46 research outputs found
Lowering the energy threshold in COSINE-100 dark matter searches
COSINE-100 is a dark matter detection experiment that uses NaI(Tl) crystal
detectors operating at the Yangyang underground laboratory in Korea since
September 2016. Its main goal is to test the annual modulation observed by the
DAMA/LIBRA experiment with the same target medium. Recently DAMA/LIBRA has
released data with an energy threshold lowered to 1 keV, and the persistent
annual modulation behavior is still observed at 9.5. By lowering the
energy threshold for electron recoils to 1 keV, COSINE-100 annual modulation
results can be compared to those of DAMA/LIBRA in a model-independent way.
Additionally, the event selection methods provide an access to a few to sub-GeV
dark matter particles using constant rate studies. In this article, we discuss
the COSINE-100 event selection algorithm, its validation, and efficiencies near
the threshold
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
Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experiment
The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment has started taking physics data with the goal of performing an independent measurement of the annual modulation signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. A muon detector was constructed by using plastic scintillator panels in the outermost layer of the shield surrounding the COSINE-100 detector. It detects cosmic ray muons in order to understand the impact of the muon annual modulation on dark matter analysis. Assembly and initial performance tests of each module have been performed at a ground laboratory. The installation of the detector in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L) was completed in the summer of 2016. Using three months of data, the muon underground flux was measured to be 328 ± 1(stat.)± 10(syst.) muons/m2/day. In this report, the assembly of the muon detector and the results from the analysis are presented
Background model for the NaI(Tl) crystals in COSINE-100
The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment is an array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors located in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L). To understand measured backgrounds in the NaI(Tl) crystals we have performed Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit and developed background models for each crystal that consider contributions from both internal and external sources, including cosmogenic nuclides. The background models are based on comparisons of measurement data with Monte Carlo simulations that are guided by a campaign of material assays and are used to evaluate backgrounds and identify their sources. The average background level for the six crystals (70 kg total mass) that are studied is 3.5 counts/day/keV/kg in the (2–6) keV energy interval. The dominant contributors in this energy region are found to be 210Pb and 3H