Reconstruction of antinucleus-annihilation events in the GAPS experiment

GAPS Collaboration

Reconstruction of antinucleus-annihilation events in the GAPS experiment

GAPS Collaboration

Radiation Imaging and Advanced Diagnosti

Research output: Contribution to journal › Conference article › peer-review

Abstract

The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment is designed to detect low-energy (< 0.25 GeV/n) cosmic-ray antinuclei as indirect signatures of dark matter. Several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios predict a large antideuteron flux due to dark matter decay or annihilation compared to the astrophysical background. The GAPS experiment will perform such measurements using long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica, beginning in the 2022/23 austral summer. The experimental apparatus consists of ten planes of Si(Li) detectors surrounded by a time-of-flight system made of plastic scintillators. The detection of the primary antinucleus relies on the reconstruction of the annihilation products: the low-energy antinucleus is captured by an atom of the detector material, forming an exotic atom that de-excites by emitting characteristics X-rays. Finally, the antinucleus undergoes nuclear annihilation, producing a “star” of pions and protons emitted from the annihilation vertex. Several algorithms were developed to determine the annihilation vertex position and to reconstruct the topology of the primary and secondary particles. An overview of the event reconstruction techniques and their performances, based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation studies, will be presented in this contribution.

Original language	English
Article number	504
Journal	Proceedings of Science
Volume	395
State	Published - Mar 18 2022
Event	37th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021 - Virtual, Berlin, Germany Duration: Jul 12 2021 → Jul 23 2021

Funding

This work is supported in the U.S. by NASA APRA grants (NNX17AB44G, NNX17AB45G, NNX17AB46G, and NNX17AB47G) and in Japan by JAXA/ISAS Small Science Program FY2017. P. von Doetinchem received support from the National Science Foundation under award PHY-1551980. H. Fuke is supported by JSPS KAKENHI grants (JP17H01136 and JP19H05198) and Mitsubishi Foundation Research Grant 2019-10038. K. Perez and M. Xiao are supported by Heising-Simons award 2018-0766. F. Rogers is supported through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. 1122374. Y. Shimizu receives support from JSPS KAKENHI grant JP20K04002 and Sumitomo Foundation Grant No. 180322. This work is supported in Italy by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and by the Italian Space Agency through the ASI INFN agreement no. 2018-28-HH.0: “Partecipazione italiana al GAPS - General AntiParticle Spectrometer”. The technical support and advanced computing resources from the University of Hawaii Information Technology Services – Cyberinfrastructure are gratefully acknowledged. This work is supported in the U.S. by NASA APRA grants (NNX17AB44G, NNX17AB45G, NNX17AB46G, and NNX17AB47G) and in Japan by JAXA/ISAS Small Science Program FY2017. P. von Doetinchem received support from the National Science Foundation under award PHY-1551980. H. Fuke is supported by JSPS KAKENHI grants ( JP17H01136 and JP19H05198 ) and Mitsubishi Foundation Research Grant 2019-10038. K. Perez and M. Xiao are supported by Heising-Simons award 2018-0766. F. Rogers is supported through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. 1122374. Y. Shimizu receives support from JSPS KAKENHI grant JP20K04002 and Sumitomo Foundation Grant No. 180322. This work is supported in Italy by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and by the Italian Space Agency through the ASI INFN agreement no. 2018-28-HH.0: “Partecipazione italiana al GAPS - General AntiParticle Spectrometer”. The technical support and advanced computing resources from the University of Hawaii Information Technology Services – Cyberinfrastructure are gratefully acknowledged.

Funders	Funder number
University of Hawaii Information Technology Services – Cyberinfrastructure
National Science Foundation	PHY-1551980
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	NNX17AB47G, NNX17AB46G, NNX17AB45G, NNX17AB44G
Sumitomo Foundation	180322
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science	JP17H01136, JP19H05198
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Mitsubishi Foundation	2019-10038, 1122374, 2018-0766, JP20K04002
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science

Cite this

@article{14ccc65d6d2a46399a3a5c21a81584fd,

title = "Reconstruction of antinucleus-annihilation events in the GAPS experiment",

abstract = "The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment is designed to detect low-energy (< 0.25 GeV/n) cosmic-ray antinuclei as indirect signatures of dark matter. Several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios predict a large antideuteron flux due to dark matter decay or annihilation compared to the astrophysical background. The GAPS experiment will perform such measurements using long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica, beginning in the 2022/23 austral summer. The experimental apparatus consists of ten planes of Si(Li) detectors surrounded by a time-of-flight system made of plastic scintillators. The detection of the primary antinucleus relies on the reconstruction of the annihilation products: the low-energy antinucleus is captured by an atom of the detector material, forming an exotic atom that de-excites by emitting characteristics X-rays. Finally, the antinucleus undergoes nuclear annihilation, producing a “star” of pions and protons emitted from the annihilation vertex. Several algorithms were developed to determine the annihilation vertex position and to reconstruct the topology of the primary and secondary particles. An overview of the event reconstruction techniques and their performances, based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation studies, will be presented in this contribution.",

