Crystal Ball Detector Research Articles

First measurement of polarisation transfer [formula omitted] in deuteron photodisintegration

A first measurement of the polarisation transfer from a circularly-polarised photon to the final state neutron (Cx′n) in deuterium photodisintegration has been carried out. This quantity is determined over the photon energy range 370 – 700 MeV and for neutron centre-of-mass breakup angles ∼45−120∘. The polarisation of the final state neutrons was determined by an ancillary large-acceptance nucleon polarimeter, surrounding a cryogenic liquid deuterium target within the Crystal Ball detector at MAMI. The polarimeter characterised (n,p) charge exchange of the ejected neutrons to determine their polarisation. The new Cx′n data are also compared to a theoretical model based on nucleonic and nucleon resonance degrees of freedom constrained by the current world-database of deuterium photodisintegration measurements. Structures in Cx′n observed in the region of the d⁎(2380) could not be explained by conventional models of deuteron photodisintegration.

Spin Physics with Photons — Technical Highlights and Spin-Offs

The spin, as a fundamental property of a particle, has been a main object of investigation in particle and nuclear physics research in recent decades. For complete spin investigation, one requires a polarized target in addition to polarized beams and a recoil polarimeter. The advent of advanced beam and large acceptance detector technologies has driven the development of highly polarized, full angular acceptance targets. The Crystal Ball detector with its unique capability to cope with multi photon final states is used in Mainz at the A2 real photon facility in combination with a frozen spin polarized target. Technical highlights from the development of thin superconducting magnets to provide a longitudinal and transverse polarization are presented. A continuous polarization in the ‘DNP’-mode is on the way. Another promising technology investigation is going in the direction of ‘Active Polarized Targets’ to use the target as an intrinsic part of the detector. This requires from the scintillating material and front-end electronics to operate at cryogenic temperatures.

Neutron detection using a crystal ball calorimeter

The program of experiments of the A2 Collaboration performed on a beam of tagged photons of the MAMI electron microtron in Mainz (Germany) includes precision measurements of the total and differential cross sections of the pion photoproduction on neutrons of a deuterium target. The determination of the detector ability to detect neutrons is undoubtedly one of the important problems of the experiment. The calorimetric system of the detector contains a segmented NaI Crystal Ball detector, which gives information about the position, energy, and detection time of neutral and charged particles in a wide angular range. In this work, we describe the measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in the energy range from 20 to 400MeV. The results are compared with BNL data obtained on a pion beam and proton target.

A new measurement of the neutron detection efficiency for the NaI Crystal Ball detector

We report on a measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in NaI crystals in the Crystal Ball detector obtained from a study of single π0 photoproduction on deuterium using the tagged photon beam at the Mainz Microtron. The results were obtained up to a neutron energy of 400 MeV . They are compared to previous measurements made more than 15 years ago at the pion beam at the BNL AGS.

Neutron skins from Coherent Pion Photoproduction

These proceedings outline the new program of neutron skin measurements utilising coherent pion photoproduction from nuclei. The experimental program utilizes the Crystal Ball and TAPS detector systems at the tagged photon beam facility at MAMI. Recent results from the program and future plans are presented.

Helicity dependence of the γ 3He → πX reactions in the Δ(1232) resonance region

The helicity dependences of the differential cross sections for the semi-inclusive γ 3He → π0 X and γ 3He → π± X reactions have been measured for the first time in the energy region 200 < E γ 450 MeV. The experiment was performed at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz using a longitudinally polarised high-pressure 3He gas target. Hadronic products were measured with the large-acceptance Crystal Ball detector complemented with additional devices for charged-particle tracking and identification. Unpolarised differential cross sections and their helicity dependence are compared with theoretical calculations using the Fix-Arenhovel model. The effect of the intermediate excitation of the Δ(1232) resonance can be clearly seen from this comparison, especially for the polarised case, where nuclear effects are relatively small. The model provides a better theoretical description of the unpolarised charged pion photoproduction data than the neutral pion channel. It does significantly better in describing the helicity-dependent data in both channels. These comparisons provide new information on the mechanisms involved in pion photoproduction on 3He and suggest that a polarised 3He target can provide valuable information on the corresponding polarised quasi-free neutron reactions.

Research with real photons at the MAMI 1.6 GeV electron accelerator

The A2-CB Collaboration at Mainz is studying the structure of hadrons by meson photoproduction using unpolarised, linearly polarised and circularly polarised photons with energies up to 1.6 GeV. Photons are energy-tagged using the Glasgow-Mainz tagged photon spectrometer and a new high-energy end-point tagger which allows η’ reactions to be studied. Reaction products are detected in a ~4π detector consisting of the Crystal Ball detector and TAPS forward wall. Transverse or longitudinally polarised proton targets are available and new techniques have been developed to measure the polarisation of recoiling protons. These facilities have allowed an extensive programme of double-polarisation meson-photoproduction experiments to be carried out to search for so-called “missing baryon resonances” on proton and deuteron targets. Searches have also been carried out to investigate narrow resonances in the η-photoproduction channel at invariant masses around 1680 MeV. Coherent π 0 production measurements have been used to estimate the neutron skin thickness in 208 Pb. This paper presents selected highlights from the A2-CB collaboration research programme at MAMI.

