Present status of IGEX dark matter search at Canfranc Underground Laboratory

One IGEX 76Ge double-beta decay detector is currently operating in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in a search for dark matter WIMPs, through the Ge nuclear recoil produced by the WIMP elastic scattering. A new exclusion plot has been derived for WIMP-nucleon spin-independent interactions. To obtain this result, 40 days of data from the IGEX detector (energy threshold 4 keV), recently collected, have been analyzed. These data improve the exclusion limits derived from all the other ionization germanium detectors in the mass region from 20 GeV to 200 GeV, where a WIMP supposedly responsible for the annual modulation effect reported by the DAMA experiment would be located. The new IGEX exclusion contour enters, by the first time, the DAMA region by using only raw data, with no background discrimination, and excludes its upper left part. It is also shown that with a moderate improvement of the detector performances, the DAMA region could be fully explored.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, talk delivered at the 7th International Workshop on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2001), September 2001, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy (to appear in the Conference Proceedings, Nucl. Phys. B (Proc. Suppl.)

Improved constraints on WIMPs from the International Germanium Experiment IGEX

One IGEX 76Ge double-beta decay detector is currently operating in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in a search for dark matter WIMPs, through the Ge nuclear recoil produced by the WIMP elastic scattering. A new exclusion plot, has been derived for WIMP-nucleon spin-independent interactions. To obtain this result, 40 days of data from the IGEX detector (energy threshold E \~ 4 keV), recently collected, have been analyzed. These data improve the exclusion limits derived from all the other ionization germanium detectors in the mass region from 20 GeV to 200 GeV, where a WIMP supposedly responsible for the annual modulation effect reported by the DAMA experiment would be located. The new IGEX exclusion contour enters, by the first time, the DAMA region by using only raw data, with no background discrimination, and excludes its upper left part. It is also shown that with a moderate improvement of the detector performances, the DAMA region could be fully explored.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B (revised version after referee's comments, some figures added

New constraints on WIMPs from the Canfranc IGEX dark matter search

The IGEX Collaboration enriched 76Ge double-beta decay detectors are currently operating in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory with an overburden of 2450 m.w.e. A recent upgrade has made it possible to use them in a search for WIMPs. A new exclusion plot has been derived for WIMP-nucleon spin-independent interaction. To obtain this result, 30 days of data from one IGEX detector, which has an energy threshold of ~4 keV, have been considered. These data improve the exclusion limits derived from other germanium diode experiments in the ~50 GeV DAMA region, and show that with a moderate improvement of the background below 10 keV, the DAMA region may be tested with an additional 1 kg-year of exposure.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physics Letter

Pulse Shape Discrimination in the IGEX Experiment

The IGEX experiment has been operating enriched germanium detectors in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (Spain) in a search for the neutrinoless double decay of 76Ge. The implementation of Pulse Shape Discrimination techniques to reduce the radioactive background is described in detail. This analysis has been applied to a fraction of the IGEX data, leading to a rejection of ~60 % of their background, in the region of interest (from 2 to 2.5 MeV), down to ~0.09 c/(keV kg y).Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure

Ohm's Law for Plasma in General Relativity and Cowling's Theorem

The general-relativistic Ohm's law for a two-component plasma which includes the gravitomagnetic force terms even in the case of quasi-neutrality has been derived. The equations that describe the electromagnetic processes in a plasma surrounding a neutron star are obtained by using the general relativistic form of Maxwell equations in a geometry of slow rotating gravitational object. In addition to the general-relativistic effect first discussed by Khanna \& Camenzind (1996) we predict a mechanism of the generation of azimuthal current under the general relativistic effect of dragging of inertial frames on radial current in a plasma around neutron star. The azimuthal current being proportional to the angular velocity $\omega$ of the dragging of inertial frames can give valuable contribution on the evolution of the stellar magnetic field if $\omega$ exceeds $2.7\times 10^{17} (n/\sigma) \textrm{s}^{-1}$ ($n$ is the number density of the charged particles, $\sigma$ is the conductivity of plasma). Thus in general relativity a rotating neutron star, embedded in plasma, can in principle generate axial-symmetric magnetic fields even in axisymmetry. However, classical Cowling's antidynamo theorem, according to which a stationary axial-symmetric magnetic field can not be sustained against ohmic diffusion, has to be hold in the general-relativistic case for the typical plasma being responsible for the rotating neutron star.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Results of the BiPo-1 prototype for radiopurity measurements for the SuperNEMO double beta decay source foils