author = "{GAPS Collaboration} and T. Aramaki and R. Bird and M. Boezio and Boggs, {S. E.} and V. Bonvicini and D. Campana and Craig, {W. W.} and E. Everson and L. Fabris and H. Fuke and F. Gahbauer and I. Garcia and C. Gerrity and Hailey, {C. J.} and T. Hayashi and C. Kato and A. Kawachi and S. Kobayashi and M. Kozai and A. Lenni and A. Lowell and M. Manghisoni and N. Marcelli and B. Mochizuki and Mognet, {S. A.I.} and K. Munakata and R. Munini and Y. Nakagami and J. Olson and Ong, {R. A.} and G. Osteria and K. Perez and S. Quinn and V. Re and E. Riceputi and B. Roach and F. Rogers and Ryan, {J. A.} and N. Saffold and V. Scotti and Y. Shimizu and M. Sonzogni and R. Sparvoli and A. Stoessl and Alessio Tiberio and E. Vannuccini and {von Doetinchem}, P. and T. Wada and M. Xiao and M. Yamatami",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons.; 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021 ; Conference date: 12-07-2021 Through 23-07-2021",

year = "2022",

month = mar,

day = "18",

language = "English",

volume = "395",

journal = "Proceedings of Science",

issn = "1824-8039",

publisher = "Sissa Medialab",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reconstruction of antinucleus-annihilation events in the GAPS experiment

AU - GAPS Collaboration

AU - Aramaki, T.

AU - Bird, R.

AU - Boezio, M.

AU - Boggs, S. E.

AU - Bonvicini, V.

AU - Campana, D.

AU - Craig, W. W.

AU - Everson, E.

AU - Fabris, L.

AU - Fuke, H.

AU - Gahbauer, F.

AU - Garcia, I.

AU - Gerrity, C.

AU - Hailey, C. J.

AU - Hayashi, T.

AU - Kato, C.

AU - Kawachi, A.

AU - Kobayashi, S.

AU - Kozai, M.

AU - Lenni, A.

AU - Lowell, A.

AU - Manghisoni, M.

AU - Marcelli, N.

AU - Mochizuki, B.

AU - Mognet, S. A.I.

AU - Munakata, K.

AU - Munini, R.

AU - Nakagami, Y.

AU - Olson, J.

AU - Ong, R. A.

AU - Osteria, G.

AU - Perez, K.

AU - Quinn, S.

AU - Re, V.

AU - Riceputi, E.

AU - Roach, B.

AU - Rogers, F.

AU - Ryan, J. A.

AU - Saffold, N.

AU - Scotti, V.

AU - Shimizu, Y.

AU - Sonzogni, M.

AU - Sparvoli, R.

AU - Stoessl, A.

AU - Tiberio, Alessio

AU - Vannuccini, E.

AU - von Doetinchem, P.

AU - Wada, T.

AU - Xiao, M.

AU - Yamatami, M.

PY - 2022/3/18

Y1 - 2022/3/18

N2 - The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment is designed to detect low-energy (< 0.25 GeV/n) cosmic-ray antinuclei as indirect signatures of dark matter. Several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios predict a large antideuteron flux due to dark matter decay or annihilation compared to the astrophysical background. The GAPS experiment will perform such measurements using long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica, beginning in the 2022/23 austral summer. The experimental apparatus consists of ten planes of Si(Li) detectors surrounded by a time-of-flight system made of plastic scintillators. The detection of the primary antinucleus relies on the reconstruction of the annihilation products: the low-energy antinucleus is captured by an atom of the detector material, forming an exotic atom that de-excites by emitting characteristics X-rays. Finally, the antinucleus undergoes nuclear annihilation, producing a “star” of pions and protons emitted from the annihilation vertex. Several algorithms were developed to determine the annihilation vertex position and to reconstruct the topology of the primary and secondary particles. An overview of the event reconstruction techniques and their performances, based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation studies, will be presented in this contribution.

AB - The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment is designed to detect low-energy (< 0.25 GeV/n) cosmic-ray antinuclei as indirect signatures of dark matter. Several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios predict a large antideuteron flux due to dark matter decay or annihilation compared to the astrophysical background. The GAPS experiment will perform such measurements using long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica, beginning in the 2022/23 austral summer. The experimental apparatus consists of ten planes of Si(Li) detectors surrounded by a time-of-flight system made of plastic scintillators. The detection of the primary antinucleus relies on the reconstruction of the annihilation products: the low-energy antinucleus is captured by an atom of the detector material, forming an exotic atom that de-excites by emitting characteristics X-rays. Finally, the antinucleus undergoes nuclear annihilation, producing a “star” of pions and protons emitted from the annihilation vertex. Several algorithms were developed to determine the annihilation vertex position and to reconstruct the topology of the primary and secondary particles. An overview of the event reconstruction techniques and their performances, based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation studies, will be presented in this contribution.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143915905&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Conference article

AN - SCOPUS:85143915905

SN - 1824-8039

VL - 395

JO - Proceedings of Science

JF - Proceedings of Science

M1 - 504

T2 - 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021

Y2 - 12 July 2021 through 23 July 2021

ER -

Reconstruction of antinucleus-annihilation events in the GAPS experiment

Abstract

Funding

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