging environment with difficult radiation conditions and a large number of overlapping interactions (pileup). The crystals and photodetectors of the central, barrel region of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter will continue to perform well throughout the high luminosity era. However, the readout electronics must be upgraded to accommodate the higher rate and latency. The upgraded front-end readout will use new, faster analog electronics and an increased sampling rate. The improved time resolution will help with pileup mitigation and rejection of anomalous signals. In addition, the processing of the trigger logic will be moved via high-speed optical links to the off-detector electronics, where more sophisticated trigger algorithms can be applied. Finally, the operating temperature will be lowered to mitigate the increase in radiation-induced dark current in the photodetectors. Recently, a full vertical integration test of the new readout electronics was performed at a CERN test beam campaign. During this milestone test, the signal from high energy electrons was read out from crystals and photodetectors, to very front-end and front-end readout, and finally to the off-detector processor. This presentation will overview the upgrade of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter barrel readout electronics and describe its current status, and will highlight the results of the recent integration tests.

The absolute calibration of an air fluorescence detector (FD) is an important element in correctly determining the energy of detected cosmic rays. The absolute calibration relates the flux of photons of a given wavelength at the detector aperture to the electronic signal recorded by the FD data acquisition system. For the Auger FDs, the primary absolute calibration method uses a diffusive surface which is placed in front of a telescope aperture to uniformly illuminate the telescope field of view with a known light signal. This single-wavelength measurement (375 nm) will be made at intervals of several months until the stability of the telescopes is determined. The relative wavelength dependence of the calibration is determined through independent measurements. The error in absolute calibration at a single wavelength is estimated to be less than 10%. Two other absolute calibration methods are used to provide an independent verification of the primary measurement. The stability of the calibration with time is monitored nightly by a relative calibration system. In this paper we will provide descriptions of the absolute and relative calibration methods used by the Auger air fluorescence observatory. Results from the calibration of the Auger Engineering Array telescopes will also be presented.

Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density, affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The rate of events shows a ~10% seasonal modulation and ~2% diurnal one. We find that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects associated with the variations of pressure and density. The former affects the longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Moliere radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Technical reports on operations and features of the Pierre Auger Observatory, including ongoing and planned enhancements and the status of the future northern hemisphere portion of the Observatory. Contributions to the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.

The main goal of the FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment is the measurement of the differential cross sections as a function of energy and direction of the produced fragments in the nuclear interaction between a ion beam (proton, helium, carbon, ...) and different targets (proton, carbon, oxygen, ...). Depending on the beam energy, the purpose of the measurements is twofold: in the [150-400] MeV/u range, the data will be used to evaluate the side effects of the nuclear fragmentation in the hadrontherapy treatment, while in the [700-1000] MeV/u range it will be used to optimize the shielding of spaceships for long term space missions. The experiment has been funded by the INFN since September 2017 and it is currently in the construction phase. An overview of the detector, of the results obtained in several beam tests and of the expected performances will be presented.

The fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory will provide a measurement of the parameters of extended air showers in the range from 10/sup 19/ to 10/sup 21/ eV. An array of 20/spl times/22 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) is placed at the focal surface of a large-aperture telescope thus forming one of the 30 detector modules. The shape of the signal generated by each PMT is variable, depending mostly on the geometry of the air shower as seen by the detector; after analog processing the waveforms will be sampled at a rate of 10 MHz with 12 bit resolution. We have developed an analog signal processor to achieve the best compromise between energy and time resolution, low noise, and low cost. The head electronics provides an active bias network for the PMTs, which keeps the gain constant even in the presence of large dc background light from the night sky. This dc level is measured by means of a built-in optocoupled linear circuit. The pulse signal is sent through a twisted pair to the analog front-end board. At this stage a compression of the 15-bit dynamic range of the signal into the 12-bit range of the FADC is performed. Antialiasing is provided by a Bessel filter.

The development of Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) diamond detectors requests for novel signal amplifiers, capable to match the superb signal-to-noise ratio and timing response of these detectors. Existing amplifiers are still far away from this goal and are the dominant contributors to the overall system noise and the main source of degradation of the energy and timing resolution. We tested a number of commercial amplifiers designed for diamond detector readout to identify the best solution for a particular application. This application required a deposited energy threshold below 100 keV and timing resolution of the order of 200 ps at 200 keV. None of tested amplifiers satisfies these requirements. The best solution to such application found to be the Cividec C6 amplifier, which allows 100 keV minimal threshold, but its coincidence timing resolution at 200 keV is as large as 1.2 ns.

