82 research outputs found
The calibration of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory using uniformly distributed radioactive sources
The production and analysis of distributed sources of 24Na and 222Rn in the
Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) are described. These unique sources provided
accurate calibrations of the response to neutrons, produced through
photodisintegration of the deuterons in the heavy water target, and to low
energy betas and gammas. The application of these sources in determining the
neutron detection efficiency and response of the 3He proportional counter
array, and the characteristics of background Cherenkov light from trace amounts
of natural radioactivity is described.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figure
Measurement of 222Rn dissolved in water at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The technique used at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) to measure the
concentration of 222Rn in water is described. Water from the SNO detector is
passed through a vacuum degasser (in the light water system) or a membrane
contact degasser (in the heavy water system) where dissolved gases, including
radon, are liberated. The degasser is connected to a vacuum system which
collects the radon on a cold trap and removes most other gases, such as water
vapor and nitrogen. After roughly 0.5 tonnes of H2O or 6 tonnes of D2O have
been sampled, the accumulated radon is transferred to a Lucas cell. The cell is
mounted on a photomultiplier tube which detects the alpha particles from the
decay of 222Rn and its daughters. The overall degassing and concentration
efficiency is about 38% and the single-alpha counting efficiency is
approximately 75%. The sensitivity of the radon assay system for D2O is
equivalent to ~3 E(-15) g U/g water. The radon concentration in both the H2O
and D2O is sufficiently low that the rate of background events from U-chain
elements is a small fraction of the interaction rate of solar neutrinos by the
neutral current reaction.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures; v2 has very minor change
A radium assay technique using hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
As photodisintegration of deuterons mimics the disintegration of deuterons by
neutrinos, the accurate measurement of the radioactivity from thorium and
uranium decay chains in the heavy water in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
(SNO) is essential for the determination of the total solar neutrino flux. A
radium assay technique of the required sensitivity is described that uses
hydrous titanium oxide adsorbent on a filtration membrane together with a
beta-alpha delayed coincidence counting system. For a 200 tonne assay the
detection limit for 232Th is a concentration of 3 x 10^(-16) g Th/g water and
for 238U of 3 x 10^(-16) g U/g water. Results of assays of both the heavy and
light water carried out during the first two years of data collection of SNO
are presented.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Combined Analysis of all Three Phases of Solar Neutrino Data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
We report results from a combined analysis of solar neutrino data from all
phases of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. By exploiting particle
identification information obtained from the proportional counters installed
during the third phase, this analysis improved background rejection in that
phase of the experiment. The combined analysis resulted in a total flux of
active neutrino flavors from 8B decays in the Sun of (5.25 \pm
0.16(stat.)+0.11-0.13(syst.))\times10^6 cm^{-2}s^{-1}. A two-flavor neutrino
oscillation analysis yielded \Deltam^2_{21} = (5.6^{+1.9}_{-1.4})\times10^{-5}
eV^2 and tan^2{\theta}_{12}= 0.427^{+0.033}_{-0.029}. A three-flavor neutrino
oscillation analysis combining this result with results of all other solar
neutrino experiments and the KamLAND experiment yielded \Deltam^2_{21} =
(7.41^{+0.21}_{-0.19})\times10^{-5} eV^2, tan^2{\theta}_{12} =
0.446^{+0.030}_{-0.029}, and sin^2{\theta}_{13} =
(2.5^{+1.8}_{-1.5})\times10^{-2}. This implied an upper bound of
sin^2{\theta}_{13} < 0.053 at the 95% confidence level (C.L.)
A Search for Neutrinos from the Solar hep Reaction and the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
A search has been made for neutrinos from the hep reaction in the Sun and from the diffus
Independent measurement of the total active B8 solar neutrino flux using an array of He3 proportional counters at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) used an array of 3He proportional counters to measure the rate of neutral-current interactions in heavy water and precisely determined the total active (νx) 8B solar neutrino flux. This technique is independent of previous methods employed by SNO. The total flux is found to be 5.54-0.31+0.33(stat)-0.34+0.36(syst)×106 cm-2 s-1, in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of solar and reactor neutrino results yields Δm2=7.59-0.21+0.19×10-5 eV2 and θ=34.4-1.2+1.3 degrees. The uncertainty on the mixing angle has been reduced from SNO’s previous results
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Cosmogenic neutron production at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Neutrons produced in nuclear interactions initiated by cosmic-ray muons present an irreducible background to many rare-event searches, even in detectors located deep underground. Models for the production of these neutrons have been tested against previous experimental data, but the extrapolation to deeper sites is not well understood. Here we report results from an analysis of cosmogenically produced neutrons at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. A specific set of observables are presented, which can be used to benchmark the validity of geant4 physics models. In addition, the cosmogenic neutron yield, in units of 10-4 cm2/(g·μ), is measured to be 7.28±0.09(stat)-1.12+1.59(syst) in pure heavy water and 7.30±0.07(stat)-1.02+1.40(syst) in NaCl-loaded heavy water. These results provide unique insights into this potential background source for experiments at SNOLAB
Measurement of the Total Active 8B Solar Neutrino Flux at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with Enhanced Neutral Current Sensitivity
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has precisely determined the total
active (nu_x) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy
dependence of the nu_e survival probability. The measurements were made with
dissolved NaCl in the heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for
neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27 (stat) +/-
0.38 (syst) x10^6 cm^{-2}s^{-1}, in agreement with previous measurements and
standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor
neutrino results yields Delta m^{2} = 7.1^{+1.2}_{-0.6}x10^{-5} ev^2 and theta
= 32.5^{+2.4}_{-2.3} degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of
5.4 standard deviations.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Constraints on Nucleon Decay via "Invisible" Modes from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory have been used to constrain the
lifetime for nucleon decay to ``invisible'' modes, such as n -> 3 nu. The
analysis was based on a search for gamma-rays from the de-excitation of the
residual nucleus that would result from the disappearance of either a proton or
neutron from O16. A limit of tau_inv > 2 x 10^{29} years is obtained at 90%
confidence for either neutron or proton decay modes. This is about an order of
magnitude more stringent than previous constraints on invisible proton decay
modes and 400 times more stringent than similar neutron modes.Comment: Update includes missing efficiency factor (limits change by factor of
2) Submitted to Physical Review Letter
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