190 research outputs found
Analysis of electromagnetic field variability in magnetized ionosphere plasma using the stochastic FDTD method
pre-printA stochastic finite-difference time-domain (S-FDTD) algorithm is presented for electromagnetic wave propagation in anisotropic magnetized plasma. This new algorithm efficiently calculates in a single simulation not only the mean electromagnetic field values, but also their variance as caused by the variability or uncertainty of the content of the ionosphere. By accounting for fully three-dimensional, high resolution (even cm-scale) structures and uncertainty in the ionosphere, this algorithm represents a paradigm shift in our ability to analyze realistic, complex wave propagation in the ionosphere
Background due to stored electrons following nuclear decays in the KATRIN spectrometers and its impact on the neutrino mass sensitivity
The KATRIN experiment is designed to measure the absolute neutrino mass scale
with a sensitivity of 200 meV at 90% C.L. by high resolution tritium
beta-spectroscopy. A low background level of 10 mHz at the beta-decay endpoint
is required in order to achieve the design sensitivity. In this paper we
discuss a novel background source arising from magnetically trapped keV
electrons in electrostatic retarding spectrometers. The main sources of these
electrons are alpha-decays of the radon isotopes (219,220)Rn as well as
beta-decays of tritium in the volume of the spectrometers. We characterize the
expected background signal by extensive MC simulations and investigate the
impact on the KATRIN neutrino mass sensitivity. From these results we refine
design parameters for the spectrometer vacuum system and propose active
background reduction methods to meet the stringent design limits for the
overall background rate
Stochastic Heating by ECR as a Novel Means of Background Reduction in the KATRIN Spectrometers
The primary objective of the KATRIN experiment is to probe the absolute
neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 200 meV (90% C.L.) by precision
spectroscopy of tritium beta-decay. To achieve this, a low background of the
order of 10^(-2) cps in the region of the tritium beta-decay endpoint is
required. Measurements with an electrostatic retarding spectrometer have
revealed that electrons, arising from nuclear decays in the volume of the
spectrometer, are stored over long time periods and thereby act as a major
source of background exceeding this limit. In this paper we present a novel
active background reduction method based on stochastic heating of stored
electrons by the well-known process of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR). A
successful proof-of-principle of the ECR technique was demonstrated in test
measurements at the KATRIN pre-spectrometer, yielding a large reduction of the
background rate. In addition, we have carried out extensive Monte Carlo
simulations to reveal the potential of the ECR technique to remove all trapped
electrons within negligible loss of measurement time in the main spectrometer.
This would allow the KATRIN experiment attaining its full physics potential
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Improved Upper Limit on the Neutrino Mass from a Direct Kinematic Method by KATRIN.
We report on the neutrino mass measurement result from the first four-week science run of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment KATRIN in spring 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity gaseous molecular tritium source are energy analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter. A fit of the integrated electron spectrum over a narrow interval around the kinematic end point at 18.57 keV gives an effective neutrino mass square value of (-1.0_{-1.1}^{+0.9})  eV^{2}. From this, we derive an upper limit of 1.1 eV (90% confidence level) on the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. This value coincides with the KATRIN sensitivity. It improves upon previous mass limits from kinematic measurements by almost a factor of 2 and provides model-independent input to cosmological studies of structure formation
The response of perennial and temporary headwater stream invertebrate communities to hydrological extremes
The headwaters of karst rivers experience considerable hydrological variability, including spates and streambed drying. Extreme summer flooding on the River Lathkill (Derbyshire, UK) provided the opportunity to examine the invertebrate community response to unseasonal spate flows, flow recession and, at temporary sites, streambed drying. Invertebrates were sampled at sites with differing flow permanence regimes during and after the spates. Following streambed drying at temporary sites, dewatered surface sediments were investigated as a refugium for aquatic invertebrates. Experimental rehydration of these dewatered sediments was conducted to promote development of desiccation-tolerant life stages. At perennial sites, spate flows reduced invertebrate abundance and diversity, whilst at temporary sites, flow reactivation facilitated rapid colonisation of the surface channel by a limited number of invertebrate taxa. Following streambed drying, 38 taxa were recorded from the dewatered and rehydrated sediments, with Oligochaeta being the most abundant taxon and Chironomidae (Diptera) the most diverse. Experimental rehydration of dewatered sediments revealed the presence of additional taxa, including Stenophylax sp. (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) and Nemoura sp. (Plecoptera: Nemouridae). The influence of flow permanence on invertebrate community composition was apparent despite the aseasonal high-magnitude flood events
Commissioning of the vacuum system of the KATRIN Main Spectrometer
The KATRIN experiment will probe the neutrino mass by measuring the
beta-electron energy spectrum near the endpoint of tritium beta-decay. An
integral energy analysis will be performed by an electro-static spectrometer
(Main Spectrometer), an ultra-high vacuum vessel with a length of 23.2 m, a
volume of 1240 m^3, and a complex inner electrode system with about 120000
individual parts. The strong magnetic field that guides the beta-electrons is
provided by super-conducting solenoids at both ends of the spectrometer. Its
influence on turbo-molecular pumps and vacuum gauges had to be considered. A
system consisting of 6 turbo-molecular pumps and 3 km of non-evaporable getter
strips has been deployed and was tested during the commissioning of the
spectrometer. In this paper the configuration, the commissioning with bake-out
at 300{\deg}C, and the performance of this system are presented in detail. The
vacuum system has to maintain a pressure in the 10^{-11} mbar range. It is
demonstrated that the performance of the system is already close to these
stringent functional requirements for the KATRIN experiment, which will start
at the end of 2016.Comment: submitted for publication in JINST, 39 pages, 15 figure
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