STCF conceptual design report (Volume 1): Physics & detector

The superτ-charm facility(STCF)is an electron–positron collider proposed by the Chinese particle physics community.It is designed to operate in a center-of-mass energy range from 2 to 7 GeV with a peak luminosity of 0.5×10^(35) cm^(–2)·s^(–1) or higher.The STCF will produce a data sample about a factor of 100 larger than that of the presentτ-charm factory—the BEPCII,providing a unique platform for exploring the asymmetry of matter-antimatter(charge-parity violation),in-depth studies of the internal structure of hadrons and the nature of non-perturbative strong interactions,as well as searching for exotic hadrons and physics beyond the Standard Model.The STCF project in China is under development with an extensive R&D program.This document presents the physics opportunities at the STCF,describes conceptual designs of the STCF detector system,and discusses future plans for detector R&D and physics case studies.

Evidence for particle acceleration approaching PeV energies in the W51 complex

Theγ-ray emission from the W51 complex is widely acknowledged to be attributed to the interaction between the cosmic rays(CRs)accelerated by the shock of supernova remnant(SNR)W51C and the dense molecular clouds in the adjacent star-forming region,W51B.However,the maximum acceleration capability of W51C for CRs remains elusive.Based on observations conducted with the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO),we report a significant detection ofγrays emanating from the W51 complex,with energies from 2 to 200 TeV.The LHAASO measurements,for the first time,extend theγ-ray emission from the W51 complex beyond 100 TeV and reveal a significant spectrum bending at tens of TeV.By combining the"π^(0)-decay bump"featured data from Fermi-LAT,the broadbandγ-ray spectrum of the W51 region can be well-characterized by a simple pp-collision model.The observed spectral bending feature suggests an exponential cutoff at~400 TeV or a power-law break at~200 TeV in the CR proton spectrum,most likely providing the first evidence of SNRs serving as CR accelerators approaching the PeV regime.Additionally,two young star clusters within W51B could also be theoretically viable to produce the most energeticγrays observed by LHAASO.Our findings strongly support the presence of extreme CR accelerators within the W51 complex and provide new insights into the origin of Galactic CRs.

Amplitude analysis of the decays D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(+)π^(−)and D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(0)π^(0)

Using e^(+)e^(−)annihilation data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb^(−1)taken at the center-of-mass energy√s=3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector,a joint amplitude analysis is performed on the decays D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(+)π^(−)and D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(0)π^(0)(non-η).The fit fractions of individual components are obtained,and large interferences among the dominant components of the decays D^(0)→a_(1)(1260)π,D^(0)→π(1300)π,D^(0)→ρ(770)ρ(770),and D^(0)→2(ππ)_(S)are observed in both channels.With the obtained amplitude model,the CP-even fractions of D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(+)π^(−)and D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(0)π^(0)(non-η)are determined to be(75.2±1.1_(stat).±1.5_(syst.))%and(68.9±1.5_(stat).±2.4_(syst.))%,respectively.The branching fractions of D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(+)π^(−)and D^(0)→π^(+)π^(−)π^(0)π^(0)(non-η)are measured to be(0.688±0.010_(stat.)±0.010_(syst.))%and(0.951±0.025_(stat.)±0.021_(syst.))%,respectively.The amplitude analysis provides an important model for the binning strategy in measuring the strong phase parameters of D^(0)→4πwhen used to determine the CKM angleγ(ϕ_(3))via the B^(−)→DK^(−)decay.

Determination of the number ofψ(3686)events taken at BESⅢ

The number ofψ(3686)events collected by the BESⅢdetector during the 2021 run period is determined to be(2259.3±11.1)×10~6 by counting inclusiveψ(3686)hadronic events.The uncertainty is systematic and the statistical uncertainty is negligible.Meanwhile,the numbers ofψ(3686)events collected during the 2009 and 2012run periods are updated to be(107.7±0.6)×10~6 and(345.4±2.6)×10~6,respectively.Both numbers are consistent with the previous measurements within one standard deviation.The total number ofψ(3686)events in the three data samples is(2712.4±14.3)×10~6.

