Because quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is non-perturbative at low energies, strong in- teractions at the ∼ GeV scale are very challenging to understand. Theoretical progress has been made recently using QCD-based effective field theories (EFT). The short-distance physics of the effective theory is absorbed into a limited number of low energy constants (LECs), which are determined by direct experimental measurement. The MuSun experi- ment is measuring the rate Λd for muon capture on the deuteron, which is the simplest weak interaction in a two nucleon system. Λd will be used, in turn, to better determine a funda- mental LEC known as dR in the EFT. An improvement in the precision of this LEC will improve our understanding of several other processes in the two-nucleon sector: pp fusion, the main source of energy in the sun and other main-sequence stars and neutrino-deuteron scattering, as observed in the SNO experiment. The MuSun experiment determines Λd via a precision measurement of the negative muon lifetime in deuterium. The time difference between an incoming muon, which stops in deuterium, and the subsequent decay electron characterizes the muon disappearance rate. That disappearance rate is the sum of the ordinary muon decay rate and the nuclear capture rate. The ultimate goal of the MuSun experiment is to determine the nuclear capture rate (Λd) to a precision of 1.5 %, an order of magnitude improvement over previous efforts. The principal experimental development required to achieve this goal is a cryogenic (T ∼30K) time projection chamber, which not only serves as the deuterium gas target, but also provides an unambiguous measurement of muon stopping position - muons that stop in high Z materials outside the fiducial deuterium volume produce a very large systematic error. The low temperature helps minimize several other systematic errors. The MuSun experiment is taking place at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen, Switzer- land. Over the past 5 years, the MuSun collaboration has staged 4 major experimental production runs. In this thesis, I present a measurement of the muon capture rate on deu- terium, as determined from data taken in the summer of 2013. The estimated statistical and systematic error is about 7.5%.

The rate of decay of the process W -> Wγ is well-defined by the Standard Model, so measured deviation is a strong but indirect indicator of non-Standard Model physics. Deviations of this coupling strength can be parameterized, in a model independent, general sense, into two parameters, Δk and λ.

Redfield's theory and the theory of master equations have been reviewed and their applications to muonium spin dynamics discussed. It was found that both theories are equivalent in the Markov limit. In some cases, analytical expressions for relaxation rates are found. In addition, Redfield's theory was applied to describe spin relaxation of muonium-substituted free radicals near level-crossing resonances. Theoretical predictions were compared with experimental data for the C₆F₆-Mu radical and the results suggest there are several relaxation mechanisms involved. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第21891号 / エネ博第392号 / 新制||エネ||76(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー応用科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 中嶋 隆, 教授 大垣 英明, 教授 作花 哲夫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

No description available.

La matière que nous connaissons est composée de hadrons dont les quarks et les gluons sont les composants élémentaires. Ces derniers n'existent pas libres dans la matière ordinaire et sont donc en permanence confinés dans les hadrons. Cependant, d'après les prédictions théoriques, quelques microsecondes après le Big Bang, la température était suffisamment élevée pour que les quarks et les gluons ne soient pas contenus dans les hadrons. Il s'agit d'une phase déconfinée de la matière hadronique appelée Plasma de Quarks et Gluons (QGP). Le Large Hadron Collider (LHC) au CERN (Genève) est un accélérateur de particules permettant d'accélérer, entre autres, des ions et de produire des collisions à des énergies dans le centre de masse par nucléons allant jusqu'à plusieurs TeraélectronVolts. Il est ainsi possible d'atteindre des températures permettant de recréer cette phase de QGP pour en étudier les propriétés. C'est dans ce cadre que se place l'expérience ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiement) qui est dédiée à l'étude des collisions d'ions lourds ultra-relativistes. Le temps de vie du QGP étant trop faible, il n'est pas possible de l'étudier directement. Il est alors nécessaire d'utiliser des observables indirectes. Ce travail de thèse s'inscrit directement dans ce programme de physique par le biais de l'étude des collisions d'ions lourds à 2.76 TeV. Deux observables sont abordées : la densité de particules chargées par unité de pseudorapidité et les mésons vecteurs de basse masse (rho, omega et phi) dans le canal dimuons. La première observable permet d'accéder à des informations sur les conditions initiales et la dynamique sous-jacente des mécanismes de production de particules. La mesure est réalisée sur la gamme en pseudo-rapidité la plus large jamais atteinte au LHC (10 unités) grâce au développement d'une méthode d'analyse originale dite " méthode des vertex déplacés ". La technique employée et les résultats obtenus sont décrits dans le chapitre 3. L'étude des mésons vecteurs de basse masse permet d'accéder à la production d'étrangeté via le méson phi et à la symétrie chirale à travers la modification de la fonction spectrale du rho. L'analyse a été menée à l'aide du spectromètre à muons d'ALICE et les résultats obtenus sur le taux de production du méson phi par rapport au mésons rho et omega sont présentés dans le chapitre 4. Dans ce chapitre, une étude sur la sensibilité du détecteur aux effets liés à la restauration de la symétrie chirale est aussi menée / The matter is composed of hadrons of which quarks and gluons are the elementary components. These do not exist in a free state in ordinary matter and are therefore permanently confined in hadrons. However, according to theoretical predictions, a few microseconds after the Big Bang, the temperature was high enough to create a deconfined state of quarks and hadrons : the Quark and Gluon Plasma (QGP). The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (Geneva) is a particle accelerator which accelerates, among others, ions and produces collisions with energies per nucleons in the center of mass up to several TeraelectronVolts. It is thus possible to achieve temperatures to recreate the QGP phase to study its properties. The experiment ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is dedicated to the study of such ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The lifetime of the QGP being too low, it is not possible to study it directly. It is then necessary to use indirect observables. This PhD work is directly related to the study of heavy-ion collisions at 2.76 TeV. Two observables are discussed : the density of charged particles per unit of pseudorapidity and low mass vector mesons (rho, omega and phi) in the dimuon channel. The first observable gives access to informations about the initial conditions and the underlying dynamics of particle production mechanisms. The measurement is performed in the largest pseudorapidity range reached at the LHC (10 units) thanks to the development of an original analysis method called " displaced vertex technique ". The technique employed and the results obtained are described in Chapter 3. The study of low mass vector mesons allows to probe the production of strangeness via the phi meson and chiral symmetry through the ! spectral function modification. The analysis was conducted using the ALICE muon spectrometer and the results obtained from the production rate of the phi with respect to rho and omega are shown in Chapter 4. In this chapter, a study on the sensitivity of the detector to the effects related to the chiral symmetry restoration is also conducted

