Abstract
Topological and kinematical characteristics of hadron interactions have been studied using a lead-emulsion target exposed to 2, 4 and 10 GeV/c hadron beams. A total length of 60 m $\pi^-$ tracks was followed using a high speed automated emulsion scanning system. A total of 318 hadron interaction vertices and their secondary charged particle tracks were reconstructed. Measurement results of interaction lengths, charged particle multiplicity, emission angles and momenta of secondary charged particles are compared with a Monte Carlo simulation and appear to be consistent. Nuclear fragments emitted from interaction vertices were also detected by a newly developed emulsion scanning system with wide-angle acceptance. Their emission angle distributions are in good agreement with the simulated distributions. Probabilities of an event being associated with at least one fragment track are found to be greater than 50% for beam momentum $P > 4$ GeV/c and are well reproduced by the simulation. These experimental results validate estimation of the background due to hadron interactions in the sample of $\tau$ decay candidates in the OPERA $\nu_{\mu} \to \nu_{\tau}$ oscillation experiment.
Highlights
Introduction and overviewThe neutrino oscillation channel νμ → ντ is considered to be the dominant underlying process in the atmospheric neutrino sector
We have studied hadron interactions in an emulsion cloud chamber (ECC) brick exposed to 2, 4 and 10 GeV/c hadron beams and have compared experimental results with those of the Monte Carlo simulation
Topological and kinematical characteristics of hadron interactions have been studied by using an ECC brick exposed to 2, 4, 10 GeV/c pion beams
Summary
The neutrino oscillation channel νμ → ντ is considered to be the dominant underlying process in the atmospheric neutrino sector. Such a secondary hadron interaction could be a source of background for τ decays. A high speed automated microscope system, S-UTS [8], has been developed to analyze particle tracks in emulsion films. This system allows to follow beam particle tracks for a long distance and measure their interactions with large statistics. We have studied hadron interactions in an ECC brick exposed to 2, 4 and 10 GeV/c hadron beams and have compared experimental results with those of the Monte Carlo simulation
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