Optimization of performance of the KM2A full array using the Crab Nebula

The full array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO)has been in operation since July 2021.For its kilometer-square array(KM2A),we optimized the selection criteria for very high and ultrahigh energyγ-rays using data collected from August 2021 to August 2022,resulting in an improvement in significance of the detection in the Crab Nebula of approximately 15%,compared with that of previous cuts.With the implementation of these new selection criteria,the angular resolution was also significantly improved by approximately 10%at tens of TeV.Other aspects of the full KM2A array performance,such as the pointing error,were also calibrated using the Crab Nebula.The resulting energy spectrum of the Crab Nebula in the energy range of 10-1000 TeV are well fitted by a log-parabola model,which is consistent with the previous results from LHAASO and other experiments.

LHAASO-KM2A detector simulation using Geant4

KM2A is one of the main sub-arrays of LHAASO,working on gamma ray astronomy and cosmic ray physics at energies above 10 TeV.Detector simulation is the important foundation for estimating detector performance and data analysis.It is a big challenge to simulate the KM2A detector in the framework of Geant4 due to the need to track numerous photons from a large number of detector units(>6000)with large altitude difference(30)and huge coverage(1.3).In this paper,the design of the KM2A simulation code G4KM2A based on Geant4 is introduced.The process of G4KM2A is optimized mainly in memory consumption to avoid memory overflow.Some simplifications are used to significantly speed up the execution of G4KM2A.The running time is reduced by at least 30 times compared to full detector simulation.The particle distributions and the core/angle resolution comparison between simulation and experimental data of the full KM2A array are also presented,which show good agreement.

Flux variations of cosmic ray air showers detected by LHAASO-KM2A during a thunderstorm on June 10,2021

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO)has three sub-arrays,KM2A,WCDA,and WFCTA.The flux variations of cosmic ray air showers were studied by analyzing the KM2A data during a thunderstorm on June 10,2021.The number of shower events that meet the trigger conditions increases significantly in atmospheric electric fields,with a maximum fractional increase of 20%.The variations in trigger rates(increases or decreases)were found to be strongly dependent on the primary zenith angle.The flux of secondary particles increased significantly,following a trend similar to that of shower events.To better understand the observed behavior,Monte Carlo simulations were performed with CORSIKA and G4KM2A(a code based on GEANT4).We found that the experimental data(in saturated negative fields)were in good agreement with the simulations,assuming the presence of a uniform electric field of-700 V/cm with a thickness of 1500 m in the atmosphere above the observation level.Due to the acceleration/deceleration by the atmospheric electric field,the number of secondary particles with energy above the detector threshold was modified,resulting in the changes in shower detection rate.

Observation of e^(+)e^(-)→pppñπ-+c.c.

Using data taken at 29 center-of-mass energies between 4.16 and 4.70 GeV with the BESⅢdetector at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of approximately 18.8 fb^(-1),the process e^(+)e^(-)→pppñπ+c.c.is observed for the first time with a statistical significance of 11.5σ.The average Born cross sections in the energy ranges of(4.160,4.380)GeV,(4.400,4.600)GeV and(4.610,4.700)GeV are measured to be(21.5±5.7±1.2)fb,(46.3±10.6±2.5)fb and(59.0±9.4±3.2)fb,respectively,where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.The line shapes of the pñ and ppπ^(-)invariant mass spectra are consistent with phase space distributions,indicating that no hexaquark or di-baryon state is observed.

Search for hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness in e^(+)e^(−)→K^(+)D_(s)^(∗−) D^(∗0 )+ c.c.

