We observed highly efficient manipulation of the 530 MeV positron beam at Mainz Microtron via bent crystals. The low beam divergence revealed a fine structure in the angular distribution of channeled particles. A compact analytical model, supported by Monte Carlo methods including multiple scattering, accounts for the measurements. We established a criterion for designing a crystal with reduced angular spread of channeled particles for beam manipulation at any energy. This finding is particularly useful in view of applications of channeling to the highest energies.

This paper presents the successful application of a phase-lock feedback system to maintain the resonance condition of a radio frequency (rf) spin rotator (specifically, an rf Wien filter) with respect to a 120 kHz spin precession in the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) storage ring. Real-time monitoring of the spin precession and the rf Wien filter signal allows the relative phase between the two to be stabilized at an arbitrary setpoint. The feedback system compensates for deviations in the relative phase by adjusting the frequency and/or phase of the rf device as needed. With this method, a variation in the phase relative to the demanded value with a standard deviation of σ_{Δφ}≈0.2 rad could be achieved. The system was implemented in two runs aiming at a first direct measurement of the deuteron electric dipole moment in 2018 and 2021. In addition, the difference between a single-bunch beam affected by the spin rotator and a two-bunch system in which only one bunch is exposed to the spin rotator fields is discussed. Both methods have been used during these beam times. The ability to keep the spin precession and the rf fields synchronized is crucial for future investigations of electric dipole moments of charged particles using storage rings.

Radiofrequency-driven resonant spin rotators are routinely used as standard instruments in polarization experiments in particle and nuclear physics. Maintaining the continuous exact parametric spin-resonance condition of the equality of the spin rotator and the spin precession frequency during operation constitutes one of the challenges. We present a detailed analytic description of the impact of detuning the exact spin resonance on the vertical and the in-plane precessing components of the polarization. An important part of the formalism presented here is the consideration of experimentally relevant spin-decoherence effects. We discuss applications of the developed formalism to the interpretation of the experimental data on the novel pilot bunch approach to control the spin-resonance condition during the operation of the radiofrequency-driven Wien filter that is used as a spin rotator in the first direct deuteron electric dipole moment measurement at COSY. We emphasize the potential importance of the hitherto unexplored phase of the envelope of the horizontal polarization as an indicator of the stability of the radiofrequency-driven spin rotations in storage rings. The work presented here serves as a satellite publication to the work published concurrently on the proof of principle experiment about the so-called pilot bunch approach that was developed to provide co-magnetometry for the deuteron electric dipole moment experiment at COSY.

The research investigates coherent interactions between sub-GeV electrons and oriented scintillator crystals, leading to enhanced electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Experiments at Mainz Mikrotron (MAMI) involved PWO, BGO, and CsI crystals oriented along 〈100〉, 〈111〉, and 〈100〉 axes, respectively. Enhanced radiation emission was observed when the beam was aligned with crystal axes, especially in BGO and CsI for the first time. These findings are crucial for innovative detectors using oriented crystal scintillators, amplifying EM processes along specific crystallographic directions. Potential applications include ultra-compact, highly sensitive electromagnetic calorimeters for high-energy physics and astroparticles, as well as high-performance gamma detectors for nuclear physics and medical imaging.

Electromagnetic calorimeters used in high-energy physics and astrophysics rely heavily on high-Z inorganic scintillators, such as lead tungstate (PbWO4 or PWO). The crystalline structure and lattice orientation of inorganic scintillators are frequently underestimated in detector design, even though it is known that the crystalline lattice strongly modifies the features of the electromagnetic processes inside the crystal. A novel method has been developed for precisely bonding PWO crystals with aligned atomic planes within 100 μrad, exploiting X-ray diffraction (XRD) to accurately measure miscut angles. This method demonstrates the possibility to align a layer of crystals along the same crystallographic direction, opening a new technological path towards the development of next-generation electromagnetic calorimeters.

