Hanohano:A Deep Ocean Antineutrino Observatory

This paper presents the science potential of a deep ocean antineutrino observatory being developed at Hawaii and elsewhere. The observatory design allows for relocation from one site to another. Positioning the observaory some 60 km distant from a nuclear reactor complex enables preecision measurement of neutrino mixing parameters, leading to a determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and theta_13. At a mid-Pacific location, the observatory measures the flux of uranium and thorium decay series antineutrinos from earth's mantle and performs a sensitive search for a hypothetical natural fission reactor in earth's core. A subequent deployment at another mid-ocean location would test lateral homogeneity of uranium and thorium in earth's mantle. These measurements have significance for earth energy studies.Comment: Poster presented at ICHEP08, Philadelphia, USA, July 2008. 3 pages. PD

A compact ultra-clean system for deploying radioactive sources inside the KamLAND detector

We describe a compact, ultra-clean device used to deploy radioactive sources along the vertical axis of the KamLAND liquid-scintillator neutrino detector for purposes of calibration. The device worked by paying out and reeling in precise lengths of a hanging, small-gauge wire rope (cable); an assortment of interchangeable radioactive sources could be attached to a weight at the end of the cable. All components exposed to the radiopure liquid scintillator were made of chemically compatible UHV-cleaned materials, primarily stainless steel, in order to avoid contaminating or degrading the scintillator. To prevent radon intrusion, the apparatus was enclosed in a hermetically sealed housing inside a glove box, and both volumes were regularly flushed with purified nitrogen gas. An infrared camera attached to the side of the housing permitted real-time visual monitoring of the cable's motion, and the system was controlled via a graphical user interface.Comment: Revised author affiliations, corrected typos, made minor improvements to text, and revised reference

Measurement of the 8B Solar Neutrino Flux with the KamLAND Liquid Scintillator Detector

We report a measurement of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering rate from 8B solar neutrinos based on a 123 kton-day exposure of KamLAND. The background-subtracted electron recoil rate, above a 5.5 MeV analysis threshold is 1.49+/-0.14(stat)+/-0.17(syst) events per kton-day. Interpreted as due to a pure electron flavor flux with a 8B neutrino spectrum, this corresponds to a spectrum integrated flux of 2.77+/-0.26(stat)+/-0.32(syst) x 10^6 cm^-2s^-1. The analysis threshold is driven by 208Tl present in the liquid scintillator, and the main source of systematic uncertainty is due to background from cosmogenic 11Be. The measured rate is consistent with existing measurements and with Standard Solar Model predictions which include matter enhanced neutrino oscillation.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Search for the Invisible Decay of Neutrons with KamLAND

The Kamioka Liquid scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector (KamLAND) is used in a search for single neutron or two neutron intra-nuclear disappearance that would produce holes in the $\it{s}$-shell energy level of $^{12}$C nuclei. Such holes could be created as a result of nucleon decay into invisible modes ($inv$), e.g. $n \to 3\nu$ or $nn \to 2\nu$. The de-excitation of the corresponding daughter nucleus results in a sequence of space and time correlated events observable in the liquid scintillator detector. We report on new limits for one- and two-neutron disappearance: $\tau(n\to inv)> 5.8\times 10^{29}$ years and $\tau (nn \to inv)> 1.4 \times 10^{30}$ years at 90% CL. These results represent an improvement of factors of $\sim$3 and $>10^4$ over previous experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Search for extraterrestrial antineutrino sources with the KamLAND detector

We present the results of a search for extraterrestrial electron antineutrinos ($\bar{\nu}_{e}$'s) in the energy range $8.3 MeV < E_{\bar{\nu}_{e}} < 31.8 MeV$ using the KamLAND detector. In an exposure of 4.53 kton-year, we identify 25 candidate events. All of the candidate events can be attributed to background, most importantly neutral current atmospheric neutrino interactions, setting an upper limit on the probability of $^{8}$B solar $\nu_{e}$'s converting into $\bar{\nu}_{e}$'s at $5.3 \times 10^{-5}$ (90% C.L.), if we assume an undistorted $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ shape. This limit corresponds to a solar $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ flux of $93 cm^{-2} s^{-1}$ or an event rate of $1.6 events (kton-year)^{-1}$ above the energy threshold $(E_{\bar{\nu}_{e}} > 8.3 MeV)$. The present data also allows us to set more stringent limits on the diffuse supernova neutrino flux and on the annihilation rates for light dark matter particles.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure

Production of Radioactive Isotopes through Cosmic Muon Spallation in KamLAND

Radioactive isotopes produced through cosmic muon spallation are a background for rare-event detection in $\nu$ detectors, double-$\beta$-decay experiments, and dark-matter searches. Understanding the nature of cosmogenic backgrounds is particularly important for future experiments aiming to determine the pep and CNO solar neutrino fluxes, for which the background is dominated by the spallation production of $^{11}$C. Data from the Kamioka liquid-scintillator antineutrino detector (KamLAND) provides valuable information for better understanding these backgrounds, especially in liquid scintillators, and for checking estimates from current simulations based upon MUSIC, FLUKA, and GEANT4. Using the time correlation between detected muons and neutron captures, the neutron production yield in the KamLAND liquid scintillator is measured to be $(2.8 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{-4} \mu^{-1} g^{-1} cm^{2}$. For other isotopes, the production yield is determined from the observed time correlation related to known isotope lifetimes. We find some yields are inconsistent with extrapolations based on an accelerator muon beam experiment.Comment: 16 pages, 20 figure

In-situ characterization of the Hamamatsu R5912-HQE photomultiplier tubes used in the DEAP-3600 experiment

The Hamamatsu R5912-HQE photomultiplier-tube (PMT) is a novel high-quantum efficiency PMT. It is currently used in the DEAP-3600 dark matter detector and is of significant interest for future dark matter and neutrino experiments where high signal yields are needed. We report on the methods developed for in-situ characterization and monitoring of DEAP's 255 R5912-HQE PMTs. This includes a detailed discussion of typical measured single-photoelectron charge distributions, correlated noise (afterpulsing), dark noise, double, and late pulsing characteristics. The characterization is performed during the detector commissioning phase using laser light injected through a light diffusing sphere and during normal detector operation using LED light injected through optical fibres

Improving Photoelectron Counting and Particle Identification in Scintillation Detectors with Bayesian Techniques

Many current and future dark matter and neutrino detectors are designed to measure scintillation light with a large array of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The energy resolution and particle identification capabilities of these detectors depend in part on the ability to accurately identify individual photoelectrons in PMT waveforms despite large variability in pulse amplitudes and pulse pileup. We describe a Bayesian technique that can identify the times of individual photoelectrons in a sampled PMT waveform without deconvolution, even when pileup is present. To demonstrate the technique, we apply it to the general problem of particle identification in single-phase liquid argon dark matter detectors. Using the output of the Bayesian photoelectron counting algorithm described in this paper, we construct several test statistics for rejection of backgrounds for dark matter searches in argon. Compared to simpler methods based on either observed charge or peak finding, the photoelectron counting technique improves both energy resolution and particle identification of low energy events in calibration data from the DEAP-1 detector and simulation of the larger MiniCLEAN dark matter detector.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figure

Measurement of Neutrino Oscillation with KamLAND: Evidence of Spectral Distortion

We present results of a study of neutrino oscillation based on a 766 ton-year exposure of KamLAND to reactor anti-neutrinos. We observe 258 \nuebar\ candidate events with energies above 3.4 MeV compared to 365.2 events expected in the absence of neutrino oscillation. Accounting for 17.8 expected background events, the statistical significance for reactor \nuebar disappearance is 99.998%. The observed energy spectrum disagrees with the expected spectral shape in the absence of neutrino oscillation at 99.6% significance and prefers the distortion expected from \nuebar oscillation effects. A two-neutrino oscillation analysis of the KamLAND data gives \DeltaMSq = 7.9$^{+0.6}_{-0.5}\times10^{-5}$ eV$^2$. A global analysis of data from KamLAND and solar neutrino experiments yields \DeltaMSq = 7.9$^{+0.6}_{-0.5}\times10^{-5}$ eV$^2$ and \ThetaParam = 0.40$^{+0.10}_{-0.07}$, the most precise determination to date.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; submitted to Phys.Rev.Letter