Les muons, particules chargées d'origine cosmique, ont la particularité d'être très pénétrants. L'atténuation du flux de muons dans la matière témoigne de la quantité de matière traversée (profondeur x densité). Sur la base de ce principe, la muographie est une technique permettant d'étudier la densité in-situ de cibles volumineuses telles que des édifices géologiques. Le projet Tomographie Temporelle de la Densité par la Mesure des Muons (T2DM2) a pour objectif la caractérisation des variations spatiales et temporelles de la densité des roches avec un premier champ d'application dans la Zone Non Saturée (ZNS) de l'aquifère karstique de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, située au-dessus du LSBB. Ce travail de thèse se concentre sur la simulation numérique du flux de muons en profondeur et une première campagne de mesures durant 16 mois consécutifs à différentes profondeurs dans les galeries du LSBB. Les simulations menées sont en accord avec les variations de densité attendues en contexte hydrogéologique. L'influence de la composition atomique de la roche et des processus de diffusion sont discutés ainsi que des pistes pour réduire les durées d'acquisitions (et/ou surfaces de détection et/ou angles solides). Les mesures réalisées au LSBB ont permis d'identifier des zones de plus faibles densités telles que le point X1. Les données acquises ont pu être corrigées de l'influence de la pression atmosphérique grâce à la détermination du coefficient barométrique permettant ainsi l'analyse temporelle du flux de muons. / The muons, charged particles of cosmic origin, have the particularity of being very penetrative. The attenuation of muon flux in matter highlights the quantity of matter (depth x density) passed through. Based on this principle, the muography is a technique allowing the study of the in-situ density of large targets as geological structures. The Temporal Tomography of rock Density using Muon Measurements (T2DM2) aims at characterizing the spatial and temporal density variations with a first application in the unsaturated aquifer of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse located above the LSBB. This thesis work is focused on the numerical simulation of muon flux at depth and a first campaign of measurements during 16 consecutive months at various depths in LSBB galleries. The performed simulations are in agreement with the expected density variations in an hydrogeological context. The influences of the rock atomic composition and of the scattering processes are discussed as well as strategy to reduce the acquisition duration (and/or detection surfaces and/or solid angles). The measurements performed at LSBB allowed to identify areas of lower density such as the X1 point. The acquired data have been corrected thanks to the determination of the barometric coefficient allowing the temporal analysis of muon flux. The comparison of the recorded flux at different depths (~ 60 m, ~ 200 m and ~ 500 m) with the numerical simulations leads to an estimation of the average density of the rocks located above the LSBB of 1.9 ± 0.1 g.cm-3 testifying their important porosity.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第19219号 / 理博第4111号 / 新制||理||1592(附属図書館) / 32218 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)教授 中家 剛, 教授 谷森 達, 准教授 市川 温子 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) is the first technical demonstration of muon ionization cooling, using a prototype section of a Neutrino Factory cooling channel. MICE is currently under construction at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory in the UK and will make the first cooling measurements in 2015, in Step IV of the experimental programme. Cooling predictions in Monte Carlo simulations of Step IV were found to disagree with the predictions of the 'cooling formula', a widely-used approximation, by up to 30% in liquid hydrogen (LH2). This disagreement was shown to originate, largely, from the multiple scattering expression used in the cooling formula. It was necessary to go back to the fundamental physics of scattering to derive a more accurate expression that includes scattering from atomic electrons. A modified form of the cooling formula was derived using this expression and gave better agreement with the Monte Carlo in LH2. Predictions are given for the equilibrium emittance, using the new expression, for seven low Z materials at muon momenta of 140, 200 and 240 MeV/c. Theories which predict the distribution of multiple scattering angles are briefly reviewed, focusing on Moliere theory and its variants, which are the most widely-used theories. The distributions predicted by these theories are used in most Monte Carlo codes but their implementation is not transparent, especially regarding the treatment of scatters with atomic electrons, which are important in low Z materials. A simple Monte Carlo model to predict multiple scattering distributions was developed that correctly treats scatters off electrons. The model gives very good agreement with measurements by the MuScat Experiment. Investigations were made into the possibility of measuring multiple scattering in MICE Step IV, both with and without the magnetic field. Preliminary results suggest that measurements are easier with no magnetic field, where tracks are straight. Corrections to account for the resolution of the scintillating-fibre trackers are required in both cases, but these are substantially smaller when straight tracks are used.

