218 research outputs found
Search for 2\beta\ decays of 96Ru and 104Ru by ultra-low background HPGe gamma spectrometry at LNGS: final results
An experiment to search for double beta decay processes in 96Ru and 104Ru,
which are accompanied by gamma rays, has been realized in the underground Gran
Sasso National Laboratories of the I.N.F.N. (Italy). Ruthenium samples with
masses of about (0.5-0.7) kg were measured with the help of ultra-low
background high purity Ge gamma ray spectrometry. After 2162 h of data taking
the samples were deeply purified to reduce the internal contamination of 40K.
The last part of the data has been accumulated over 5479 h. New improved half
life limits on 2\beta+/\epsilon \beta+/2\epsilon\ processes in 96Ru have been
established on the level of 10^{20} yr, in particular for decays to the ground
state of 96Mo: T1/2(2\nu 2\beta+) > 1.4 10^{20} yr, T1/2(2\nu \epsilon\beta+) >
8.0 10^{19} yr and T1/2(0\nu 2K) > 1.0 10^{21} yr (all limits are at 90% C.L.).
The resonant neutrinoless double electron captures to the 2700.2 keV and 2712.7
keV excited states of 96Mo are restricted as: T1/2(0\nu KL) > 2.0 10^{20} yr
and T1/2(0\nu 2L) > 3.6 10^{20} yr, respectively. Various two neutrino and
neutrinoless 2\beta\ half lives of 96Ru have been estimated in the framework of
the QRPA approach. In addition, the T1/2 limit for 0\nu 2\beta- transitions of
104Ru to the first excited state of 104Pd has been set as > 6.5 10^{20} yr.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; version accepted for publication on
Phys. Rev.
First Results from the AMoRE-Pilot neutrinoless double beta decay experiment
The Advanced Molybdenum-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) aims to search
for neutrinoless double beta decay (0) of Mo with
100 kg of Mo-enriched molybdenum embedded in cryogenic detectors
with a dual heat and light readout. At the current, pilot stage of the AMoRE
project we employ six calcium molybdate crystals with a total mass of 1.9 kg,
produced from Ca-depleted calcium and Mo-enriched molybdenum
(CaMoO). The simultaneous detection of
heat(phonon) and scintillation (photon) signals is realized with high
resolution metallic magnetic calorimeter sensors that operate at milli-Kelvin
temperatures. This stage of the project is carried out in the Yangyang
underground laboratory at a depth of 700 m. We report first results from the
AMoRE-Pilot search with a 111 kgd live exposure of
CaMoO crystals. No evidence for
decay of Mo is found, and a upper limit is set for the
half-life of 0 of Mo of y at 90% C.L.. This limit corresponds to an effective
Majorana neutrino mass limit in the range eV
Search for double beta decay processes in 106Cd with the help of 106CdWO4 crystal scintillator
A search for the double beta processes in 106Cd was carried out at the Gran
Sasso National Laboratories of the INFN (Italy) with the help of a 106CdWO4
crystal scintillator (215 g) enriched in 106Cd up to 66%. After 6590 h of data
taking, new improved half-life limits on the double beta processes in 106Cd
were established at the level of 10^{19}-10^{21} yr; in particular,
T_{1/2}(2\nu \epsilon \beta^+) > 2.1 10^{20} yr, T_{1/2}(2\nu 2\beta^+) > 4.3
10^{20} yr, and T_{1/2}(0\nu 2\epsilon) > 1.0 10^{21} yr. The resonant
neutrinoless double electron captures to the 2718 keV, 2741 keV and 2748 keV
excited states of 106Pd are restricted to T_{1/2}(0\nu 2K) > 4.3 10^{20} yr,
T_{1/2}(0\nu KL1) > 9.5 10^{20} yr and T_{1/2}(0\nu KL3) > 4.3 10^{20} yr,
respectively (all limits at 90% C.L.). A possible resonant enhancement of the
0\nu 2\epsilon processes is estimated in the framework of the QRPA approach.
The radioactive contamination of the 106CdWO4 crystal scintillator is reported.Comment: Minor changes of half-life limits after improving the data analysis;
version accepted for publication on Phys. Rev.
