435 research outputs found
Multi-layer scintillation detector for the MOON double beta decay experiment: Scintillation photon responses studied by a prototype detector MOON-1
An ensemble of multi-layer scintillators is discussed as an option of the
high-sensitivity detector Mo Observatory Of Neutrinos (MOON) for spectroscopic
measurements of neutrino-less double beta decays. A prototype detector MOON-1,
which consists of 6 layer plastic-scintillator plates, was built to study the
sensitivity of the MOON-type detector. The scintillation photon collection and
the energy resolution, which are key elements for the high-sensitivity
experiments, are found to be 1835+/-30 photo-electrons for 976 keV electrons
and sigma = 2.9+/-0.1% (dE/E = 6.8+/-0.3 % in FWHM) at the Qbb ~ 3 MeV region,
respectively. The multi-layer plastic-scintillator structure with good energy
resolution as well as good background suppression of beta-gamma rays is crucial
for the MOON-type detector to achieve the inverted hierarchy neutrino mass
sensitivity.Comment: 8 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Nucl.Instrum.Met
Challenges and opportunities in resuming spirometry services in England post-pandemic with potential to adopt Artificial Intelligence decision support software: a qualitative study
Background: Spirometry services to diagnose and monitor lung disease in primary care are restarting post-pandemic in England, identified as a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan, however evidence regarding best practice is limited.Aims: To explore perspectives on spirometry provision in primary care, and the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) decision support software to aid quality and interpretation.Design and Setting: Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in spirometry services in primary care.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in spirometry services across England. Participants were recruited by snowball sampling. Interviews explored the pre-pandemic delivery of spirometry, restarting of services and perceptions of the role of AI. Transcripts were analysed thematically.Results: 28 participants (mean [SD], 21.6 [9.4, range 3-40] years’ clinical experience) were interviewed between April and June 2022. Participants included clinicians (n=25) and commissioners (n=3); eight held regional and/or national respiratory network advisory roles. Four themes were identified: 1) Historical challenges in spirometry provision; 2) Inequity in post-pandemic spirometry provision and challenges to restarting spirometry in primary care; 3) Future delivery closer to patients’ homes by appropriately trained staff; 4) The potential for AI to have supportive roles in spirometry.Conclusion: Stakeholders highlighted historic challenges and the damaging effects of the pandemic contributing to inequity in provision of spirometry, which must be addressed. Overall stakeholders were positive about the potential of AI to support clinicians in quality assessment and interpretation of spirometry. However, it was evident that validation of the software must be sufficiently robust for clinicians and healthcare commissioners to have trust in the process
The Majorana Project
Building a \BBz experiment with the ability to probe neutrino mass in the
inverted hierarchy region requires the combination of a large detector mass
sensitive to \BBz, on the order of 1-tonne, and unprecedented background
levels, on the order of or less than 1 count per year in the \BBz signal
region. The MAJORANA Collaboration proposes a design based on using high-purity
enriched Ge-76 crystals deployed in ultra-low background electroformed Cu
cryostats and using modern analysis techniques that should be capable of
reaching the required sensitivity while also being scalable to a 1-tonne size.
To demonstrate feasibility, the collaboration plans to construct a prototype
system, the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, consisting of 30 kg of 86% enriched \Ge-76
detectors and 30 kg of natural or isotope-76-depleted Ge detectors. We plan to
deploy and evaluate two different Ge detector technologies, one based on a
p-type configuration and the other on n-type.Comment: paper submitted for the 2008 Carolina International Symposium on
Neutrino Physic
The Majorana experiment: an ultra-low background search for neutrinoless double-beta decay
The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay would resolve the Majorana
nature of the neutrino and could provide information on the absolute scale of
the neutrino mass. The initial phase of the Majorana experiment, known as the
Demonstrator, will house 40 kg of Ge in an ultra-low background shielded
environment at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead,
SD. The objective of the Demonstrator is to determine whether a future 1-tonne
experiment can achieve a background goal of one count per tonne-year in a
narrow region of interest around the 76Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay peak.Comment: Presentation for the Rutherford Centennial Conference on Nuclear
Physic
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR: A Search for Neutrinoless Double-beta Decay of Germanium-76
The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay would determine whether the
neutrino is a Majorana particle and provide information on the absolute scale
of neutrino mass. The MAJORANA Collaboration is constructing the DEMONSTRATOR,
an array of germanium detectors, to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay
of 76-Ge. The DEMONSTRATOR will contain 40 kg of germanium; up to 30 kg will be
enriched to 86% in 76-Ge. The DEMONSTRATOR will be deployed deep underground in
an ultra-low-background shielded environment. Operation of the DEMONSTRATOR
aims to determine whether a future tonne-scale germanium experiment can achieve
a background goal of one count per tonne-year in a 4-keV region of interest
around the 76-Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay Q-value of 2039 keV.Comment: Submitted to AIP Conference Proceedings, 19th Particles & Nuclei
International Conference (PANIC 2011), Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, MA, USA, July 24-29, 2011; 3 pages, 1 figur
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR: A Search for Neutrinoless Double-beta Decay of Germanium-76
The {\sc Majorana} collaboration is searching for neutrinoless double beta
decay using Ge, which has been shown to have a number of advantages in
terms of sensitivities and backgrounds. The observation of neutrinoless
double-beta decay would show that lepton number is violated and that neutrinos
are Majorana particles and would simultaneously provide information on neutrino
mass. Attaining sensitivities for neutrino masses in the inverted hierarchy
region, meV, will require large, tonne-scale detectors with extremely
low backgrounds, at the level of 1 count/t-y or lower in the region of
the signal. The {\sc Majorana} collaboration, with funding support from DOE
Office of Nuclear Physics and NSF Particle Astrophysics, is constructing the
{\sc Demonstrator}, an array consisting of 40 kg of p-type point-contact
high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors, of which 30 kg will be enriched
to 87% in Ge. The {\sc Demonstrator} is being constructed in a clean
room laboratory facility at the 4850' level (4300 m.w.e.) of the Sanford
Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. It utilizes a compact graded
shield approach with the inner portion consisting of ultra-clean Cu that is
being electroformed and machined underground. The primary aim of the {\sc
Demonstrator} is to show the feasibility of a future tonne-scale measurement in
terms of backgrounds and scalability.Comment: Proceedings for the MEDEX 2013 Conferenc
Status of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR neutrinoless double beta-decay experiment is
currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in
South Dakota, USA. An overview and status of the experiment are given.Comment: 8 pages, proceeding from VII International Conference on
Interconnections between Particle Physics and Cosmology (PPC 2013), submitted
to AIP proceeding
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