300 research outputs found
A new anti-neutrino detection technique based on positronium tagging with plastic scintillators
The main signature for anti-neutrino detection in reactor and geo-neutrino
experiments based on scintillators is provided by the space-time coincidence of
positron and neutron produced in the Inverse Beta Decay reaction. Such a
signature strongly suppresses backgrounds and allows for measurements performed
underground with a relatively high signal-to-background ratio. In an
aboveground environment, however, the twofold coincidence technique is not
sufficient to efficiently reject the high background rate induced by cosmogenic
events. Enhancing the positron-neutron twofold coincidence efficiency has the
potential to pave the way future aboveground detectors for reactor monitoring.
We propose a new detection scheme based on a threefold coincidence, between the
positron ionization, the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) decay, and the neutron
capture, in a sandwich detector with alternated layers of plastic scintillator
and aerogel powder. We present the results of a set of dedicated measurements
on the achievable light yield and on the o-Ps formation and lifetime. The
efficiencies for signal detection and background rejection of a preliminary
detector design are also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure
Measurement of ortho-Positronium Properties in Liquid Scintillators
Pulse shape discrimination in liquid scintillator detectors is a
well-established technique for the discrimination of heavy particles from light
particles. Nonetheless, it is not efficient in the separation of electrons and
positrons, as they give rise to indistinguishable scintillator responses. This
inefficiency can be overtaken through the exploitation of the formation of
ortho-Positronium (o-Ps), which alters the time profile of light pulses induced
by positrons.
We characterized the o-Ps properties in the most commonly used liquid
scintillators, i.e. PC, PXE, LAB, OIL and PC + PPO. In addition, we studied the
effects of scintillator doping on the o-Ps properties for dopants currently
used in neutrino experiments, Gd and Nd. Further measurements for Li-loaded and
Tl-loaded liquid scintillators are foreseen. We found that the o-Ps properties
are suitable for enhancing the electron-positron discrimination.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Contribution to proceedings of the Low
Radioactivity Techniques 2013 Workshop at LNGS, Assergi (AQ), Italy, April
10-12 201
A compact light readout system for longitudinally segmented shashlik calorimeters
The longitudinal segmentation of shashlik calorimeters is challenged by dead
zones and non-uniformities introduced by the light collection and readout
system. This limitation can be overcome by direct fiber-photosensor coupling,
avoiding routing and bundling of the wavelength shifter fibers and embedding
ultra-compact photosensors (SiPMs) in the bulk of the calorimeter. We present
the first experimental test of this readout scheme performed at the CERN PS-T9
beamline in 2015 with negative particles in the 1-5~GeV energy range. In this
paper, we demonstrate that the scheme does not compromise the energy resolution
and linearity compared with standard light collection and readout systems. In
addition, we study the performance of the calorimeter for partially contained
charged hadrons to assess the separation capability and the response of
the photosensors to direct ionization.Comment: To appear in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research,
Solar neutrino detection in a large volume double-phase liquid argon experiment
Precision measurements of solar neutrinos emitted by specific nuclear
reaction chains in the Sun are of great interest for developing an improved
understanding of star formation and evolution. Given the expected neutrino
fluxes and known detection reactions, such measurements require detectors
capable of collecting neutrino-electron scattering data in exposures on the
order of 1 ktonne yr, with good energy resolution and extremely low background.
