Study of the characteristics of SiPMs matrix as a photosensor for the scintillation detectors

The matrices formed of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are very promising photosensors for the scintillation detectors. The use of SiPM matrices with appropriate optical collector gives, in principle, a possibility to do a snapshot of glowing track of charged particle traversing a scintillator. The prototype of such scintillation detector is under development now in INR RAS. The preliminary results of characterization study of the matrix ArrayC-60035-64P-PCB (SensL company) for the prototype of such detector are presented.Comment: Poster contribution to the International Conference on New Photo-detectors (July 6-9, 2015, Moscow, Troitsk, Russia), to be published in PoS (PhotoDet2015

Search for neutrino bursts from core collapse supernovae at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope

Current status and results of the experiment on recording neutrino bursts are presented. The observation time (since 1980) is 24.7 years. The upper bound of collapse frequency in our Galaxy is 0.093 $y^{-1}$ (90% CL).Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Presented at the 31 International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 7-15, 200

Experimental search of bursts of very high energy gamma rays from primordial black holes

The technical procedure of a search of bursts of very high energy gamma rays from evaporation of primordial black holes on air-shower array "Andyrchy" of Baksan Neutrino Observatory of Institute for Nuclear Research is described. The theoretical model used in the present work assumes that the chromosphere around the evaporating black hole does not form. For minimization of the cosmic ray background the method of multidimensional analysis of modelled as well as experimentally detected events is applied. The new upper limit on the concentration of evaporating primordial black holes in the local region of Galaxy is obtained. The comparison of the results of different experiments is given.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. A talk prepared for the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, to be held in Lodz, Poland, 200

Supernova Neutrino Burst Monitor at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope

The experiment on recording neutrino bursts operates since the mid-1980. As the target, we use two parts of the facility with the total mass of 240 tons. The current status of the experiment and some results related to the investigation of background events and the stability of facility operation are presented. Over the period of June 30, 1980 to December 31, 2018, the actual observational time is 33.02 years. No candidate for the stellar core collapse has been detected during the observation period. An upper bound of the mean frequency of core collapse supernovae in our Galaxy is 0.070 year$^{-1}$ (90\% CL).Comment: Submitted to Astropart.Phy

Multichannel Data Acquisition System for Scintillation Detectors of the Emma Experiment

The multichannel data acquisition system is intended to be used in the EMMA experiment studying cosmic rays. The array will be in the Pihasalmi mine (central Finland) at a depth of about 85 m. The scintillator counters (SC-1) of the array are cast plastic scintillators with a wavelength of each SC-1 detector is 12.2{\times}12.2{\times}3.0 cm^3. 16 SC-1 detectors are placed in the metal case of 50.0{\times}50.0{\times}13.0 cm^3 dimension. Each case, called SC-16 detector, contains electronics of preliminary processing of signals and operating mode stabilization. The whole of the array will contain 96 detectors SC-16. It will make 1536 channels placed in three planes (48+24+24 detectors). The array will allow us to measure the time of flight of particles between SC-16 detectors and the coordinates of SC-1 fired detectors. This paper presents the function diagram of data acquisition system that includes electronic of detectors, the hodoscope pulse channels, the trigger block and VME blocks.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Barometric Effect of High-Energy Muons (> 230 GeV)

According to the Baksan underground scintillation telescope data the barometric coefficients for six intervals of zenith angles of particle registration were obtained for ten years (2003-2012). The obtained barometric coefficients exceed an order of magnitude the theoretical values. Nevertheless, these results are in good agreement with the data obtained for the barometric effect of high-energy muons in a number papers of other authors. And there is a noticeable increase of the absolute values of the measured barometric coefficients with increase of the threshold energy of muons.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 5 table

On the level of background in underground muon measurements with plastic scintillator counters

In this short note we present results of background measurements carried out with a polystyrene based cast plastic 12.0x12.0x3.0 cm^3 size scintillator counter with a wavelength shifting fibre and a multi-pixel Geiger mode avalanche photodiode readout in the Baksan underground laboratory at a depth of 200 meters of water equivalent. The total counting rate of the scintillator counter measured at this depth and at a threshold corresponding to ~0.37 of a minimum ionizing particle is approximately 1.3 Hz.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, submitted to NIM

BUST Search for Muon Neutrinos from the Gravitational Wave Event GW170817

Using data of the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope (BUST) we have made a search for muon neutrinos and antineutrinos with energies above 1 GeV coinciding with the gravitational wave event GW170817 that was recorded on August 17, 2017 by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observatories. This is a first detection of the new type of events occurring as a result of a merger of two neutron stars in a binary system. A short gamma-ray burst GRB170817A accompanying this event is an evidence of particle acceleration in the source whose precise position was determined by detection of the subsequent optical signal. No neutrino signals were found with the BUST in the interval $\pm 500$ s around the moment of the gravitational wave event GW170817, as well as during the next 14 days. The upper limits on integral fluxes of muon neutrino and antineutrino from the source are derived.Comment: Submitted to JETP Letter

Geiger mode APD's for the underground cosmic ray experiment EMMA

Multi-pixel photodiodes operating in a limited Geiger mode will be used for photoreadout of scintillator counters in underground cosmic ray experiment EMMA. Main parameters of photodiodes and the performance of EMMA scintillator counters are presented.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures; talk given at the International Workshop on New Photon Detectors PD09, June 24-26 2009, Shinshu Universiy, Matsumoto, Japan; to be published in the conference proceeding

Carpet-2 search for PeV gamma rays associated with IceCube high-energy neutrino events

Carpet-2 is an air-shower array at Baksan Valley, Russia, equipped with a large-area (175 m^2) muon detector, which makes it possible to separate primary photons from hadrons. We report the first results of the search for primary photons with energies E_\gamma>1 PeV, directionally associated with IceCube high-energy neutrino events, in the data obtained in 3080 days of Carpet-2 live time.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. V2: minor copy-editing changes. Accepted by JETP Letter