Tagging and localisation of ionizing events using NbSi transition edge phonon sensors for Dark Matter searches
In the context of direct searches of sub-GeV Dark Matter particles with
germanium detectors, the EDELWEISS collaboration has tested a new technique to
tag ionizing events using NbSi transition edge athermal phonon sensors. The
emission of the athermal phonons generated by the Neganov-Trofimov-Luke effect
associated with the drift of electrons and holes through the detectors is used
to tag ionization events generated in specific parts of the detector localized
in front of the NbSi sensor and to reject by more than a factor 5 (at 90% C.L.)
the background from heat-only events that dominates the spectrum above 3 keV.
This method is able to improve by a factor 2.8 the previous limit on
spin-independent interactions of 1 GeV/c2 WIMPs obtained with the same detector
and data set but without this tagging technique.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure
Search for Rare Nuclear Decays with HPGe Detectors at the STELLA Facility of the LNGS
Results on the search for rare nuclear decays with the ultra low background
facility STELLA at the LNGS using gamma ray spectrometry are presented. In
particular, the best T1/2 limits were obtained for double beta processes in
96Ru and 104Ru. Several isotopes, which potentially decay through different
double beta decay channels, including also possible resonant double electron
captures, were investigated for the first time (156Dy, 158Dy, 184Os, 192Os,
190Pt, 198Pt). Search for resonant absorption of solar 7Li axions in a LiF
crystal gave the best limit for the mass of 7Li axions (< 8.6 keV). Rare alpha
decay of 190Pt to the first excited level of 186Os (Eexc = 137.2 keV) was
observed for the first time.Comment: 4 pages, contribution to the MEDEX'13 Conference, corrected list of
author
South Asia as a Reservoir for the Global Spread of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Shigella sonnei: A Cross-Sectional Study.
BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a major issue in the Shigellae, particularly as a specific multidrug-resistant (MDR) lineage of Shigella sonnei (lineage III) is becoming globally dominant. Ciprofloxacin is a recommended treatment for Shigella infections. However, ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei are being increasingly isolated in Asia and sporadically reported on other continents. We hypothesized that Asia is a primary hub for the recent international spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed whole-genome sequencing on a collection of 60 contemporaneous ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei isolated in four countries within Asia (Vietnam, n = 11; Bhutan, n = 12; Thailand, n = 1; Cambodia, n = 1) and two outside of Asia (Australia, n = 19; Ireland, n = 16). We reconstructed the recent evolutionary history of these organisms and combined these data with their geographical location of isolation. Placing these sequences into a global phylogeny, we found that all ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei formed a single clade within a Central Asian expansion of lineage III. Furthermore, our data show that resistance to ciprofloxacin within S. sonnei may be globally attributed to a single clonal emergence event, encompassing sequential gyrA-S83L, parC-S80I, and gyrA-D87G mutations. Geographical data predict that South Asia is the likely primary source of these organisms, which are being regularly exported across Asia and intercontinentally into Australia, the United States and Europe. Our analysis was limited by the number of S. sonnei sequences available from diverse geographical areas and time periods, and we cannot discount the potential existence of other unsampled reservoir populations of antimicrobial-resistant S. sonnei. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that a single clone, which is widespread in South Asia, is likely driving the current intercontinental surge of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei and is capable of establishing endemic transmission in new locations. Despite being limited in geographical scope, our work has major implications for understanding the international transfer of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, with S. sonnei acting as a tractable model for studying how antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria spread globally
Signals induced by charge-trapping in EDELWEISS FID detectors: Analytical modeling and applications
The EDELWEISS-III direct dark matter search experiment uses cryogenic HP-Ge detectors Fully covered with Inter-Digitized electrodes (FID). They are operated at low fields (< 1 V/cm), and as a consequence charge-carrier trapping significantly affects both the ionization and heat energy measurements. This paper describes an analytical model of the signals induced by trapped charges in FID detectors based on the Shockley-Ramo theorem. It is used to demonstrate that veto electrodes, initially designed for the sole purpose of surface event rejection, can be used to provide a sensitivity to the depth of the energy deposits, characterize the trapping in the crystals, perform heat and ionization energy corrections and improve the ionization baseline resolutions. These procedures are applied successfully to actual data
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