66 research outputs found
Subsurface cosmogenic and radiogenic production of ^{42}Ar
Radioactive decays from ^{42}Ar and its progeny ^{42}K are potential
background sources in large-scale liquid-argon-based neutrino and dark matter
experiments. In the atmosphere, ^{42}Ar is produced primarily by cosmogenic
activation on ^{40}Ar. The use of low radioactivity argon from cosmogenically
shielded underground sources can expand the reach and sensitivity of
liquid-argon-based rare event searches. We estimate ^{42}Ar production
underground by nuclear reactions induced by natural radioactivity and
cosmic-ray muon-induced interactions. At 3,000 mwe, ^{42}Ar production rate is
1.8E-3 atoms per ton of crust per year, 7 orders of magnitude smaller than the
^{39}Ar production rate at a similar depth in the crust. By comparing the
calculated production rate of ^{42}Ar to that of ^{39}Ar for which the
concentration has been measured in an underground gas sample, we estimate the
activity of ^{42}Ar in gas extracted from 3,000 mwe depth to be less than 2
decays per ton of argon per year.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure
Scintillation efficiency measurement of Na recoils in NaI(Tl) below the DAMA/LIBRA energy threshold
The dark matter interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal depends on the
NaI(Tl) scintillation efficiency of nuclear recoils. Previous measurements for
Na recoils have large discrepancies, especially in the DAMA/LIBRA modulation
energy region. We report a quenching effect measurement of Na recoils in
NaI(Tl) from 3keV to 52keV, covering the whole
DAMA/LIBRA energy region for light WIMP interpretations. By using a low-energy,
pulsed neutron beam, a double time-of-flight technique, and pulse-shape
discrimination methods, we obtained the most accurate measurement of this kind
for NaI(Tl) to date. The results differ significantly from the DAMA reported
values at low energies, but fall between the other previous measurements. We
present the implications of the new quenching results for the dark matter
interpretation of the DAMA modulation signal
Reaction mechanisms in 24Mg+12C and 32S+24Mg
The occurence of "exotic" shapes in light N=Z alpha-like nuclei is
investigated for 24Mg+12C and 32S+24Mg. Various approaches of superdeformed and
hyperdeformed bands associated with quasimolecular resonant structures with low
spin are presented. For both reactions, exclusive data were collected with the
Binary Reaction Spectrometer in coincidence with EUROBALL IV installed at the
VIVITRON Tandem facility of Strasbourg. Specific structures with large
deformation were selectively populated in binary reactions and their associated
-decays studied. The analysis of the binary and ternary reaction
channels is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Paper presented at the Fusion08 International
Conference on New Aspects of Heavy Ion Collisions Near the Coulomb Barrier,
Chicago. Proceedings to be published by AIP Conference Proceedings Illinois,
USA, September 22-26, 200
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
Astroparticle Physics with a Customized Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector
The MAJORANA Collaboration is building the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 60 kg
array of high purity germanium detectors housed in an ultra-low background
shield at the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The MAJORANA
DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge while
demonstrating the feasibility of a tonne-scale experiment. It may also carry
out a dark matter search in the 1-10 GeV/c^2 mass range. We have found that
customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors produced by Canberra have
several desirable features for a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment,
including low electronic noise, excellent pulse shape analysis capabilities,
and simple fabrication. We have deployed a customized BEGe, the MAJORANA
Low-Background BEGe at Kimballton (MALBEK), in a low-background cryostat and
shield at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Virginia. This paper
will focus on the detector characteristics and measurements that can be
performed with such a radiation detector in a low-background environment.Comment: Submitted to NIMA Proceedings, SORMA XII. 9 pages, 4 figure
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
Dark sectors 2016 Workshop: community report
This report, based on the Dark Sectors workshop at SLAC in April 2016,
summarizes the scientific importance of searches for dark sector dark matter
and forces at masses beneath the weak-scale, the status of this broad
international field, the important milestones motivating future exploration,
and promising experimental opportunities to reach these milestones over the
next 5-10 years
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