Based on the notion that the local dark-matter field of axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) in our Galaxy induces oscillating couplings to the spins of nucleons and nuclei (via the electric dipole moment of the latter and/or the paramagnetic axion-wind effect), we establish the feasibility of a new method to search for ALPs in storage rings. Based on previous work that allows us to maintain the in-plane polarization of a stored deuteron beam for a few hundred seconds, we performed a first proof-of-principle experiment at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY to scan momenta near 970 MeV/c. This entailed a scan of the spin precession frequency. At resonance between the spin precession frequency of deuterons and the ALP-induced EDM oscillation frequency there will be an accumulation of the polarization component out of the ring plane. Since the axion frequency is unknown, the momentum of the beam and consequently the spin precession frequency were ramped to search for a vertical polarization change that would occur when the resonance is crossed. At COSY, four beam bunches with different polarization directions were used to make sure that no resonance was missed because of the unknown relative phase between the polarization precession and the axion/ALP field. A frequency window of 1.5-kHz width around the spin precession frequency of 121 kHz was scanned. We describe the experimental procedure and a test of the methodology with the help of a radiofrequency Wien filter located on the COSY ring. No ALP resonance was observed. As a consequence an upper limit of the oscillating EDM component of the deuteron as well as its axion coupling constants are provided.

Progress in high-energy physics has been closely tied to the development of high-performance electromagnetic calorimeters. Recent experiments have demonstrated the possibility to significantly accelerate the development of electromagnetic showers inside scintillating crystals typically used in homogeneous calorimeters based on scintillating crystals when the incident beam is aligned with a crystallographic axis to within a few mrad. In particular, a reduction of the radiation length has been measured when ultrarelativistic electron and photon beams were incident on a high- Z scintillator crystal along one of its main axes. Here, we propose the possibility to exploit this physical effect for the design of a new type of compact e.m. calorimeter, based on oriented ultra-fast lead tungstate (PWO-UF) crystals, with a significant reduction in the depth needed to contain electromagnetic showers produced by high-energy particles with respect to the state-of-the-art. We report results from tests of the crystallographic quality of PWO-UF samples via high-resolution X-ray diffraction and photoelastic analysis. We then describe a proof-of-concept calorimeter geometry defined with a Geant4 model including the shower development in oriented crystals. Finally, we discuss the experimental techniques needed for the realization of a matrix of scintillator crystals oriented along a specific crystallographic direction. Since the angular acceptance for e.m. shower acceleration depends little on the particle energy, while the decrease of the shower length remains pronounced at very high energy, an oriented crystal calorimeter will open the way for applications at the maximum energies achievable in current and future experiments. Such applications span from forward calorimeters, to compact beam dumps for the search for light dark matter, to source-pointing space-borne γ -ray telescopes, to decrease the size and the cost of the calorimeter needed to fully contain e.m. showers initiated by GeV to TeV particles.

In polarization experiments at storage rings, one of the challenges is to maintain the spin-resonance condition of a radio-frequency spin rotator with the spin-precessions of the orbiting particles. Time-dependent variations of the magnetic fields of ring elements lead to unwanted variations of the spin precession frequency. We report here on a solution to this problem by shielding (or masking) one of the bunches stored in the ring from the high-frequency fields of the spin rotator, so that the masked pilot bunch acts as a co-magnetometer for the other signal bunch, tracking fluctuations in the ring on a time scale of about one second. While the new method was developed primarily for searches of electric dipole moments of charged particles, it may have far-reaching implications for future spin physics facilities, such as the EIC and NICA.

The Jülich Electric Dipole moment Investigation (JEDI) collaboration aims at a direct measurement of the Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of protons and deuterons using a storage ring. The measurement is based on a polarization measurement. In order to reach highest accuracy, one has to know the exact trajectory through the magnets, especially the quadrupoles, to avoid the influence of magnetic fields on the polarization vector. In this paper, the development of a beam-based alignment technique is described that was developed and implemented at the COoler SYnchrotron (COSY) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. Well aligned quadrupoles permit one to absolutely calibrate the Beam Position Monitors (BPMs). The method is based on the fact that a particle beam, which does not pass through the center of a quadrupole, experiences a deflection. The precision reached by the method is approximately 40μm. Some consequences for the design of a new high precision storage ring for EDM mesasurements are discussed.