Quasi-free photoproduction of η-mesons off 3He nuclei

Quasi-free photoproduction of η-mesons has been measured off nucleons bound in 3He nuclei for incident photon energies from the threshold region up to 1.4 GeV. The experiment was performed at the tagged photon facility of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with an almost 4π covering electromagnetic calorimeter, combining the TAPS and Crystal Ball detectors. The η-mesons were detected in coincidence with the recoil nucleons. This allowed a comparison of the production cross section off quasi-free protons and quasi-free neutrons and a full kinematic reconstruction of the final state, eliminating effects from nuclear Fermi motion. In the S11(1535) resonance peak, the data agree with the neutron/proton cross section ratio extracted from measurements with deuteron targets. More importantly, the prominent structure observed in photoproduction off quasi-free neutrons bound in the deuteron is also clearly observed. Its parameters (width, strength) are consistent with the expectations from the deuteron results. On an absolute scale the cross sections for both quasi-free protons and neutrons are suppressed with respect to the deuteron target pointing to significant nuclear final-state interaction effects.

The new frozen spin target at MAMI

The new frozen spin polarized target for experiments at the polarized beam of the real photon facility A2 of the MAMI accelerator is described. The A2-collaboration at the Mainz Microtron MAMI is measuring photon absorption cross section using circularly and linearly polarized photons up to the energy of 1.5 GeV. The photons are produced in the’ Bremsstrahlungs’ process. In the years 2005/2006 the Crystal Ball detector with its unique capability to cope with multi photon final states was set up in Mainz. Since 2010 the experimental apparatus has been completed by a polarized target. The horizontal dilution refrigerator of the Frozen-Spin Target has been constructed and is operated in close cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. The system offers the opportunity to provide longitudinally and transversely polarized protons and deuteron. In this paper the operation experience of this new Frozen-Spin Target and first results from the runs in 2010 and 2011 are presented.

Measurements of 12C $(\vec{\gamma},pp)$ photon asymmetries for $E_{\gamma}=200$ –450 MeV

The 12C\((\vec{\gamma},pp)\) reaction has been studied in the photon energy range 200-450 MeV at the Mainz microtron MAMI-C, where linearly polarised photons were energy-tagged using the Glasgow-Mainz Tagged Photon Spectrometer and protons were detected in the Crystal Ball detector. The photon asymmetry \(\Sigma\) has been measured over a wider \(E_{\gamma}\) range than previous measurements. The strongest asymmetries were found at low missing energies where direct emission of nucleon pairs is expected. Cuts on the difference in azimuthal angles of the two ejected protons increased the magnitude of the observed asymmetries. At low missing energies the \(\Sigma\) data exhibit a strong angular dependence, similar to deuteron photodisintegration.

Meson photoproduction from a transversely polarised target at MAMI

A new transversely polarised frozen spin target has been developed at MAMI which will be used in conjunction with the photon tagger and the Crystal Ball detector. The new target permits a major new programme of accurate measurement of polarisation observables in meson photoproduction. This contribution presents some of the preliminary analysis from experimental data taken near the threshold and in the region of the Δ(1232) resonance. Observables will be obtained for the pπ0 and nπ+ final states.

Real Photon Experiments with a Transverse Polarized Target at MAMI

The A2-collaboration at the Mainz Microtron MAMI is measuring photon absorption cross section using circularly and linearly polarized photons up to the energy of 1.5GeV. The photons are produced in the 'Bremsstrahlungs' process. In the years 2005/2006 the Crystal Ball detector with its unique capability to cope with multi photon final states was set up in Mainz. Since 2010 the experimental apparatus has been completed by a polarized target. The horizontal dilution refrigerator of the Frozen-Spin Target has been constructed and is operated in close cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. The system offers the opportunity to provide longitudinally and transversely polarized protons and deuteron. In this paper experiments with the transversely polarized Frozen-Spin Target that was used for the runs in 2010 and 2011 are discussed.

Double Pion Photoproduction off nuclei - search for the in-medium modification of theσ-meson

The photoproduction of π 0 π 0 and π 0 π +/− pairs has been investigated in view of the of in-medium modifications the σ -meson. The measurements have been done at the Mainz MAMI accelerator, using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer and a 4π electromagnetic calorimeter, consisting of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors. The measurements covered different nuclear targets (2 H, 7 Li, 12 C, 40 Ca, and nat Pb) and the statistical quality of the data was improved compared to the previous experiments. The energy and mass dependence of the invariant mass distributions suggests that Final State Interactions play a very important role, but some of the observed effects can also be related to a possible in-medium modification of the σ -meson.