Sustained operation of the CMS detector requires feeding the calibration workflows with precisely the information that is needed for optimal determination of the constants. Beyond the regular data streams used for physics analysis, the CMS experiment maintains various data streams that are dedicated for calibration purposes. This includes streams collecting data produced by hardware calibration systems. Some calibrations requiring particularly high events rates are driven by special data streams that select the relevant event fractions already at the HLT level, for example π0 and η candidates for the intercalibration of the electromagnetic calorimeter. A dedicated express stream drives very low latency workflows that are operated at the CERN Analysis Facility. In many cases, dedicated triggers are essential to select the appropriate event types and build the corresponding streams. Experience from operating this system during the ramp-up of LHC luminosity in spring 2010 is presented.

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to unveil the nature and the origins of the highest energy cosmic rays. The large and geographically dispersed collaboration of physicists and the wide-ranging collection of simulation and reconstruction tasks pose some special challenges for the offline analysis software. We have designed and implemented a general purpose framework which allows collaborators to contribute algorithms and sequencing instructions to build up the variety of applications they require. The framework includes machinery to manage these user codes, to organize the abundance of user-contributed configuration files, to facilitate multi-format file handling, and to provide access to event and time-dependent detector information which can reside in various data sources. A number of utilities are also provided, including a novel geometry package which allows manipulation of abstract geometrical objects independent of coordinate system choice. The framework is implemented in C++, and takes advantage of object oriented design and common open source tools, while keeping the user side simple enough for C++ novices to learn in a reasonable time. The distribution system incorporates unit and acceptance testing in order to support rapid development of both the core framework and contributed user code.

Precise measurements of production and properties of hadrons containing a b quark, performed using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, are reported. These are important to investigate underlying mechanisms in QCD describing heavy quarks. The dependencies on transverse momentum and rapidity are investigated. Comparisons with theory expectations and among different collision energies are provided.

The Auger Observatory will be the largest air shower array ever built. This array of water Cherenkov pools offers the unique advantage of a large acceptance at very low zenith angle. Auger is therefore very well suited for study- ing horizontal air showers and in particular neutrino induced showers. In this short lecture the main characteristics of the acceptance will be given as well as the means by which neu- trino induced showers can be disentangled from the large hadronic horizontal shower background. We will also present recent results on the possible detection of tau lepton induced shower from charge current interaction in the ground sur- rounding the Auger array.

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to unveil the nature and the origins of the highest energy cosmic rays. The large and geographically dispersed collaboration of physicists and the wide-ranging collection of simulation and reconstruction tasks pose some special challenges for the offline analysis software. We have designed and implemented a general purpose framework which allows collaborators to contribute algorithms and sequencing instructions to build up the variety of applications they require. The framework includes machinery to manage these user codes, to organize the abundance of user-contributed configuration files, to facilitate multi-format file handling, and to provide access to event and time-dependent detector information which can reside in various data sources. A number of utilities are also provided, including a novel geometry package which allows manipulation of abstract geometrical objects independent of coordinate system choice. The framework is implemented in C++, and takes advantage of object oriented design and common open source tools, while keeping the user side simple enough for C++ novices to learn in a reasonable time. The distribution system incorporates unit and acceptance testing in order to support rapid development of both the core framework and contributed user code

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to elucidate the origin and nature of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays using a hybrid detection technique. A first run of data taking with a prototype version of both detectors (the so called Engineering Array) took place in 2001-2002, allowing the Collaboration to evaluate the performance of the two detector systems and to approach an analysis strategy. In this contribution, after a brief description of the system, we will report some results on the behavior of the Fluorescence Detector (FD) Prototype. Performance studies, such as measurements of noise, sensitivity and duty cycle, will be presented. We will illustrate a preliminary analysis of selected air showers. This analysis is performed using exclusively the information from the FD, and includes reconstruction of the shower geometry and of the longitudinal profile.