The first half of the thesis presents our experimental study of a helical magnet MnGe. We apply μSR technique to study the dynamic as well as the static magnetism in MnGe. Our key findings are as follows. From the muon dynamic relaxation 1/T1 results, no apparent critical behavior or anomaly was observed at the boundary between param- agnetic and the induced-ferromagnetic regions. Our study revealed linear relation between the transverse field relaxation rate and the static magnetization. Furthermore, their ratio, which can be regarded a form of hyperfine coupling constant, is very similar in the induced ferromagnetic region and the paramagnetic region. This suggest that the Z component of the Mn moment is static in both regions. On the other hand, the single relaxation rate in the transverse spectra suggest that the internal field is highly homogeneous in the induced ferromagnetic region. We therefore speculate that the induced ferromagnetic region and the paramagnetic region are not separate phases, but rather a single phase with different tendencies as temperature decrease. With decreasing temperature, the paramagnetic region is marked with the winning of the tendency towards ferromagnetic ordering over random ordering, and the induced ferromagnetic region is marked with the winning of the tendency towards the helical order over ferromagnetic order.At lower temperature, we observed dynamic critical behavior in the boundary between the induced ferromagnetic region and the Skyrmion region. Specifically, in low fields, the 1/T1 relaxation rate behaves qualitatively different from the prediction of SCR theory for itinerant ferromagnet for large temperature regime above Tc. In high fields, on the other hand, the system recovers the SCR itinerant ferromagnetic behavior. Through analyzing field effect on spin fluctuation and phase transition in the low and high field regimes, we speculate that this could be due to the suppression of helical fluctuation into ferromagnetic-like fluc- tuation by large magnetic fields. Our μSR results, which show 2nd order signature for the transition between the induced ferromagnetic region into the Skyrmion region, is consistent with considerations based on the topology of the magnetic structure in each phase. At low temperatures within the Skyrmion region of MnGe, our analysis of the transverse field data shows that all the three components of the Mn moment is frozen. The quadratic tempera- ture dependence of 1/T1 at low temperatures suggest the two-magnon spin wave to be the dominant spin excitation in the Skyrmion region. This is similar to those seen in local- ized moment magnets and is qualitatively different from the linear temperature dependence predicted from SCR theory for itinerant ferromagnets. The second half of the thesis present our derivation of the structure function and the pair distribution function (PDF) for textured materials. We also derive the analytical form of the PDF for a few special cases of texture. In this study, we start from the general form of a 3D structure function and derive the general and orientationally averaged form of the structure function and PDF for textured samples. In particular for a thin film sample with fibre texture, our formalism gives the result known as the 2 dimensional PDF. We developed open-software that calculates the 2 dimensional PDF for a textured thin film, and showed that the experimental PDF was well fitted using the model. On the other hand, the PDF method could be extended to an energy-dependent form, which could reveal explicitly the effect of lattice dynamics on the local arrangement of the atoms. This is usually called the dynamic PDF method. In this thesis we derive the analytical form of the dynamic PDF for a simple molecule that contains two identical atoms. And we interpret the mathematical results with physical consideration of the lattice dynamics. In addition, we also propose a new definition for the dynamic PDF which can be shown to reduce to the atomic PDF by integrating over energy. This new definition of the dynamic PDF incorporates the contribution from multi-phonon scattering effects, and can be computed conveniently from inelastic neutron scattering.