Neutral pion production in the threshold region

We give an overview of the physics motivation and evolution of the neutral pion photoproduction measurements in the threshold region conducted in the A2 collaboration at MAMI. The latest two experiments have been performed with the almost 4π Crystal Ball detector. The first was with a linearly polarized photon beam and unpolarized liquid-hydrogen target. The data analysis is now complete and the linearly polarized beam asymmetry along with differential cross sections provide the most stringent test to date of the predictions of Chiral Perturbation Theory and its energy region of convergence. More recently a measurement was performed using both circularly polarized photons and a transversely polarized butanol frozen-spin target, with the goal of extracting both the target and beam-target asymmetries. From these we intend to extract πN scattering sensitive information for the first time in photo-pion reactions. This will be used to test isospin conservation and further test dynamics of chiral symmetry breaking in QCD as calculated at low energies by Chiral Perturbation Theory.

Erratum: Experimental study of theγp→ηpreaction with the Crystal Ball detector at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI-C) [Phys. Rev. C82, 035208 (2010)

Here we correct a factor of 2 missed in one of figures and the corresponding sentence in the text. It does not change any conclusions.

A polarized 3He target for the photon beam at MAMI

A polarized 3He target has been installed for the first time inside the 4π Crystal Ball detector at the tagged photon beam of the MAinz MIcrotron (MAMI). It has been demonstrated that the system works reliably and that the polarization losses during handling of the polarized gas are under control. Initial polarization values up to 70% and total relaxation times up to 20h could be obtained during a first test beam time devoted to the measurement of the double polarized photoabsorption cross-section in the Δ(1232) baryon resonance region.

RECENT RESULTS FROM THE REAL PHOTON EXPERIMENT AT MAMI

Experiments with real photons have been performed for many years at the Mainz accelerator MAMI with different detectors. The upgraded MAMI C accelerator recently delivered electrons with an energy of 1604MeV. The A2 collaboration performs experiments with energy tagged polarised real photons produced via 'Bremsstrahlung'. Linear and circular photon polarisation is possible. In the years 2005/2006 the Crystal Ball detector with its unique detection capability for multi photon final states was set up in Mainz. The Crystal Ball at MAMI setup offers an excellent possibility to study decays of the η and η′ mesons. Due to the high intensity photon beam the apparatus can be seen as an η-factory. Recent results from the Crystal Ball experiment at MAMI are presented. In the future we plan to use a longitudinal and transverse polarised frozen spin target to investigate the spin polarisibilities of the nucleons.

Precision measurements of strangeness photoproduction at threshold energies with the Crystal Ball at MAMI-C

The photoproduction of K+ mesons from the nucleon provides important constraints on the nucleon excitation spectrum and at threshold energies challenges effective field theories based on chiral perturbation in the strange quark sector. Preliminary cross-section measurements for γ(p, K+)A are presented at an unprecedented beam energy resolution. The data was collected at the MAMI-C facility in Mainz using the Crystal Ball Detector. A new method of K+ detection was used in which the K+ is tagged from its weak decay products in the detector crystals. This technique has application with other calorimeters at present and future hadron facilities.

Differential cross sections of the charge-exchange reactionπ−p→π0nin the momentum range from103to178MeV/c

Measured values of the differential cross sections for pion-nucleon charge exchange, π−p→π0n, are presented for π− momenta of 103,112,120,130,139,152, and 178 MeV/c. Complete angular distributions were obtained by using the Crystal Ball detector at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Statistical uncertainties of the differential cross sections vary from 3 to 6% in the backward angle region and from 6 to about 20% in the forward region with the exception of the two most forward angles. The systematic uncertainties are estimated to be about 3% for all momenta.4 MoreReceived 25 August 2009DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.80.055207©2009 American Physical Society

Beam-Helicity Asymmetries in Double-Pion Photoproduction off the Proton

Beam-helicity asymmetries have been measured at the MAMI accelerator in Mainz in the three isospin channels gamma[over -->]p-->pi(+)pi(0)n, gamma[over -->]p-->pi(0)pi(0)p, and gamma[over -->]p-->pi(+)pi(-)p. The circularly polarized photons, produced from bremsstrahlung of longitudinally polarized electrons, were tagged with the Glasgow magnetic spectrometer. Charged pions and the decay photons of pi(0) mesons were detected in a 4pi electromagnetic calorimeter which combined the Crystal Ball detector with the TAPS detector. The precisely measured asymmetries are very sensitive to details of the production processes and are thus key observables in the modeling of the reaction dynamics.