We report a search for a heavier partner of the recently observed Z_(cs)(3985)^(-) state,denoted as Z_(cs)^('-),in the process e^(+)e^(−)→K^(+)D_(s)^(∗−) D^(∗0 )+ c.c.,based on e^(*)e^(-)collision data collected at the center-of-mass energies of √s=4.661,4.682 and 4.699 GeV with the BESIII detector.The Z_(cs)^('-) is of interest as it is expected to be a candidate for a hidden-charm and open-strange tetraquark.A partial-reconstruction technique is used to isolate K^(+)recoil-mass spectra,which are probed for a potential contribution from Z_(cs)^('-)→D_(s)^(∗−) D^(∗0 )+ c.c.We find an excess of Z_(cs)^('-)→D_(s)^(*-)-D^(*0)(c.c.)candidates with a significance of 2.1o,after considering systematic uncertainties,at a mass of(4123.5±0.7_(sat)±4.7_(syst.))MeV/c^(2).As the data set is limited in size,the upper limits are evaluated at the 90%confidence level on the product of the Born cross sections(σ^(Borm))and the branching fraction(B)of Z_(cs)^('-)→D_(s)^(*-)-D^(*0),under different assumptions of the Z_(cs)^('-) mass from 4.120 to 4.140 MeV and of the width from 10 to 50 MeV at the three center-of-mass energies.The upper limits of σ^(Born).B are found to be at the level of O(1)pb at each energy.Larger data samples are needed to confirm the Z_(cs)^('-) state and clarify its nature in the coming years.

Search for the weak decayψ(3686)→■+c.c.

Using(448.1±2.9)×10^(6)ψ(3686)for the weak baryonic decayψ(3686)→Λc+∑-+c.c..The analysis procedure is optimized using a blinded method.No significant signal is observed,and the upper limit on the branching fraction(B)ofψ(3686)→Λc+∑-+c.c.is set as 1.4×10^(-5)at the 90%confidence level.

Observations of the Cabibbo-Suppressed decays Λ_(c)^(+)→nπ+π^(0),nπ^(+)π^(-)π^(+) and the Cabibbo-Favored decay Λ_(c)^(+)→nK^(-)π^(+)π^(+)

Using electron-positron annihilation data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb-1,collected by the BESⅢdetector in the energy region between 4599.53 MeV and 4698.82 MeV,we report the first observations of the Cabibbo-suppressed decaysΛ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+)π^(0),Λ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+)π^(-)π^(+),and the Cabibbo-favored decayΛ_(c)^(+)→nK^(-)π^(+)π^(+)with statistical significances of 7.9σ,7.8σ,and>10σ,respectively.The branching fractions of these decays are measured to be B(Λ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+)π^(0))=(0.64±0.09±0.02)%,B(Λ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+)π^(-)π^(+))=(0.45±0.07±0.03)%,and B(Λ_(c)^(+)→nK^(-)π^(+)π^(+))=(1.90±0.08±0.09)%,where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.We find that the branching fraction of the decayΛ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+)π^(0)is about one order of magnitude higher than that ofΛ_(c)^(+)→nπ^(+).

Measurements of the center-of-mass energies of e^(+)e^(-)collisions at BESIII

During the 2016-17 and 2018-19 running periods,the BESIII experiment collected 7.5 fb of e^(+)e^(-)collision data at center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.13 to 4.44 GeV.These data samples are primarily used for the study of excited charmonium and charmoniumlike states.By analyzing the di-muon process e^(+)e^(-)→(γISR=FSR)μ^(+)μ^(-),we measure the center-of-mass energies of the data samples with a precision of 0.6 MeV.Through a run-by-run study,we find that the center-of-mass energies were stable throughout most of the data-collection period.

Future Physics Programme of BESⅢ

There has recently been a dramatic renewal of interest in hadron spectroscopy and charm physics. This renaissance has been driven in part by the discovery of a plethora of charmonium-like XYZ states at BESⅢ and B factories, and the observation of an intriguing proton-antiproton threshold enhancement and the possibly related X(1835) meson state at BESⅢ, as well as the threshold measurements of charm mesons and charm baryons. We present a detailed survey of the important topics in tau-charm physics and hadron physics that can be further explored at BESⅢ during the remaining operation period of BEPCⅡ. This survey will help in the optimization of the data-taking plan over the coming years, and provides physics motivation for the possible upgrade of BEPCⅡ to higher luminosity.

