Investigation of peak shapes in the MIBETA experiment calibrations

In calorimetric neutrino mass experiments, where the shape of a beta decay spectrum has to be precisely measured, the understanding of the detector response function is a fundamental issue. In the MIBETA neutrino mass experiment, the X-ray lines measured with external sources did not have Gaussian shapes, but exhibited a pronounced shoulder towards lower energies. If this shoulder were a general feature of the detector response function, it would distort the beta decay spectrum and thus mimic a non-zero neutrino mass. An investigation was performed to understand the origin of the shoulder and its potential influence on the beta spectrum. First, the peaks were fitted with an analytic function in order to determine quantitatively the amount of events contributing to the shoulder, also depending on the energy of the calibration X-rays. In a second step, Montecarlo simulations were performed to reproduce the experimental spectrum and to understand the origin of its shape. We conclude that at least part of the observed shoulder can be attributed to a surface effect

MARE-1 in Milan: Status and Perspectives

The international project MARE (Microcalorimeter Array for a Rhenium Experiment) aims at the direct and calorimetric measurement of the electron neutrino mass with sub-eV sensitivity. Although the baseline of the MARE project consists in a large array of rhenium based thermal detectors, a different option for the isotope is also being considered. The different option is 163Ho. The potential of using 187Re for a calorimetric neutrino mass experiment has been already demonstrated. On the contrary, no calorimetric spectrum of 163Ho has been so far measured with the precision required to set a useful limit on the neutrino mass. The first phase of the project (MARE-1) is a collection of activities with the aim of sorting out both the best isotope and the most suited detector technology to be used for the final experiment. One of the MARE-1 activities is carried out in Milan by the group of Milano–Bicocca in collaboration with NASA/GSFC and Wisconsin groups. The Milan MARE-1 arrays are based on semiconductor thermistors, provided by the NASA/GSFC group, with dielectric silver perrhenate absorbers, AgReO4. The experiment, which is presently being assembled, is designed to host up to 8 arrays. With 288 detectors, a sensitivity of 3 eV at 90% CL on the neutrino mass can be reached within 3 years. This contribution gives an outlook for the MARE activities for the active isotope selection. In this contribution the status and the perspectives of the MARE-1 in Milan are also reported

WASA-FRS experiments in FAIR Phase-0 at GSI

We have developed a new and unique experimental setup integrating the central part of the Wide Angle Shower Apparatus (WASA) into the Fragment Separator (FRS) at GSI. This combination opens up possibilities of new experiments with high-resolution spectroscopy at forward and measurements of light decay particles with nearly full solid-angle acceptance in coincidence. The first series of the WASA-FRS experiments have been successfully carried out in 2022. The developed experimental setup and two physics experiments performed in 2022 including the status of the preliminary data analysis are introduced

Kalorimetrische Tieftemperaturdetektoren fuer niederenergetische (E#<=#1 MeV/amu) Schwerionen und ihr erster Einsatz in der Beschleuniger-Massenspektrometrie zur Spurenanalyse von "2"3"6U

In the thesis presented here, calorimetric low temperature detectors were for the first time applied in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to determine the isotope ratio of "2"3"6U to "2"3"8U in several samples of natural uranium. The detectors consist of a superconducting aluminium film deposited onto a sapphire absorber which is used as thermistor. An energetic heavy ion deposits its kinetic energy as heat in the absorber. The temperature rise is detected by the resistance change of the superconductor. The AMS experiments were performed at the tandem accelerator VERA of the ''Institut fuer Isotopenforschung und Kernphysik'' of the University of Vienna. In an energy range of 10-60 MeV, a relative energy resolution of #DELTA#E/E=7.10"-"3 could be achieved, one order of magnitude better than with conventional ionization detectors. Improving thermal and electronic noise yielded in a second experiment for uranium ions with E=17 MeV a relative energy resolution of #DELTA#E/E=4.6.10"-"3. The energy response of the detectors was linear over the whole energy range and independent of the ion mass. Down to a level of 0.1%, no pulse height defect was observed. With the energy resolution obtained it is possible to determine the isotope ratio of "2"3"6U/"2"3"8U for several samples of natural uranium. With the resolution achieved it is possible furthermore to apply the detectors in several test experiments for direct mass identification of heavy ions using a combined energy/time of flight measurement. In these first tests, a mass resolution of #DELTA#M/M=(8.5-11.0).10"-"3 was achieved. In a first test to apply the detectors for detection of so called ''super heavy elements (Z>=112)'', the large dynamic range allowed to identify the reaction products and their alpha decays simultaneously and time dependent. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from: http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=972176276 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman