82 research outputs found
Search for non-relativistic Magnetic Monopoles with IceCube
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a large Cherenkov detector instrumenting
of Antarctic ice. The detector can be used to search for
signatures of particle physics beyond the Standard Model. Here, we describe the
search for non-relativistic, magnetic monopoles as remnants of the GUT (Grand
Unified Theory) era shortly after the Big Bang. These monopoles may catalyze
the decay of nucleons via the Rubakov-Callan effect with a cross section
suggested to be in the range of to
. In IceCube, the Cherenkov light from nucleon decays
along the monopole trajectory would produce a characteristic hit pattern. This
paper presents the results of an analysis of first data taken from May 2011
until May 2012 with a dedicated slow-particle trigger for DeepCore, a
subdetector of IceCube. A second analysis provides better sensitivity for the
brightest non-relativistic monopoles using data taken from May 2009 until May
2010. In both analyses no monopole signal was observed. For catalysis cross
sections of the flux of non-relativistic
GUT monopoles is constrained up to a level of at a 90% confidence level,
which is three orders of magnitude below the Parker bound. The limits assume a
dominant decay of the proton into a positron and a neutral pion. These results
improve the current best experimental limits by one to two orders of magnitude,
for a wide range of assumed speeds and catalysis cross sections.Comment: 20 pages, 20 figure
Determining neutrino oscillation parameters from atmospheric muon neutrino disappearance with three years of IceCube DeepCore data
We present a measurement of neutrino oscillations via atmospheric muon
neutrino disappearance with three years of data of the completed IceCube
neutrino detector. DeepCore, a region of denser instrumentation, enables the
detection and reconstruction of atmospheric muon neutrinos between 10 GeV and
100 GeV, where a strong disappearance signal is expected. The detector volume
surrounding DeepCore is used as a veto region to suppress the atmospheric muon
background. Neutrino events are selected where the detected Cherenkov photons
of the secondary particles minimally scatter, and the neutrino energy and
arrival direction are reconstructed. Both variables are used to obtain the
neutrino oscillation parameters from the data, with the best fit given by
and
(normal mass hierarchy assumed). The
results are compatible and comparable in precision to those of dedicated
oscillation experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Observation of High-Energy Astrophysical Neutrinos in Three Years of IceCube Data
A search for high-energy neutrinos interacting within the IceCube detector
between 2010 and 2012 provided the first evidence for a high-energy neutrino
flux of extraterrestrial origin. Results from an analysis using the same
methods with a third year (2012-2013) of data from the complete IceCube
detector are consistent with the previously reported astrophysical flux in the
100 TeV - PeV range at the level of per flavor and reject a
purely atmospheric explanation for the combined 3-year data at .
The data are consistent with expectations for equal fluxes of all three
neutrino flavors and with isotropic arrival directions, suggesting either
numerous or spatially extended sources. The three-year dataset, with a livetime
of 988 days, contains a total of 37 neutrino candidate events with deposited
energies ranging from 30 to 2000 TeV. The 2000 TeV event is the highest-energy
neutrino interaction ever observed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by PRL. The event catalog, event
displays, and other data tables are included after the final page of the
article. Changed from the initial submission to reflect referee comments,
expanding the section on atmospheric backgrounds, and fixes offsets of up to
0.9 seconds in reported event times. Address correspondence to: J. Feintzeig,
C. Kopper, N. Whitehor
Determining neutrino oscillation parameters from atmospheric muon neutrino disappearance with three years of IceCube DeepCore data
We present a measurement of neutrino oscillations via atmospheric muon
neutrino disappearance with three years of data of the completed IceCube
neutrino detector. DeepCore, a region of denser instrumentation, enables the
detection and reconstruction of atmospheric muon neutrinos between 10 GeV and
100 GeV, where a strong disappearance signal is expected. The detector volume
surrounding DeepCore is used as a veto region to suppress the atmospheric muon
background. Neutrino events are selected where the detected Cherenkov photons
of the secondary particles minimally scatter, and the neutrino energy and
arrival direction are reconstructed. Both variables are used to obtain the
neutrino oscillation parameters from the data, with the best fit given by
and
(normal mass hierarchy assumed). The
results are compatible and comparable in precision to those of dedicated
oscillation experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Searches for Extended and Point-like Neutrino Sources with Four Years of IceCube Data
We present results on searches for point-like sources of neutrinos using four
years of IceCube data, including the first year of data from the completed
86-string detector. The total livetime of the combined dataset is 1,373 days.
For an E spectrum the median sensitivity at 90\% C.L. is
TeVcms for energies between 1 TeV1 PeV in the northern
sky and TeVcms for energies between 100
TeV 100 PeV in the southern sky. The sensitivity has improved from both the
additional year of data and the introduction of improved reconstructions
compared to previous publications. In addition, we present the first results
from an all-sky search for extended sources of neutrinos. We update results of
searches for neutrino emission from stacked catalogs of sources, and test five
new catalogs; two of Galactic supernova remnants and three of active galactic
nuclei. In all cases, the data are compatible with the background-only
hypothesis, and upper limits on the flux of muon neutrinos are reported for the
sources considered.Comment: 36 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
Atmospheric and Astrophysical Neutrinos above 1 TeV Interacting in IceCube
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory was designed primarily to search for
high-energy (TeV--PeV) neutrinos produced in distant astrophysical objects. A
search for ~TeV neutrinos interacting inside the instrumented
volume has recently provided evidence for an isotropic flux of such neutrinos.
At lower energies, IceCube collects large numbers of neutrinos from the weak
decays of mesons in cosmic-ray air showers. Here we present the results of a
search for neutrino interactions inside IceCube's instrumented volume between
1~TeV and 1~PeV in 641 days of data taken from 2010--2012, lowering the energy
threshold for neutrinos from the southern sky below 10 TeV for the first time,
far below the threshold of the previous high-energy analysis. Astrophysical
neutrinos remain the dominant component in the southern sky down to 10 TeV.
From these data we derive new constraints on the diffuse astrophysical neutrino
spectrum, , as well as the strongest upper limit yet on
the flux of neutrinos from charmed-meson decay in the atmosphere, 1.52 times
the benchmark theoretical prediction used in previous IceCube results at 90\%
confidence.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figure
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory Part VI: Ice Properties, Reconstruction and Future Developments
Papers on ice properties, reconstruction and future developments submitted to
the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the
IceCube Collaboration.Comment: 28 pages, 38 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International
Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the
author lis
The use of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair and regeneration: a systematic review.
BACKGROUND: The management of articular cartilage defects presents many clinical challenges due to its avascular, aneural and alymphatic nature. Bone marrow stimulation techniques, such as microfracture, are the most frequently used method in clinical practice however the resulting mixed fibrocartilage tissue which is inferior to native hyaline cartilage. Other methods have shown promise but are far from perfect. There is an unmet need and growing interest in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to improve the outcome for patients requiring cartilage repair. Many published reviews on cartilage repair only list human clinical trials, underestimating the wealth of basic sciences and animal studies that are precursors to future research. We therefore set out to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the translation of stem cell therapy to explore what research had been carried out at each of the stages of translation from bench-top (in vitro), animal (pre-clinical) and human studies (clinical) and assemble an evidence-based cascade for the responsible introduction of stem cell therapy for cartilage defects. This review was conducted in accordance to PRISMA guidelines using CINHAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Knowledge databases from 1st January 1900 to 30th June 2015. In total, there were 2880 studies identified of which 252 studies were included for analysis (100 articles for in vitro studies, 111 studies for animal studies; and 31 studies for human studies). There was a huge variance in cell source in pre-clinical studies both of terms of animal used, location of harvest (fat, marrow, blood or synovium) and allogeneicity. The use of scaffolds, growth factors, number of cell passages and number of cells used was hugely heterogeneous. SHORT CONCLUSIONS: This review offers a comprehensive assessment of the evidence behind the translation of basic science to the clinical practice of cartilage repair. It has revealed a lack of connectivity between the in vitro, pre-clinical and human data and a patchwork quilt of synergistic evidence. Drivers for progress in this space are largely driven by patient demand, surgeon inquisition and a regulatory framework that is learning at the same pace as new developments take place
Observation of the cosmic-ray shadow of the Moon with IceCube
We report on the observation of a significant deficit of cosmic rays from the direction of the Moon with the IceCube detector. The study of this “Moon shadow” is used to characterize the angular resolution and absolute pointing capabilities of the detector. The detection is based on data taken in two periods before the completion of the detector: between April 2008 and May 2009, when IceCube operated in a partial configuration with 40 detector strings deployed in the South Pole ice, and between May 2009 and May 2010 when the detector operated with 59 strings. Using two independent analysis methods, the Moon shadow has been observed to high significance (>6σ) in both detector configurations. The observed location of the shadow center is within 0.2° of its expected position when geomagnetic deflection effects are taken into account. This measurement validates the directional reconstruction capabilities of IceCube
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