Study of BESIII trigger efficiencies with the 2018 J/ψ data

Using a dedicated data sample taken in 2018 on the J/ψpeak,we perform a detailed study of the trigger efficiencies of the BESIII detector.The efficiencies are determined from three representative physics processes,namely Bhabha scattering,dimuon production and generic hadronic events with charged particles.The combined efficiency of all active triggers approaches 100%in most cases,with uncertainties small enough not to affect most physics analyses.

Observation of the Crab Nebula with LHAASO-KM2A−a performance study

A sub-array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory(LHAASO),KM2A is mainly designed to observe a large fraction of the northern sky to hunt for γ-ray sources at energies above 10 TeV.Even though the detector construction is still underway,half of the KM2A array has been operating stably since the end of 2019.In this paper,we present the KM2A data analysis pipeline and the first observation of the Crab Nebula,a standard candle in very high energy γ-ray astronomy.We detect γ-ray signals from the Crab Nebula in both energy ranges of 10-100 TeV and>100 TeV with high significance,by analyzing the KM2A data of 136 live days between December 2019 and May 2020.With the observations,we test the detector performance,including angular resolution,pointing accuracy and cosmic-ray background rejection power.The energy spectrum of the Crab Nebula in the energy range 10-250 TeV fits well with a single power-law function dN/dE=(1.13±0.05stat±0.08sys)×10^(-14).(E/20 TeV)-309±0.06stat±0.02syscm^(-2) s^(-1) TeV^(-1).It is consistent with previous measurements by other experiments.This opens a new window of γ-ray astronomy above 0.1 PeV through which new ultrahigh-energy γ-ray phenomena,such as cosmic PeVatrons,might be discovered.

Performance of LHAASO-WCDA and observation of the Crab Nebula as a standard candle

The first Water Cherenkov detector of the LHAASO experiment(WCDA-1)has been operating since April 2019.The data for the first year have been analyzed to test its performance by observing the Crab Nebula as a standard candle.The WCDA-1 achieves a sensitivity of 65 mCU per year,with a statistical threshold of 5 cr.To accomplish this,a 97.7%cosmic-ray background rejection rate around 1 TeV and 99.8%around 6 TeV with an ap proximate photon acceptance of 50%is achieved after applying an algorithm to separate gamma-induced showers.The angular resolution is measured using the Crab Nebula as a point source to be approximately 0.45°at 1 TeV and better than 0.2°above 6 TeV,with a pointing accuracy better than 0.05°.These values all match the design specifications.The energy resolution is found to be 33%for gamma rays around 6 TeV.The spectral energy distribution of the Crab Nebula in the range from 500 GeV to 15.8 TeV is measured and found to be in agreement with the results from other TeV gamma ray observatories.

Geometrical reconstruction of fluorescence events observed by the LHAASO experiment

The LHAASO-WFCTA experiment,which aims to observe cosmic rays in the sub-EeV range using the fluorescence technique,uses a new generation of high-performance telescopes.To ensure that the experiment has ex-cellent detection capability associated with the measurement of the energy spectrum,the primary composition of cosmic rays,and so on,an accurate geometrical reconstruction of air-shower events is fundamental.This paper de-scribes the development and testing of geometrical reconstruction for stereo viewed events using the WFCTA(Wide Field of view Cherenkov/Fluorescence Telescope Array)detectors.Two approaches,which take full advantage ofthe WFCTA detectors.are investigated.One is the stereo-angular method,which uses the pointing of triggered SiPMs in the shower trajectory,and the other is the stereo-timing method,which uses the triggering time of the fired SiPMs.The results show that both methods have good geometrical resolution:the resolution of the stereo-timing method is slightly better than the stereo-angular method because the resolution of the latter is slightly limited by the shower track length.