A calorimetric polarimeter based on inorganic LYSO scintillators is described. It has been designed for use in a storage ring to search for electric dipole moments (EDM) of charged particles such as the proton and deuteron. Its development and first use was on the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich with 0.97 GeV/c polarized deuterons, a particle and energy suitable for an EDM search. The search requires a polarimeter with high efficiency, large analyzing power, and stable operating characteristics. With typical beam momenta of about 1 GeV/c, the scattering of protons or deuterons from a carbon target into forward angles becomes a nearly optimal choice of an analyzing reaction. The polarimeter described here consists of 52 LYSO detector modules, arranged in 4 symmetric blocks (up, down, left, right) for energy determination behind plastic scintillators for particle identification via energy loss. The commissioning results of the current setup demonstrate that the polarimeter is ready to be employed in a first direct measurement for an EDM on the deuteron, which is planned at COSY.

Gas detector are very light instrument used in high energy physics to measure the particle properties: position and momentum. Through high electric field is possible to use the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology to detect the charged particles and to exploit their properties to construct a large area detector, such as the new IT for BESIII. The state of the art in the GEM production allows to create very large area GEM foils (up to 50x100 $\mathrm{cm}^2$) and thanks to the small thickness of these foils is it possible to shape it to the desired form: a Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) is then proposed. The innovative construction technique based on Rohacell, a PMI foam, will give solidity to cathode and anode with a very low impact on material budget. The entire detector is sustained by Permaglass rings glued at the edges. These rings are used to assembly the CGEM, together with a dedicated Vertical Insertion System and moreover they host the On-Detector electronic. The anode has been improved w.r.t. the state of the art through a jagged readout that minimize the inter-strip capacitance. The mechanical challenge of this detector requires a precision of the entire geometry within few hundreds of microns in the whole area. In this contribution an overview of the construction technique, the validation of this technique through the realization of a CGEM, and its first tests will be presented. These activities are performed within the framework of the BESIIICGEM Project (645664), funded by the European Commission in the action H2020-RISE-MSCA-2014.

The proposed method exploits charged particles confined as a storage ring beam (proton, deuteron, possibly ^3He) to search for an intrinsic electric dipole moment (EDM) aligned along the particle spin axis. Statistical sensitivities could approach 10^-29 e·cm. The challenge will be to reduce systematic errors to similar levels. The ring will be adjusted to preserve the spin polarisation, initially parallel to the particle velocity, for times in excess of 15 minutes. Large radial electric fields, acting through the EDM, will rotate the polarisation from the longitudinal to the vertical direction. The slow rise in the vertical polarisation component, detected through scattering from a target, signals the EDM. The project strategy is outlined. A stepwise plan is foreseen, starting with ongoing COSY activities that demonstrate technical feasibility. Achievements to date include reduced polarization measurement errors, long horizontal plane polarization lifetimes, and control of the polarization direction through feedback from scattering measurements. The project continues with a proof-of-capability measurement (precursor experiment; first direct deuteron EDM measurement), an intermediate prototype ring (proof-of-principle; demonstrator for key technologies), and finally a high-precision electric-field storage ring.

