Reduction of coincident photomultiplier noise relevant to astroparticle physics experiments
In low background and low threshold particle astrophysics experiments using observation of Cherenkov or scintillation light it is common to use pairs or arrays of photomultipliers operated in coincidence. In such circumstances, for instance in dark matter and neutrino experiments, unexpected PMT noise events have been observed, probably arising from generation of light from one PMT being detected by one or many other PMTs. We describe here experimental investigation of such coincident noise events and development of new techniques to remove them using novel pulse shape discrimination procedures. When applied to data from a low background NaI detector with facing PMTs the new procedures are found to improve noise rejection by a factor of 20 over conventional techniques, with significantly reduced loss of signal events.

title: Muon-induced background in the EDELWEISS dark matter search
abstract: A dedicated analysis of the muon-induced background in the EDELWEISS dark matter search has been performed on a data set acquired in 2009 and 2010. The total muon flux underground in the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) was measured to be Φ μ = ( 5.4 ± 0.2 - 0.9 + 0.5 )  muons/m 2 /d. The modular design of the μ -veto system allows the reconstruction of the muon trajectory and hence the determination of the angular dependent muon flux in LSM. The results are in good agreement with both MC simulations and earlier measurements. Synchronization of the μ -veto system with the phonon and ionization signals of the Ge detector array allowed identification of muon-induced events. Rates for all muon-induced events Γ μ = ( 0.172 ± 0.012 ) evts / ( kg d ) and of WIMP-like events Γ μ – n = 0.008 - 0.004 + 0.005 evts / ( kg d ) were extracted. After vetoing, the remaining rate of accepted muon-induced neutrons in the EDELWEISS-II dark matter search was determined to be Γ irred μ – n 6 · 10 - 4 evts / ( kg d ) at 90% C.L. Based on these results, the muon-induced background expectation for an anticipated exposure of 3000 kg d for EDELWEISS-III is N 3000 kg d μ – n 0.6 events.

title: The ZEPLIN-III dark matter detector: Performance study using an end-to-end simulation tool
abstract: We present results from a GEANT4-based Monte Carlo tool for end-to-end simulations of the ZEPLIN-III dark matter experiment. ZEPLIN-III is a two-phase detector which measures both the scintillation light and the ionisation charge generated in liquid xenon by interacting particles and radiation. The software models the instrument response to radioactive backgrounds and calibration sources, including the generation, ray-tracing and detection of the primary and secondary scintillations in liquid and gaseous xenon, and subsequent processing by data acquisition electronics. A flexible user interface allows easy modification of detector parameters at run time. Realistic datasets can be produced to help with data analysis, an example of which is the position reconstruction algorithm developed from simulated data. We present a range of simulation results confirming the original design sensitivity of a few times 10−8 pb to the WIMP-nucleon cross-section.

title: Progress report from the UK Dark Matter search at Boulby Mine
abstract: The UK Dark Matter Collaboration is currently running a series of scintillation devices at the Boulby mine in North Yorkshire to search for the neutralino, the hypothetical WIMP solution to the dark matter problem. Results of the current NaI(T1) detector array will be discussed, illustrating a population of events of unknown origin. Diagnostic tests performed to investigate the origin of these anomalous events will be outlined, including alpha, beta and neutron calibrations.

title: Particle polarization in inclusive reactions

title: The potential of liquid xenon for WIMP search: the ZEPLIN diagnostic array
abstract: A Liquid Xenon based WIMP detector diagnostic array is currently developed by the UKDMC with the help of international collaborators. After a brief reminder on the detection principle in Liquid Xenon, the individual detectors will be described. ZEPLIN I, a detector with a 4 kg fiducial mass with a background discrimination based on Pulse Shape Analysis, is already underground and starting operation. Two setups with improved background discrimination tools (as the ionisation is also recorded) are designed and scheduled to move underground in the second half of 2001. Both of them, ZEPLIN II and ZEPLIN III, are predicted to be sensitive to rate of 0.1–0.01 events/kg/day within 2 years of data taking. Furthermore, new ideas for lower background readout devices are studied, in order to avoid the use of PhotoMultiplier Tubes (PMTs).