The development of BiPo detectors is dedicated to the measurement of extremely high radiopurity in $^{208}$Tl and $^{214}$Bi for the SuperNEMO double beta decay source foils. A modular prototype, called BiPo-1, with 0.8 $m^2$ of sensitive surface area, has been running in the Modane Underground Laboratory since February, 2008. The goal of BiPo-1 is to measure the different components of the background and in particular the surface radiopurity of the plastic scintillators that make up the detector. The first phase of data collection has been dedicated to the measurement of the radiopurity in $^{208}$Tl. After more than one year of background measurement, a surface activity of the scintillators of $\mathcal{A}$($^{208}$Tl) $=$ 1.5 $\mu$Bq/m$^2$ is reported here. Given this level of background, a larger BiPo detector having 12 m$^2$ of active surface area, is able to qualify the radiopurity of the SuperNEMO selenium double beta decay foils with the required sensitivity of $\mathcal{A}$($^{208}$Tl) $<$ 2 $\mu$Bq/kg (90% C.L.) with a six month measurement.Comment: 24 pages, submitted to N.I.M.

Measurement of double beta decay of 100Mo to excited states in the NEMO 3 experiment

The double beta decay of 100Mo to the 0^+_1 and 2^+_1 excited states of 100Ru is studied using the NEMO 3 data. After the analysis of 8024 h of data the half-life for the two-neutrino double beta decay of 100Mo to the excited 0^+_1 state is measured to be T^(2nu)_1/2 = [5.7^{+1.3}_{-0.9}(stat)+/-0.8(syst)]x 10^20 y. The signal-to-background ratio is equal to 3. Information about energy and angular distributions of emitted electrons is also obtained. No evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay to the excited 0^+_1 state has been found. The corresponding half-life limit is T^(0nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 0^+_1) > 8.9 x 10^22 y (at 90% C.L.). The search for the double beta decay to the 2^+_1 excited state has allowed the determination of limits on the half-life for the two neutrino mode T^(2nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 2^+_1) > 1.1 x 10^21 y (at 90% C.L.) and for the neutrinoless mode T^(0nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 2^+_1) > 1.6 x 10^23 y (at 90% C.L.).Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, submitted to Nucl. Phy

Spectral modeling of scintillator for the NEMO-3 and SuperNEMO detectors

We have constructed a GEANT4-based detailed software model of photon transport in plastic scintillator blocks and have used it to study the NEMO-3 and SuperNEMO calorimeters employed in experiments designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. We compare our simulations to measurements using conversion electrons from a calibration source of $\rm ^{207}Bi$ and show that the agreement is improved if wavelength-dependent properties of the calorimeter are taken into account. In this article, we briefly describe our modeling approach and results of our studies.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

Total Cross Section Measurements With π- , Σ- And Protons On Nuclei And Nucleons Around 600 Gev/c