In 2012, 14 Italian Institutions participating LHC Experiments (10 in CMS) have won a grant from the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR), to optimize Analysis activities and in general the Tier2/Tier3 infrastructure. A large range of activities is actively carried on: they cover data distribution over WAN, dynamic provisioning for both scheduled and interactive processing, design and development of tools for distributed data analysis, and tests on the porting of CMS software stack to new highly performing / low power architectures.

Studies of the production of heavy quarkonium states are very important to improve our understanding of QCD and hadron formation, given that the heavy quark masses allow the application of theoretical tools less sensitive to nonperturbative effects.Thanks to a dedicated dimuon trigger strategy, combined with the record-level energy and luminosity provided by the LHC, the CMS experiment could collect large samples of pp collisions at 7 and 8 TeV, including quarkonium states decaying in the dimuon channel.This allowed the CMS collaboration to perform a series of systematic measurements in quarkonium production physics, including double-differential cross sections and polarizations, as a function of rapidity and p T , for five S-wave quarkonia: J/ψ, ψ(2S), ϒ(1S), ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S).Some of these measurements extend well above p T 50 GeV, probing regions of very high p T /mass, where the theory calculations are supposed to be the most reliable.Thanks to its high-granularity silicon tracker, CMS can reconstruct low-energy photons through their conversions to e + e -pairs, thereby accessing the radiative decays of the P-wave quarkonium states, with an extremely good mass resolution, so that the J=1 and J=2 1P states can be resolved.This allows CMS to determine cross-section ratios and feed-down decay fractions involving the χ states, in both the charmonium and bottomonium families.This talk presents the CMS quarkonium production results, in pp collisions, placing emphasis on the most recent measurements, which include the cross-sections and polarizations of all five S-wave states.We will also present brand-new results on P-wave quarkonium production in the bottomonium family, shown at this conference for the first time.

In 2012, 14 Italian institutions participating in LHC Experiments won a grant from the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR), with the aim of optimising analysis activities, and in general the Tier2/Tier3 infrastructure. We report on the activities being researched upon, on the considerable improvement in the ease of access to resources by physicists, also those with no specific computing interests. We focused on items like distributed storage federations, access to batch-like facilities, provisioning of user interfaces on demand and cloud systems. R&D on next-generation databases, distributed analysis interfaces, and new computing architectures was also carried on. The project, ending in the first months of 2016, will produce a white paper with recommendations on best practices for data-analysis support by computing centers.

A prototype of neutron spectrometer based on diamond detectors has been developed. This prototype consists of a $^6$Li neutron converter sandwiched between two CVD diamond crystals. The radiation hardness of the diamond crystals makes it suitable for applications in low power research reactors, while a low sensitivity to gamma rays and low leakage current of the detector permit to reach good energy resolution. A fast coincidence between two crystals is used to reject background. The detector was read out using two different electronic chains connected to it by a few meters of cable. The first chain was based on conventional charge-sensitive amplifiers, the other used a custom fast charge amplifier developed for this purpose. The prototype has been tested at various neutron sources and showed its practicability. In particular, the detector was calibrated in a TRIGA thermal reactor (LENA laboratory, University of Pavia) with neutron fluxes of $10^8$ n/cm$^2$s and at the 3 MeV D-D monochromatic neutron source named FNG (ENEA, Rome) with neutron fluxes of $10^6$ n/cm$^2$s. The neutron spectrum measurement was performed at the TAPIRO fast research reactor (ENEA, Casaccia) with fluxes of 10$^9$ n/cm$^2$s. The obtained spectra were compared to Monte Carlo simulations, modeling detector response with MCNP and Geant4.

Within the FREYA Project, methods to interpret flux measurements in the VENUS-F core are being studied in order to reconstruct the subcriticality level of the facility. In this work, after the presentation of results obtained with standard techniques such as the Area Method, we introduce an alternative approach to the experimental determination of the reactivity. This method, whose validity has been tested by computational exercises, makes use of general mathematical properties of the point kinetics system of equations and has been recently extended for subcritical system analysis. The evaluation of spatial correction factors is also carried out using deterministic transport evaluations (ERANOS code). The statistical and systematic uncertainty of the results in terms of reactivity is discussed and numerical results are presented

The basic detector unit of the Auger Observatory ground array is a water tank of 12,000 liter capacity, used as a Cerenkov detector. This contribution describes the construc- tion of the polyethylene rotomolded tanks, the procedure for treating the water prior to filling the tanks as well as water quality control.Finally, the installation of the tanks and their components is described.