Two-phase liquid argon time projection chambers (LAr TPCs) are under
development for direct Dark Matter WIMP searches, which possess very large
sensitive mass, high scintillation light yield, good energy resolution, and
good spatial resolution in all three cartesian directions. While enabling Dark
Matter searches with sensitivity extending to the "neutrino floor" (given by
the rate of nuclear recoil events from solar neutrino coherent scattering),
such detectors could also enable precision measurements of solar neutrino
fluxes using the neutrino-electron elastic scattering events. Modeling results
are presented for the cosmogenic and radiogenic backgrounds affecting solar
neutrino detection in a 300 tonne (100 tonne fiducial) LAr TPC operating at
LNGS depth (3,800 meters of water equivalent). The results show that such a
detector could measure the CNO neutrino rate with ~15% precision, and
significantly improve the precision of the 7Be and pep neutrino rates compared
to the currently available results from the Borexino organic liquid
scintillator detector.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, 6 table
R2D2 TPC: first Xenon results
Radial time projection chambers (TPC), already employed in the search for
rare phenomena such as light Dark Matter candidate, could provide a new
detection approach for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay
(). The assessment of the performances of such a detector for
search is indeed the goal of the Rare Decays with Radial
Detector (R2D2) R\&D. Promising results operating a spherical TPC with argon up
to 1~bar have been published in 2021. Supplementary measurements were recently
taken extending the gas pressure range up to 3~bar. In addition, a comparison
between two detector geometries, namely spherical (SPC for spherical
proportional counter) and cylindrical (CPC for cylindrical proportional
counter), was performed. Using a relatively simple gas purification system the
CPC detector was also operated with xenon at 1~bar: an energy resolution of
1.4\% full-width at half-maximum was achieved for drift distances up to 17~cm.
Much lower resolution was observed with the SPC. These results are presented in
this article.Comment: 16 pages 14 figure
A narrow band neutrino beam with high precision flux measurements
The ENUBET facility is a proposed narrow band neutrino beam where lepton
production is monitored at single particle level in the instrumented decay
tunnel. This facility addresses simultaneously the two most important
challenges for the next generation of cross section experiments: a superior
control of the flux and flavor composition at source and a high level of
tunability and precision in the selection of the energy of the outcoming
neutrinos. We report here the latest results in the development and test of the
instrumentation for the decay tunnel. Special emphasis is given to irradiation
tests of the photo-sensors performed at INFN-LNL and CERN in 2017 and to the
first application of polysiloxane-based scintillators in high energy physics.Comment: Poster presented at NuPhys2017 (London, 20-22 December 2017). 5
pages, 2 figure
The ENUBET Beamline
The ENUBET ERC project (2016-2021) is studying a narrow band neutrino beam
where lepton production can be monitored at single particle level in an
instrumented decay tunnel. This would allow to measure and
cross sections with a precision improved by about one order of
magnitude compared to present results. In this proceeding we describe a first
realistic design of the hadron beamline based on a dipole coupled to a pair of
quadrupole triplets along with the optimisation guidelines and the results of a
simulation based on G4beamline. A static focusing design, though less efficient
than a horn-based solution, results several times more efficient than
originally expected. It works with slow proton extractions reducing drastically
pile-up effects in the decay tunnel and it paves the way towards a time-tagged
neutrino beam. On the other hand a horn-based transferline would ensure higher
yields at the tunnel entrance. The first studies conducted at CERN to implement
the synchronization between a few ms proton extraction and a horn pulse of 2-10
ms are also described.Comment: Poster presented at NuPhys2018 (London 19-21 December 2018). 4 pages,
3 figure
Mass hierarchy discrimination with atmospheric neutrinos in large volume ice/water Cherenkov detectors
Large mass ice/water Cherenkov experiments, optimized to detect low energy
(1-20 GeV) atmospheric neutrinos, have the potential to discriminate between
normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchies. The sensitivity depends on
several model and detector parameters, such as the neutrino flux profile and
normalization, the Earth density profile, the oscillation parameter
uncertainties, and the detector effective mass and resolution. A proper
evaluation of the mass hierarchy discrimination power requires a robust
statistical approach. In this work, the Toy Monte Carlo, based on an extended
unbinned likelihood ratio test statistic, was used. The effect of each model
and detector parameter, as well as the required detector exposure, was then
studied. While uncertainties on the Earth density and atmospheric neutrino flux
profiles were found to have a minor impact on the mass hierarchy
discrimination, the flux normalization, as well as some of the oscillation
parameter (\Delta m^2_{31}, \theta_{13}, \theta_{23}, and \delta_{CP})
uncertainties and correlations resulted critical. Finally, the minimum required
detector exposure, the optimization of the low energy threshold, and the
detector resolutions were also investigated.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figure
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