Total cross sections for Σ- and π- on beryllium, carbon, polyethylene and copper as well as total cross sections for protons on beryllium and carbon have been measured in a broad momentum range around 600GeV/c . These measurements were performed with a transmission technique in the SELEX hyperon-beam experiment at Fermilab. We report on results obtained for hadron-nucleus cross sections and on results for σtot(Σ-N) and σtot(π-N) , which were deduced from nuclear cross sections. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.57901/02/15277312Langland, J.L., (1995) Ph.D. Thesis, , University of IowaKleinfelder, S.A., (1988) IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 35 (1)Dersch, U., (1998) Ph.D. Thesis, HeidelbergBiagi, S.F., (1981) Nucl. Phys. B, 186, pp. 1-21Bellettini, G., (1966) Nucl. Phys., 79, pp. 609-624Schiz, A.M., (1980) Phys. Rev. D, 21, pp. 3010-3022Murthy, P.V.R., (1975) Nucl. Phys. B, 92, pp. 269-308Caso, C., (1998) Eur. Phys. J. C, 3. , http://pdg.lbl.gov/1998/contents_plots.html, and data on total cross sections from computer readable filesSchiz, A.M., (1979) Ph.D. Thesis, , Yale University(1973) Landolt Börnstein Tables, 7. , Springer editionEngler, J., (1970) Phys. Lett. B, 32, pp. 716-719Babaev, A., (1974) Phys. Lett. B, 51, pp. 501-504Glauber, R.J., (1959) Boulder Lectures, pp. 315-413Franco, V., (1972) Phys. Rev. C, 6, pp. 748-757Karmanov, V.A., Kondratyuk, L.A., (1973) JETP Lett., 18, pp. 266-268Burq, J.P., (1983) Nucl. Phys. B, 217, pp. 285-335Gross, D., (1978) Phys. Rev. Lett., 41, pp. 217-220Beznogikh, G.G., (1972) Phys. Lett. B, 39, pp. 411-413Vorobyov, A.A., (1972) Phys. Lett. B, 41, pp. 639-641Foley, K.J., (1967) Phys. Rev. Lett., 19, pp. 857-859Fajardo, L.A., (1981) Phys. Rev. D, 24, pp. 46-65Jenni, P., (1977) Nucl. Phys. B, 129, pp. 232-252Breedon, R.E., (1989) Phys. Rev. Lett. B, 216, pp. 459-465Amos, N., (1983) Phys. Rev. Lett. B, 128, pp. 343-348Amaldi, U., (1977) Phys. Rev. Lett. B, 66, pp. 390-394Amos, N., (1985) Nucl. Phys. B, 262, pp. 689-714Akopin, V.D., (1977) Sov. J. Nucl. Phys., 25, pp. 51-55Amirkhanov, I.V., (1973) Sov. J. Nucl. Phys., 17, pp. 636-637Foley, K.J., (1969) Phys. Rev., 181, pp. 1775-1793Apokin, V.D., (1976) Nucl. Phys. B, 106, pp. 413-429Burq, J.P., (1982) Phys. Lett. B, 109, pp. 124-127Dakhno, L.G., (1983) Sov. J. Nucl. Phys., 37, pp. 590-598Kazarinov, M., (1976) Sov. Phys. JETP, 43, pp. 598-606De Jager, C.W., (1974) At. Data Nucl. Data Tables, 14, pp. 479-508Donnachie, A., Landshoff, P.V., (1992) Phys. Lett. B, 296, pp. 227-232Lipkin, H., (1975) Phys. Rev. D, 11, pp. 1827-1831Barnett, R.M., (1996) Phys. Rev. D, 54, pp. 191-192Carroll, A.S., (1979) Phys. Lett. B, 80, pp. 423-427Badier, J., (1972) Phys. Lett. B, 41, pp. 387-39

Total Cross Section Measurements with pi-, Sigma- and Protons on Nuclei and Nucleons around 600 GeV/c

Total cross sections for Sigma- and pi- on beryllium, carbon, polyethylene and copper as well as total cross sections for protons on beryllium and carbon have been measured in a broad momentum range around 600GeV/c. These measurements were performed with a transmission technique adapted to the SELEX hyperon-beam experiment at Fermilab. We report on results obtained for hadron-nucleus cross sections and on results for sigma_tot(Sigma- N) and sigma_tot(pi- N), which were deduced from nuclear cross sections.Comment: 42 pages, submitted to Nucl.Phys.