In this contribution, I give a brief overview of the latest results related to the production, spectroscopy and lifetimes of bottom and charm hadrons. Several interesting experimental results were presented in this field in 2012. The focus will be on the findings of experiments performed at hadron colliders, since the LHC is taking up most of the stage this year, with a brief mention about electron-proton collider results.

In this contribution, I give a brief overview of the latest results related to the production, spectroscopy and lifetimes of bottom and charm hadrons. Several interesting experimental results were presented in this field in 2012. The focus will be on the findings of experiments performed at hadron colliders, since the LHC is taking up most of the stage this year, with a brief mention about electron-proton collider results.

The CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECAL) is a high resolution, finely grained instrument devised to measure photons and electrons at LHC. Built of lead tungstate crystals, it will play a crucial role in the search for new physics as well as in precision measurements in the standard model. Thanks to this detector, the CMS collaboration was able to reconstruct di-photon states within minutes from the first LHC collisions. We will report on the commissioning and performance of the detector with 2009 and 2010 collision data, providing details about its calibration and synchronization, showing how well the challenging design goals were met.

The electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) of the CMS experiment is an homogeneous, hermetic detector with high granularity. Its potential performances are outstanding in terms of energy resolution, dynamic range and noise level. These characteristics make the calorimeter the most powerful device in the search of the decay in two photons of the Higgs particle. However, the energy resolution depends crucially on the channel to channel intercalibration precision. Therefore, great attention must be given to the calibration process. In this contribution we will describe the strategy that the ECAL group has devised to calibrate the detector. We will report on the pre-calibration processes that have already been performed, the strategies for intercalibration at startup and those foreseen when sufficient statistics will be accumulated to use W and Z events. For the normal data taking regime, an intercalibration precision of 0.5% should be reached, while the response of the detector will be monitored regularly.

Electrons and Photons play a crucial role at LHC in several fields. They provide important signatures for discovery of the Higgs Boson, for discovery of supersymmetry, or for the discovery of new heavy bosons like the Z’. Clean identification and excellent energy and momentum resolution where given high priority in the design of the CMS detector. The instrument, featuring a finely grained, high-resolution electromagnetic calorimeter and excellent tracking performances, is well equipped for the task of measuring these particles with high precision. In this contribution we will describe the CMS electron and photon identification and reconstruction capabilities.

The high luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC) at CERN will provide unprecedented instantaneous and integrated luminosities of around 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1 and up to 4500 fb−1, respectively, from 2027 to 2035. We predict an average of 140 to 200 concurrent interactions per bunch crossing (pile-up). This poses a major challenge to the event reconstruction. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector is therefore undergoing an extensive Phase II upgrade program to prepare for these challenging conditions. The upgrade of the barrel part of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) for HL-LHC will extend the detector performance to be able to cope with these harsh conditions, particularly the increased trigger and latency requirements at the HL-LHC. The lead tungstate crystals in the ECAL barrel sub-detector will still perform well. The avalanche photodiodes which detect the scintillation light will also continue to be operational with some increase in noise due to radiation-induced dark currents. However the entire readout electronics will need to be replaced. The upgraded detector will have a 25 fold improved trigger granularity and a sampling rate increase by a factor of four. In addition, the upgraded detector will have the new capability to provide precision timing measurements for photons and electrons with energies greater than 10 GeV. This will significantly improve the performance under the predicted pile-up conditions. High precision time resolution will be exploited for pileup mitigation and to permit the assignment of physics objects to their correct vertices. In this report the status of the ongoing R&D activities for the ECAL barrel upgrade will be presented.

The FragmentatiOn Of Target (FOOT) experiment aims to provide precise nuclear cross-section measurements for two different fields: hadrontherapy and radio-protection in space. The main reason is the important role the nuclear fragmentation process plays in both fields, where the health risks caused by radiation are very similar and mainly attributable to the fragmentation process. The FOOT experiment has been developed in such a way that the experimental setup is easily movable and fits the space limitations of the experimental and treatment rooms available in hadrontherapy treatment centers, where most of the data takings are carried out. The Trigger and Data Acquisition system needs to follow the same criteria and it should work in different laboratories and in different conditions. It has been designed to acquire the largest sample size with high accuracy in a controlled and online-monitored environment. The data collected are processed in real-time for quality assessment and are available to the DAQ crew and detector experts during data taking.