Triple-GEM detectors are a well known technology used in high energy physics experiments. A reliable Monte Carlo simulation has to be developed to reproduce the performance which have been measured experimentally, for example in beam tests, and be able to infer the future behavior in real conditions. In detail, the software has to simulate the response of the detector to the passage of particles, from the primary ionization, to the amplification and diffusion of the electrons and eventually to the induction of the charge on the anode strips. In the case of gas detectors, existing softwares such as GARFIELD++ already perform a very detailed simulation of the physical processes but are CPU time consuming. In this presentation a description of a faster simulation is presented. It models the results about the electron production (primary ionization and avalanche) and diffusion in a triple-GEM obtained from GARFIELD++ and then it reconstructs the signal induced on each anode strip according to the Shockley-Ramo theorem. The simulation has been tuned on the data collected in several beam tests and it can reproduce the real values of time and charge measured by the strip. When the reconstruction algorithms used in the field of Micro Pattern Gas Detectors, such as the Charge Centroid or the micro-Time Projection Chamber readout, are applied on the simulated data, the model shows performance comparable to the experimental one. This provides a validation of this model and allows to extend its usage in different conditions, i.e. geometries, presence of magnetic field, high voltage settings, different direction of the incident particles, to evaluate the expected outcome of the triple-GEM in those cases.

G. Mezzadrib,i∗, M. Alexeev f , A. Amoroso f ,l, R. Baldini Ferrolia,c, M. Bertanic, D. Bettonib, F. Bianchi f ,l, A. Calcaterrac, N. Canaleb, M. Capodiferroc,e, V. Carassitib, S. Cerionic, JY. Chaia, f ,h, S. Chiozzib, G. Cibinettob, F. Cossio f ,h, A. Cotta Ramusinob, F. De Mori f ,l, M. Destefanis f ,l, J. Dongc, F. Evangelistib, R. Farinellib,i, L. Fava f , G. Felicic, E. Fioravantib, I. Garziab,i, M. Gattac, M. Greco f ,l, L. Lavezzia, f , CY. Lenga, f ,h, H. Lia, f , M. Maggiora f ,l, R. Malagutib, A. Mangonid,k, S. Marcello f ,l, M. Melchiorrib, M. Mignone f , G. Morelloc, S. Pacettid,k, P. Patteric, J. Pellegrino f ,l, A. Pelosic,e, A. Rivetti f , M. D. Rolo f , M. Savriéb,i, M. Scodeggiob,i, E. Soldanic, S. Sosio f ,l, S. Spataro f ,l, E. Tskhadadzec,g, S. Vermai, R. Wheadon f , L. Yan f

Gas detector development is one of the pillars of the research in fundamental physics. Since several years, a new concept of detectors, called Micro Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD), allowed to overcome several problems related to other types of commonly used detectors, like drift chamber and micro strips detectors, reducing the rate of discharges and providing better radiation tolerance. Among the most used MPGDs are the Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs). Invented by Sauli in 1997, nowadays GEMs have become an important reality for particle detectors in high energy physics. Commonly deployed as fast timing detectors and triggers, their fast response, high rate capability and high radiation hardness make them also suitable as tracking detectors. The readout scheme is one of the most important features in tracking technology. Analog readout based on the calculation of the center of gravity technique allows to overcome the limit imposed by digital pads, whose spatial resolution is limited by the pitch dimensions. However, the presence of high external magnetic fields can distort the electronic cloud and affect the performance. The development of the micro-TP C reconstruction method brings GEM detectors into a new prospective, improving significantly the spatial resolution in presence of high magnetic fields. This innovative technique allows to reconstruct the 3-dimensional particle position, as Time Projection Chamber, but within a drift gap of a few millimeters. In these report, the charge centroid and micro-TP C methods are described in details. We discuss the results of several test beams performed with planar chambers in magnetic field. These results are one of the first developments of micro-TP C technique for GEM detectors, which allows to reach unprecedented performance in a high magnetic field of 1 T.

