71 research outputs found
Conversion of bright magneto-optical resonances into dark at fixed laser frequency for D2 excitation of atomic rubidium
Nonlinear magneto-optical resonances on the hyperfine transitions belonging
to the D2 line of rubidium were changed from bright to dark resonances by
changing the laser power density of the single exciting laser field or by
changing the vapor temperature in the cell. In one set of experiments atoms
were excited by linearly polarized light from an extended cavity diode laser
with polarization vector perpendicular to the light's propagation direction and
magnetic field, and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was observed along the
direction of the magnetic field, which was scanned. A low-contrast bright
resonance was observed at low laser power densities when the laser was tuned to
the Fg=2 --> Fe=3 transition of Rb-87 and near to the Fg=3 --> Fe=4 transition
of Rb-85. The bright resonance became dark as the laser power density was
increased above 0.6mW/cm2 or 0.8 mW/cm2, respectively. When the Fg=2 --> Fe=3
transition of Rb-87 was excited with circularly polarized light in a second set
of experiments, a bright resonance was observed, which became dark when the
temperature was increased to around 50C. The experimental observations at room
temperature could be reproduced with good agreement by calculations based on a
theoretical model, although the theoretical model was not able to describe
measurements at elevated temperatures, where reabsorption was thought to play a
decisive role. The model was derived from the optical Bloch equations and
included all nearby hyperfine components, averaging over the Doppler profile,
mixing of magnetic sublevels in the external magnetic field, and a treatment of
the coherence properties of the exciting radiation field.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Accelerator Testing of the General Antiparticle Spectrometer, a Novel Approach to Indirect Dark Matter Detection
We report on recent accelerator testing of a prototype general antiparticle
spectrometer (GAPS). GAPS is a novel approach for indirect dark matter searches
that exploits the antideuterons produced in neutralino-neutralino
annihilations. GAPS captures these antideuterons into a target with the
subsequent formation of exotic atoms. These exotic atoms decay with the
emission of X-rays of precisely defined energy and a correlated pion signature
from nuclear annihilation. This signature uniquely characterizes the
antideuterons. Preliminary analysis of data from a prototype GAPS in an
antiproton beam at the KEK accelerator in Japan has confirmed the
multi-X-ray/pion star topology and indicated X-ray yields consistent with prior
expectations. Moreover our success in utilizing solid rather than gas targets
represents a significant simplification over our original approach and offers
potential gains in sensitivity through reduced dead mass in the target area.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCA
The GAPS Experiment to Search for Dark Matter using Low-energy Antimatter
The GAPS experiment is designed to carry out a sensitive dark matter search
by measuring low-energy cosmic ray antideuterons and antiprotons. GAPS will
provide a new avenue to access a wide range of dark matter models and masses
that is complementary to direct detection techniques, collider experiments and
other indirect detection techniques. Well-motivated theories beyond the
Standard Model contain viable dark matter candidates which could lead to a
detectable signal of antideuterons resulting from the annihilation or decay of
dark matter particles. The dark matter contribution to the antideuteron flux is
believed to be especially large at low energies (E < 1 GeV), where the
predicted flux from conventional astrophysical sources (i.e. from secondary
interactions of cosmic rays) is very low. The GAPS low-energy antiproton search
will provide stringent constraints on less than 10 GeV dark matter, will
provide the best limits on primordial black hole evaporation on Galactic length
scales, and will explore new discovery space in cosmic ray physics.
Unlike other antimatter search experiments such as BESS and AMS that use
magnetic spectrometers, GAPS detects antideuterons and antiprotons using an
exotic atom technique. This technique, and its unique event topology, will give
GAPS a nearly background-free detection capability that is critical in a
rare-event search. GAPS is designed to carry out its science program using
long-duration balloon flights in Antarctica. A prototype instrument was
successfully flown from Taiki, Japan in 2012. GAPS has now been approved by
NASA to proceed towards the full science instrument, with the possibility of a
first long-duration balloon flight in late 2020. Here we motivate low-energy
cosmic ray antimatter searches and discuss the current status of the GAPS
experiment and the design of the payload.Comment: 8 pags, 3 figures, Proc. 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC 2017), Busan, Kore
Cosmic-Ray Nuclei, Antiprotons and Gamma-rays in the Galaxy: a New Diffusion Model
We model the transport of cosmic ray nuclei in the Galaxy by means of a new
numerical code. Differently from previous numerical models we account for a
generic spatial distribution of the diffusion coefficient. We found that in the
case of radially uniform diffusion, the main secondary/primary ratios (B/C, N/O
and sub-Fe/Fe) and the modulated antiproton spectrum match consistently the
available observations. Convection and re-acceleration do not seem to be
required in the energy range we consider: GeV/nucleon. We
generalize these results accounting for radial dependence of the diffusion
coefficient, which is assumed to trace that of the cosmic ray sources. While
this does not affect the prediction of secondary/primary ratios, the simulated
longitude profile of the diffuse -ray emission is significantly
different from the uniform case and may agree with EGRET measurements without
invoking ad hoc assumptions on the galactic gas density distribution.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. v3: Added detailed references to nuclear
cross-section networ
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