The efficient exploitation of worldwide distributed storage and computing resources available in the grids require a robust, transparent and fast deployment of experiment specific software. The approach followed by the CMS experiment at CERN in order to enable Monte-Carlo simulations, data analysis and software development in an international collaboration is presented. The current status and future improvement plans are described.

The experimental conditions and physics goals of LHC experiments set challenging specifications for detectors and thei r readout electronics. The CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter (Ecal) is an example of a complex system in which every component needs to be understood in detail in order to ensure the quality of the physics results. In 2006, 9 ECAL supermodules were exposed to an electron test beam in the energy range from 15 GeV and 250 GeV. Many aspects of the calorimeter response have been studied in detail. We will describe the results of t hese studies, with emphasis on the contribution of the electroni cs to linearity, resolution and noise of the system.

The efficient exploitation of worldwide distributed storage and computing resources available in the grids require a robust, transparent and fast deployment of experiment specific software. The approach followed by the CMS experiment at CERN in order to enable Monte-Carlo simulations, data analysis and software development in an international collaboration is presented. The current status and future improvement plans are described.

The Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory is designed to elucidate the origin and nature of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR). With an unprecedented aperture and sensitivity, and with the use of a hybrid technique, it will be able to collect and characterize a large number of Extensive Air Showers generated by primaries with energies greater than 1019 eV. In this paper we describe the Fluorescence Detector and its operation during the first phase of the experiment, called Engineering Array.

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to elucidate the origin and nature of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays using a hybrid detection technique. A first run of data taking with a prototype version of both detectors (the so called Engineering Array) took place in 2001-2002, allowing the Collaboration to evaluate the performance of the two detector systems and to approach an analysis strategy. In this contribution, after a brief description of the system, we will report some results on the behavior of the Fluorescence Detector (FD) Prototype. Performance studies, such as measurements of noise, sensitivity and duty cycle, will be presented. We will illustrate a preliminary analysis of selected air showers. This analysis is performed using exclusively the information from the FD, and includes reconstruction of the shower geometry and of the longitudinal profile

The detectors of the surface array of the Pierre Auger Observatory are water Cherenkov tanks. The signals from each tank are read out using three photomultipliers. The energy of the primary particle is inferred from signal densities and requires good linearity of the PMTs and a large dynamic range. The absolute time of arrival of the shower front at each tank is obtained from the Global Positioning System (GPS) with a resolution of about 10 ns, ensuring an accurate primary angular reconstruction. Additionally, it is intended to use the rise time and shape of the signals to constrain the nature of the primary particle: this sets further requirements on the signal processing. In this paper, the main features of the signal processing associated with the surface detector will be presented and its performance will be discussed in the context of the extraction of shower parameters.

The Pierre Auger Observatory is designed to elucidate the origin and nature of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays using a hybrid detection technique. A first run of data taking with a prototype version of both detectors (the so called Engineering Array) took place in 2001-2002, allowing the Collaboration to evaluate the performance of the two detector systems and to approach an analysis strategy. In this contribution, after a brief description of the system, we will report some results on the behavior of the Fluorescence Detector (FD) Prototype. Performance studies, such as measurements of noise, sensitivity and duty cycle, will be presented. We will illustrate a preliminary analysis of selected air showers. This analysis is performed using exclusively the information from the FD, and includes reconstruction of the shower geometry and of the longitudinal profile

The Engineering Array of the Auger Observatory has been running successfully since 2001 and inclined showers have been recorded from the start. We have analysed the events with zenith angle > 70 0 recorded between May and November 2002. The different algorithms developed to analyze these showers are also discussed. An preliminary discussion of a reconstructed event having 20 detectors hit is presented. Inclined showers will be detected by the full Auger Observatory and they will allow significant enhancement of the array aperture. High energy events will be seen as spectacular events with 30 or 40 tanks triggered and they will provide alternative information on muon content in air showers.