Gas detector are very light instrument used in high energy physics to measure the particle properties: position and momentum. Through high electric field is possible to use the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology to detect the particles and to exploit the its properties to construct a large area detector, such as the new IT for BESIII. The state of the art in the GEM production allow to create very large area GEM foils (up to 50x100 cm2) and thanks to the small thickness of these foil is it possible to shape it to the desired form: a Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) is then proposed. The innovative construction technique based on Rohacell, a PMI foam, will give solidity to cathode and anode with a very low impact on material budget. The entire detector is sustained by permaglass rings glued at the edges. These rings are use to assembly the CGEM together with a dedicated Vertical Insertion System and moreover there is placed the On-Detector electronic. The anode has been improved w.r.t. the state of the art through a jagged readout that minimize the inter-strip capacitance. The mechanical challenge of this detector requires a precision of the entire geometry within few hundreds of microns in the whole area. In this presentation will be presented an overview of the construction technique and the validation of this technique through the realization of a CGEM and its first tests. These activities are performed within the framework of the BESIIICGEM Project (645664), funded by the European Commission in the action H2020-RISE-MSCA-2014.

The Cylindrical GEM-Inner Tracker (CGEM-IT) is the upgrade of the internal tracking system of the BESIII experiment. It consists of three layers of cylindrically-shaped triple GEMs, with important innovations with respect to the existing GEM detectors, in order to achieve the best performance with the lowest material budget. It will be the first cylindrical GEM running with analog readout inside a 1T magnetic field. The simultaneous measurement of both the deposited charge and the signal time will permit to use a combination of two algorithms to evaluate the spatial position of the charged tracks inside the CGEM-IT: the charge centroid and the micro time projection chamber modes. They are complementary and can cope with the asymmetry of the electron avalanche when running in magnetic field and with non-orthogonal incident tracks. To evaluate the behavior under different working settings, both planar chambers and the first cylindrical prototype have been tested during various test beams at CERN with 150 GeV/c muons and pions. This paper reports the results obtained with the two reconstruction methods and a comparison between the planar and cylindrical chambers.

A new inner tracker based on a cylindrical gas electron-multiplier detector is under development to replace the current inner drift chamber of the BES III spectrometer. The BES III experiment is carried out at the BEPC II e[Formula: see text]e[Formula: see text] collider in Beijing at center-of-mass energies in the tau-charm region with a design luminosity of 1.0 [Formula: see text] 10[Formula: see text] cm[Formula: see text]s[Formula: see text]. The new inner tracker consists of three cylindrical layers of triple GEM surrounding the interaction point, covering 93% of solid angle. To fulfill physics requirements, a spatial resolution of 130 μm must be achieved. Both planar and cylindrical prototypes have been built and tested. A custom ASIC using UMC 110-nm technology has been designed to provide charge and time measurements—the first prototype is in testing. Notable and innovative aspects of the new inner tracker and the performance of the detector prototypes and readout ASIC are reported here.

Gas detectors are very light instruments used in high energy physics to measure the particle properties: position and momentum. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology has been invented by F. Sauli in 1997 and in the past tens of years the knowledge of this Micro Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD) increased. A design with a triple-GEM has been used in several experiments in high energy physics such as TOTEM and COMPASS. This technology allows to achieve good spatial resolution performances and can be used to create large area detector with a shapeable surface, e.g. the KLOE2 Inner Tracker or the upcoming upgrade of the BESIII Inner Tracker. A triple-GEM uses three stages of GEMs, with high electric field, to amplify the number of the electrons produced by the primary ionization of the charged particle passing in the gas, with a total gain of about 104. The signal is then collected on a segmented anode and dedicated algorithms are used to reconstruct the charged particle position. The measurement of both the time and the charge information on the anode strip allows to use two algorithms: the Charge Centroid and the micro-Time Projection Chamber readout. The CC is strongly performing with orthogonal tracks while the µTPC gives its best results if magnetic field or if non-orthogonal tracks are present. These reconstruction methods are anti-correlated and the combination of the two is needed to keep the spatial resolution stable between the regions with different performances. A beam test with planar triple-GEM has been performed and in this presentation the merging algorithm of the CC and µTPC as a function of the charge and the multiplicity of the signal will be shown: a stable spatial resolution of about 130 µm has been achieved. In addition to this, the impact of the transversal and longitudinal diffusions on the reconstruction in µTPC mode will be shown, as well as the inter-strip capacitance effect.