301 research outputs found
A low background counting facility at laboratori nazionali del Gran Sasso
Abstract A low background counting facility with gamma spectroscopy is working in the underground laboratory at LNGS. The main features and some measurements are described here
First Characterization of the Ultra-Shielded Chamber in the Low-noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel Pays d'Apt
In compliance with international agreements on nuclear weapons limitation,
the French ground-based nuclear arsenal has been decommissioned in its
totality. One of its former underground missile control centers, located in
Rustrel, 60 km east of Avignon (Provence) has been converted into the
``Laboratoire Souterrain \`a Bas Bruit de Rustrel-Pays d'Apt'' (LSBB). The
deepest experimental hall (500 m of calcite rock overburden) includes a 100
m area of sturdy flooring suspended by and resting on shock absorbers,
entirely enclosed in a 28 m-long, 8 m-diameter, 1 cm-thick steel Faraday cage.
This results in an unparalleled combination of shielding against cosmic rays,
acoustic, seismic and electromagnetic noise, which can be exploited for rare
event searches using ultra low-temperature and superconducting detectors. The
first characterization measurements in this unique civilian site are reported.
For more info see http://home.cern.ch/collar/RUSTREL/rustrel.htmlComment: Homepage and quoted hyperlinks have been updated: see
http://home.cern.ch/collar/RUSTREL/rustrel.htm
Muon Detection of TeV Gamma Rays from Gamma Ray Bursts
Because of the limited size of the satellite-borne instruments, it has not
been possible to observe the flux of gamma ray bursts (GRB) beyond GeV energy.
We here show that it is possible to detect the GRB radiation of TeV energy and
above, by detecting the muon secondaries produced when the gamma rays shower in
the Earth's atmosphere. Observation is made possible by the recent
commissioning of underground detectors (AMANDA, the Lake Baikal detector and
MILAGRO) which combine a low muon threshold of a few hundred GeV or less, with
a large effective area of 10^3 m^2 or more. Observations will not only provide
new insights in the origin and characteristics of GRB, they also provide
quantitative information on the diffuse infrared background.Comment: Revtex, 12 pages, 3 postscript figures, uses epsfig.st
A low background facility inside the LVD detector at Gran Sasso
The Large Volume Detector (LVD) in the Gran Sasso Laboratory of INFN is an
observatory mainly devoted to search for neutrinos from core collapse
supernovae. It consists of 1000 tons of liquid scintillator divided in 840
stainless steel tanks 1.5m each. In this letter we present the possibility
for LVD to work both as a passive shield and moderator for the low energy gamma
and neutron background and as an active veto for muons and higher energy
neutrons. An inner region inside the LVD structure ("LVD Core Facility") can be
identified, with a volume of about 30m, with the neutron background typical
of an underground laboratory placed at a much deeper site. This region can be
realized with a negligible impact on the LVD operation and sensitive mass. The
LVD Core Facility could be effectively exploited by a compact experiment for
the search of rare events, such as double beta decay or dark matter.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
The Cross Section of 3He(3He,2p)4He measured at Solar Energies
We report on the results of the \hethet\ experiment at the underground
accelerator facility LUNA (Gran Sasso). For the first time the lowest
projectile energies utilized for the cross section measurement correspond to
energies below the center of the solar Gamow peak (=22 keV). The
data provide no evidence for the existence of a hypothetical resonance in the
energy range investigated. Although no extrapolation is needed anymore (except
for energies at the low-energy tail of the Gamow peak), the data must be
corrected for the effects of electron screening, clearly observed the first
time for the \hethet\ reaction. The effects are however larger than expected
and not understood, leading presently to the largest uncertainty on the quoted
value for bare nuclides (=5.40 MeV b).Comment: 18 pages, 10 postscript figures, Calculations concerning hypothetical
resonanz added, Submitted to Phys. Rev. C., available at this URL:
HTTP://www.lngs.infn.it/lngs/htexts/luna/luna.htm
Neutrino Experiments: Status, Recent Progress, and Prospects
Neutrino physics has seen an explosion of activity and new results in the
last decade. In this report the current state of the field is summarized, with
a particular focus on progress in the last two years. Prospects for the near
term (roughly 5 years) are also described.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, proceedings of plenary talk at EPS HEP 2007
Conference, Manchester, UK. Updated with citation added to Figure 1
Constraining Non-Standard Interactions of the Neutrino with Borexino
We use the Borexino 153.6 ton.year data to place constraints on non-standard
neutrino-electron interactions, taking into account the uncertainty in the 7Be
solar neutrino flux, and backgrounds due to 85Kr and 210Bi beta-decay. We find
that the bounds are comparable to existing bounds from all other experiments.
Further improvement can be expected in Phase II of Borexino due to the
reduction in the 85Kr background.Comment: 21 pages, 16 pdf figures, 2 tables. Analysis updated including the
uncertainty in sin^2\theta_{23}. Accepted in JHE
Geoneutrinos in Borexino
This paper describes the Borexino detector and the high-radiopurity studies
and tests that are integral part of the Borexino technology and development.
The application of Borexino to the detection and studies of geoneutrinos is
discussed.Comment: Conference: Neutrino Geophysics Honolulu, Hawaii December 14-16, 200
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