title: Evidence for the decay $B^0\to J/\psi \omega$ and measurement of the relative branching fractions of $B^0_s$ meson decays to $J/\psi\eta$ and $J/\psi\eta^{'}$
abstract: First evidence of the $B^0\to J/\psi\omega$ decay is found and the $B_{s}^0\to J/\psi\eta$ and $B_{s}^0\to J/\psi\eta^{\prime}$ decays are studied using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The branching fractions of these decays are measured relative to that of the $\mathrm{B}^0\to J/\psi\rho^0$ decay: $$\frac{Br(B^0\to J/\psi\omega)}{Br(B^0\to J/\psi\rho^0)} = 0.89 \pm0.19(stat)^{+0.07}_{-0.13}(syst)$$ $$\frac{Br(B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta)}{Br(B^0\to J/\psi\rho^0)} = 14.0 \pm 1.2(stat)^{+1.1}_{-1.5}(syst)^{+1.1}_{-1.0}(\frac{f_d}{f_s}),$$ $$\frac{Br(B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta^{\prime})}{Br(B^0\to J/\psi\rho^0)} = 12.7\pm1.1(stat)^{+0.5}_{-1.3}(syst)^{+1.0}_{-0.9}(\frac{f_d}{f_s}),$$ where the last uncertainty is due to the knowledge of $f_d/f_s$, the ratio of b-quark hadronization factors that accounts for the different production rate of $B^0$ and $B^0_s$ mesons. The ratio of the branching fractions of $B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta^{\prime}$ and $B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta$ decays is measured to be $$ \frac{Br(B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta^{\prime})}{Br(B^0_s\to J/\psi\eta)} = 0.90\pm0.09(stat)^{+0.06}_{-0.02}(syst).$$

title: Search for the rare decay $D^0 \to \mu^+ \mu^-$
abstract: A search for the rare decay $D^0 \to \mu^+ \mu^-$is performed using a data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.9 fb$^{-1}$, of $pp$ collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV by the LHCb experiment. The observed number of events is consistent with the background expectations and corresponds to an upper limit of \mbox{${\cal B}(D^0 \to \mu^+ \mu^-) < 6.2(7.6) \times 10^{-9}$} at \mbox{90%} \mbox{(95%)} confidence level. This result represents an improvement of more than a factor twenty with respect to previous measurements.

title: Observation of photon polarization in the b→sγ transition.
abstract: This Letter presents a study of the flavor-changing neutral current radiative B±→K±π∓π±γ decays performed using data collected in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energies. In this sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb-1, nearly 14 000 signal events are reconstructed and selected, containing all possible intermediate resonances with a K±π∓π± final state in the [1.1,1.9]  GeV/c2 mass range. The distribution of the angle of the photon direction with respect to the plane defined by the final-state hadrons in their rest frame is studied in intervals of K±π∓π± mass and the asymmetry between the number of signal events found on each side of the plane is obtained. The first direct observation of the photon polarization in the b→sγ transition is reported with a significance of 5.2σ.

title: Observation of charmonium pairs produced exclusively in $pp$ collisions
abstract: A search is performed for the central exclusive production of pairs of charmonia produced in proton-proton collisions. Using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3{\rm\ fb}^{-1}$ collected at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, $J/\psi J/\psi$ and $J/\psi\psi(2S)$ pairs are observed, which have been produced in the absence of any other activity inside the LHCb acceptance that is sensitive to charged particles in the pseudorapidity ranges $(-3.5,-1.5)$ and $(1.5,5.0)$. Searches are also performed for pairs of P-wave charmonia and limits are set on their production. The cross-sections for these processes, where the dimeson system has a rapidity between 2.0 and 4.5, are measured to be $$ \begin{array}{rl} \sigma^{J/\psi J/\psi} &= 58\pm10{(\rm stat)} \pm 6{(\rm syst)}  , \\ \sigma^{J/\psi\psi(2S)} &= 63 ^{+27}_{-18}{(\rm stat)}\pm 10{(\rm syst)}  , \\ \sigma^{\psi(2S)\psi(2S)} &< 237 , \\ \sigma^{\chi_{c0}\chi_{c0}} &< 69 , \\ \sigma^{\chi_{c1}\chi_{c1}} &< 45 } &< 141 , \\ \end{array} $$ where the upper limits are set at the 90% confidence level. The measured $J/\psi J/\psi$ and $J/\psi\psi(2S)$ cross-sections are consistent with theoretical expectations.

title: Precision measurement of D meson mass differences
abstract: A bstractUsing three- and four-body decays of D mesons produced in semileptonic b-hadron decays, precision measurements of D meson mass differences are made together with a measurement of the D0 mass. The measurements are based on a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 collected in pp collisions at 7 TeV. Using the decay D0 → K+K−K−π+, the D0 mass is measured to be
$ M\left( } \right)={{{1864.75\pm 0.15\left( {\mathrm{stat}} \right)\pm 0.11\left( {\mathrm{syst}} \right)\mathrm{MeV}}} \left/ {{{c^2}}} \right.}. $
 The mass differences
 $ \begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {{{{M\left( } \right)-M\left( } \right)=4.76\pm 0.12\left( {\mathrm{stat}} \right)\pm 0.07\left( {\mathrm{syst}} \right)\mathrm{MeV}}} \left/ {{{c^2}}} \right.},} \hfill \\ {{{{M\left( } \right)-M\left( } \right)=98.68\pm 0.03\left( {\mathrm{stat}} \right)\pm 0.04\left( {\mathrm{syst}} \right)\mathrm{MeV}}} \left/ {{{c^2}}} \right.}} \hfill \\ \end{array} $
 are measured using the D0 → K+K−π+π− and $ D_{(s)}^{+}\to {K^{+}}{K^{-}}{\pi^{+}} $ modes.