69 research outputs found
Suspension of the fiber mode-cleaner launcher and measurement of the high extinction-ratio (10^{-9}) ellipsometer for the Q & A experiment
The Q & A experiment, first proposed and started in 1994, provides a feasible
way of exploring the quantum vacuum through the detection of vacuum
birefringence effect generated by QED loop diagram and the detection of the
polarization rotation effect generated by photon-interacting (pseudo-)scalar
particles. Three main parts of the experiment are: (1) Optics System (including
associated Electronic System) based on a suspended 3.5-m high finesse
Fabry-Perot cavity, (2) Ellipsometer using ultra-high extinction-ratio
polarizer and analyzer, and (3) Magnetic Field Modulation System for generating
the birefringence and the polarization rotation effect. In 2002, the Q & A
experiment achieved the Phase I sensitivity goal. During Phase II, we set (i)
to improve the control system of the cavity mirrors for suppressing the
relative motion noise, (ii) to enhance the birefringence signal by setting-up a
60-cm long 2.3 T transverse permanent magnet rotatable to 10 rev/s, (iii) to
reduce geometrical noise by inserting a polarization-maintaining optical fiber
(PM fiber) as a mode cleaner, and (iv) to use ultra-high extinction-ratio
(10^{-9}) polarizer and analyzer for ellipsometry. Here we report on (iii) &
(iv); specifically, we present the properties of the PM-fiber mode-cleaner, the
transfer function of its suspension system, and the result of our measurement
of high extinction-ratio polarizer and analyzer.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, presented in the 6th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on
Gravitational Waves, Okinawa, Japan, June 2005, and accepted by "Journal of
Physics: Conference Series". Modifications from version 2 were made based on
the referees' comments on figures. Ref. [31] were update
Ellipsometry noise spectrum, suspension transfer function measurement and closed-loop control of the suspension system in the Q & A experiment
The Q & A experiment, aiming at the detection of vacuum birefringence
predicted by quantum electrodynamics, consists mainly of a suspended 3.5 m
Fabry-Perot cavity, a rotating permanent dipole magnet and an ellipsometer. The
2.3 T magnet can rotate up to 10 rev/s, introducing an ellipticity signal at
twice the rotation frequency. The X-pendulum gives a good isolation ratio for
seismic noise above its main resonant frequency 0.3 Hz. At present, the
ellipsometry noise decreases with frequency, from 1*10^{-5} rad Hz^{-1/2} at 5
Hz, 2*10^{-6} rad Hz^{-1/2} at 20 Hz to 5*10^{-7} rad Hz^{-1/2} at 40 Hz. The
shape of the noise spectrum indicates possible improvement can be made by
further reducing the movement between the cavity mirrors. From the preliminary
result of yaw motion alignment control, it can be seen that some peaks due to
yaw motion of the cavity mirror was suppressed. In this paper, we first give a
schematic view of the Q & A experiment, and then present the measurement of
transfer function of the compound X-pendulum-double pendulum suspension. A
closed-loop control was carried out to verify the validity of the measured
transfer functions. The ellipsometry noise spectra with and without yaw
alignment control and the newest improvement is presented.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, presented in 6th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on
Gravitational Waves, June 2005, Okinawa Japan and submitted to Journal of
Physics: Conference Series. Some modifications are made according to the
referee's comments: mainly to explain the relation between the displacement
of cavity mirror and the ellipticity noise spectru
First results from a second generation galactic axion experiment
We report first results from a large scale search for dark matter axions. The experiment probes axion masses of 1.3-13 micro-eV at a sensitivity which is about 50 times higher than previous pilot experiments. We have already scanned part of this mass range at a sensitivity better than required to see at least one generic axion model, the KSVZ axion. Data taking at full sensitivity commenced in February 1996 and scanning the proposed mass range will require three years
First observations of separated atmospheric nu_mu and bar{nu-mu} events in the MINOS detector
The complete 5.4 kton MINOS far detector has been taking data since the beginning of August 2003 at a depth of 2070 meters water-equivalent in the Soudan mine, Minnesota. This paper presents the first MINOS observations of nuµ and [overline nu ]µ charged-current atmospheric neutrino interactions based on an exposure of 418 days. The ratio of upward- to downward-going events in the data is compared to the Monte Carlo expectation in the absence of neutrino oscillations, giving Rup/downdata/Rup/downMC=0.62-0.14+0.19(stat.)±0.02(sys.). An extended maximum likelihood analysis of the observed L/E distributions excludes the null hypothesis of no neutrino oscillations at the 98% confidence level. Using the curvature of the observed muons in the 1.3 T MINOS magnetic field nuµ and [overline nu ]µ interactions are separated. The ratio of [overline nu ]µ to nuµ events in the data is compared to the Monte Carlo expectation assuming neutrinos and antineutrinos oscillate in the same manner, giving R[overline nu ][sub mu]/nu[sub mu]data/R[overline nu ][sub mu]/nu[sub mu]MC=0.96-0.27+0.38(stat.)±0.15(sys.), where the errors are the statistical and systematic uncertainties. Although the statistics are limited, this is the first direct observation of atmospheric neutrino interactions separately for nuµ and [overline nu ]µ
Observation of Muon Neutrino Disappearance with the MINOS Detectors in the NuMI Neutrino Beam
This Letter reports results from the MINOS experiment based on its initial exposure to neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI beam. The rates and energy spectra of charged current νμ interactions are compared in two detectors located along the beam axis at distances of 1 and 735 km. With 1.27×1020 120 GeV protons incident on the NuMI target, 215 events with energies below 30 GeV are observed at the Far Detector, compared to an expectation of 336±14 events. The data are consistent with νμ disappearance via oscillations with |Δm322|=2.74-0.26+0.44×10-3 eV2 and sin2(2θ23)>0.87 (68% C.L.)
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