Status of KEKB accelerator and detector, BELLE

TL;DR

This paper reports on the completion, commissioning, and initial performance results of the KEKB electron-positron collider and the BELLE detector, highlighting early achievements in luminosity and event detection.

Contribution

It provides an update on the construction, commissioning, and initial operation status of KEKB and BELLE, including first event detection and luminosity measurements.

Findings

First hadronic event observed on June 1, 1999

Maximum luminosity achieved was 3 x 10^32 cm^-2 sec^-1

Operation to continue after summer break

Abstract

Status of the KEKB accelerator and the detector, BELLE, is reported. The construction of the 3.5 Gev x 8 GeV electron-positron collider, and the solenoid detector, BELLE, was completed in December, 1998. The commissioning of them has been made since then. The BELLE detector has observed the first hadronic event from the beam collision on Jun 1, 1999. The achieved maximum luminosity by August 4th, 1999, was 3 x 10^32 cm^-2 sec^-1. The KEKB operation will be continued after two months of summer break.