Search for electron-antineutrinos associated with gravitational-wave events GW150914,GW151012,GW151226,GW170104,GW170608,GW170814,and GW170817 at Daya Bay

The establishment of a possible connection between neutrino emission and gravitational-wave(GW)bursts is important to our understanding of the physical processes that occur when black holes or neutron stars merge.In the Daya Bay experiment,using the data collected from December 2011 to August 2017,a search was per-formed for electron-antineutrino signals that coincided with detected GW events,including GW150914,GW151012,GW151226,GW170104,GW170608,GW 170814,and GW 170817.We used three time windows of±10,±500,and±1000 s relative to the occurrence of the GW events and a neutrino energy range of 1.8 to 100 MeV to search for correlated neutrino candidates.The detected electron-antineutrino candidates were consistent with the expected background rates for all the three time windows.Assuming monochromatic spectra,we found upper limits(90%confidence level)of the electron-antineutrino fluence of(1.13-2.44)×10^(11)cm^(-2)at 5 MeV to 8.0×10^(7)cm^(-2)at 100 MeV for the three time w indows.Under the assumption of a Fermi-Dirac spectrum,the upper limits were found to be(5.4-7.0)×10^(9)cm^(2)for the three time windows.

Number of J/ψ events at BESIII

Using inclusive decays of J/ψ aprecise determination of the number of J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector was performed.For the two data sets taken in 2009 and 2012,the numbers of J/ψ events were recalculated to be(224.0±1.3)×10^(6) and(1088.5±4.4)×10^(6),respectively;these numbers are in good agreement with the previous measurements. For the J/ψ sample taken in 2017-2019,the number of events was determined to be(8774.0±39.4)×10^(6).The total number of J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector was determined to be(10087±44)×10^(6),where the uncertainty is dominated by systematic effects,and the statistical uncertainty is negligible.

Observation of e^+e^-→D_s^+■^((*)0)K^- and study of the P-wave D_s mesons

Studies of e^+e~→D_s^+■^((*)0)K^-and the P-wave charmed-strange mesons are performed based on an e^+e^-collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 567 pb^(-1) collected with the BESIII detector at s^(1/2)=4.600 GeV. The processes of e^+e^-→D_s^+■^(*0)K^- and D_s^+■~0K^- are observed for the first time and are found to be dominated by the modes D_s^+D_(s1)(2536)^-and D_s^+D_(s2)~*(2573)^-, respectively. The Born cross sections are measured to be σ~B(e^+e^-→D_s^+■^(*0)K^-) =(10.1±2.3±0.8) pb and σ~B(e^+e^-→D_s^+■~0K^-) =(19.4±2.3± 1.6) pb, and the products of Born cross section and the decay branching fraction are measured to be σ~B(e^+e^-→D_s^+D_(s1)(2536)^-+c.c.)·B(D_(s1)(2536)^-→■^(*0)K^-)=(7.5±1.8±0.7) pb and σ~B(e^+e^-→D_s^+D_(s2)~*(2573)^-+ c.c.)·B(D_(s2)~*(2573)^-→■~0 K^-)=(19.7 ± 2.9 ±2.0) pb. For the D_(s1)(2536)^-and D_(s2)~*(2573)^-mesons, the masses and widths are measured to be M(D_(s1)(2536)^-)=(2537.7±0.5 ±3.1) MeV/c2, Γ(D_(s1)(2536)^-) =(1.7 ±1.2 ±0.6)MeV, and M(D_(s2)~*(2573)^-)=(2570.7±2.0 ±1.7) MeV/c^2, Γ(D_(s2)~*(2573)^-)=(17.2 ±3.6 ±1.1) MeV. The spin-parity of the D_(s2)~*(2573)^-meson is determined to be J^p= 2^+. In addition, the processes e^+e^-→D_s^+■^((*)0)K^-are searched for using the data samples taken at four(two) center-of-mass energies between 4.416(4.527) and 4.575 GeV, and upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the cross sections are determined.