The surface detector (SD) array of the southern Pierre Auger Observatory will consist of a triangular grid of 1600 water Cherenkov tanks with 1.5 km spacing. For zenith angles less than 60deg the primary energy can be estimated from the signal S(1000) at a distance of about 1000m from the shower axis, solely on basis of SD data. A suitable lateral distribution function (LDF) S(r) is fitted to the signals recorded by the water tanks and used to quantify S(1000). Therefore, knowledge of the LDF is a fundamental requirement for determining the energy of the primary particle. The Engineering Array (EA), a prototype facility consisting of 32 tanks, has taken data continuously since late 2001. On the basis of selected experimental data and Monte Carlo simulations various preliminary LDFs are examined.

The Pierre Auger Southern Observatory in Argentina has begun taking data as it is being developed up to a final enclosed area of 3000 square kilometres. A key aspect of the project is to provide information on the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays through understanding the arrival directions of those particles. To avoid claims of a spurious anisotropy detection because trials have not been properly accounted, the Auger Collaboration has agreed 'a priori' to the analysis prescription presented here. It specifies the following: 1. The accumulation time for the (future) data set to be analyzed. 2. The anisotropy 'targets', each assigned a chance probability level. 3. The analysis procedure for each trial. A positive result will be claimed for any target search only if its chance probability is less than its assigned level. The levels are chosen so that the total chance probability for one or more positive results is 0.001. Exploratory searches beyond this prescription will be encouraged, but the Auger Collaboration will not assign any confidence level to anisotropies that may be discovered that way. Any such discovery would identify a good target for a prescription to be used with a subsequent Auger data set.

The electromagnetic ealorimeter (ECAL) of the CMS detector has played an important role in the physics program of the experiment, delivering outstanding performance throughout data taking. The High-Luminosity LHC will pose new challenges. The four to five-fold increase of the number of interactions per bunch crossing will require superior time resolution and noise rejection capabilities. For these reasons the electronics readout has been completely redesigned. A dual gain trans-impedance amplifier and an ASIC providing two 160 MHz ADC channels, gain selection, and data compression will be used in the new readout electronics. The trigger decision will be moved off-detector and will be performed by powerful and flexible FPGA processors, allowing for more sophisticated trigger algorithms to be applied. The upgraded ECAL will be capable of high-precision energy measurements throughout HL-LHC and will greatly improve the time resolution for photons and electrons above 10 GeV.

In order to test the design of the Pierre Auger Observatory, as well as different construction alternatives, a small subset of the full array is being built in Malargue, Argentina, and will be put into operation this year. It will consist of 40 surface detectors, covering an area of 46 km, and 2 fluorescence telescopes with an angle of view of 30◦ x 30◦ each. We present a description of this engineering array and report on the advances achieved so far and on future prospects.

The resonance parameters of [chi][sub c0] , the 1P[sub 0]3 resonance of charmonium, have been measured at the Fermilab Antiproton Accumulator by means of the reaction [bar p]p[r arrow][chi][sub c0][r arrow][gamma]J/[psi][r arrow][gamma](e[sup +]e[sup [minus]]) . The results are M([chi][sub c0])=3417.4[sup +1.8][sub [minus]1.9][plus minus]0.2 MeV/c[sup 2] , [Gamma]([chi][sub c0])=16.6[sup +5.2][sub [minus]3.7][plus minus]0.1 MeV , and [Gamma]([chi][sub c0][r arrow][bar p] p)[times]B([chi][sub c0] [r arrow]J/[psi][gamma])[times]B(J/[psi][r arrow] e[sup +]e[sup [minus]])=2.89[sup +0.67][sub [minus]0 .53][plus minus]0.14 eV . Using known branching ratios we also obtain [Gamma]([chi][sub c0][r arrow][bar p] p)=8.0[sup +1.9+3.5][sub [minus]1.5[minus]1.9 ] keV . These results are discussed in relation to the other [chi][sub cJ] states and to theoretical predictions. [copyright] [ital 1999] [ital The American Physical Society ]

E835 can measure the mass and width of resonant states produced in p̄p collisions at center of mass energies which span the spectrum of cc̄ bound states (Charmonium). The experiment began taking data during Autumn, 1996. Results presented here include a measurement of the ηc.