A Possible Solution to the Tritium Endpoint Problem

Scalar or right-chiral interaction currents may be expected to produce a neutrino coupled to the electron which is different from, and perhaps even orthogonal to, that coupled to the electron by the standard model weak interaction. We show that, using reasonable parameter values for such additional interactions, it is possible to generate a spectrum which, if analyzed in the manner commonly employed by experimental groups, produces a negative neutrino mass-squared.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, 1 Postscript figure, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Operation of a 1-Liter-Volume Gaseous Argon Scintillation Counter

We have built a gas-phase argon ionization detector to measure small nuclear recoil energies (< 10 keVee). In this paper, we describe the detector response to X-ray and gamma calibration sources, including analysis of pulse shapes, software triggers, optimization of gas content, and energy- and position-dependence of the signal. We compare our experimental results against simulation using a 5.9-keV X-ray source, as well as higher-energy gamma sources up to 1332 keV. We conclude with a description of the detector, DAQ, and software settings optimized for a measurement of the low-energy nuclear quenching factor in gaseous argon. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in part under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and in part under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Funded by Lab-wide LDRD. LLNL-JRNL-415990-DRAFT.Comment: 29 pages, single-column, double-spaced, 21 figure

The β\beta-spectrum in presence of background potentials for neutrinos

We compute the spectrum of $\beta$-decay, assuming that (Majorana or Dirac) neutrinos propagate in constant potentials. We study the modifications of the spectrum due to the effect of these potentials. Data on tritium decay and on ${}^3$H--${}^3$He mass difference allow us to infer bounds in the electronvolts range on the potentials.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, 1 figure; one erroneous statement in first version emende

S-35 Beta Irradiation of a Tin Strip in a State of Superconducting Geometrical Metastability

We report the first energy loss spectrum obtained with a geometrically metastable type I superconducting tin strip irradiated by the beta-emission of S-35. (Nucl. Instr. Meth. A, in press)Comment: Compressed PostScript (filename.ps.Z), 9 pages, 2 figure

Dual-phase argon ionization detector for measurement of coherent elastic neutrino scattering and medium-energy nuclear recoils

We propose to build and deploy a 10-kg dual-phase argon ionization detector for the detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, which is described by the reaction; (V) + (Z,N) {yields} (v) + (Z,N). Our group would be the first to make this measurement. Its detection would validate (or refute) central tenets of the Standard Model. The existence of this process is also relevant to astrophysics, where coherent neutrino scattering is assumed to impede energy transport within neutron stars. We have built a gas-phase argon ionization detector to determine the feasibility of measuring small recoil energies ({approx}1keV) predicted from coherent neutrino scattering, and to characterize the recoil spectrum of the argon nuclei induced by scattering from medium-energy neutrons. We present calibrations made with 55-Fe, a low energy x-ray source, and describe a planned measurement of the recoil spectra from the 60keV Lithium-target neutron generator at LLNL. A high signal-to-noise measurement of the recoil spectrum will not only serve an important milestone in achieving the sensitivity necessary for measuring coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, but will break new scientific ground by providing a first ever measurement of low-energy quenching factors in argon. Coherent scattering occurs when the momentum transfer from a neutrino to the nucleus is much smaller than the inverse size of the recoil nucleus. A detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering would verify an unconfirmed Standard Model prediction [1], explore non-standard neutrino-quark interactions, confirm stellar collapse and supernova energy transport and neutrino opacity models, and could be applied to the measurement of the flavor-blind neutrino spectrum from next nearby supernova, or could be used to promote non-intrusive reactor power monitoring [2]. We propose detecting the ionization induced by recoiling argon nuclei using a 10 kg dual-phase argon detector. The principle of dual-phase detection has been described elsewhere [3]. We propose using a 3 GW commercial nuclear reactor as a source of antineutrinos. We have designed and built a gas-phase prototype of the detector with which we have measured the 200-electron equivalent ionization signals from a 6keV Fe-55 source with a signal-to-noise threshold of 50 electrons. This prototype also enables study of scintillation properties of Argon and investigation of electron and nuclear recoils in Argon. We will measure medium energy neutron-nuclear recoils in our prototype detector using the recently-commissioned LLNL compact pulsed neutron source

Materials analysis using positron beam lifetime spectroscopy

We are using a defect analysis capabilities based on two positron beam lifetime spectrometers: the first is based on a 3 MeV electrostatic accelerator and the second on our high current linac beam. The high energy beam lifetime spectrometer is routinely used to perform positron lifetime analysis with a 3 MeV positron beam on thick sample specimens. It is being used for bulk sample analysis and analysis of samples encapsulated in controlled environments for in situ measurements. A second, low energy, microscopically focused, pulsed positron beam for defect analysis by positron lifetime spectroscopy is under development at the LLNL high current positron source. This beam will enable defect-specific, 3-dimensional maps of defect concentration with sub-micron location resolution. When coupled with first principles calculations of defect specific positron lifetimes it will enable new levels of defect concentration mapping and defect identification

A 2nd generation cosmic axion experiment

An experiment is described to detect dark matter axions trapped in the halo of our galaxy. Galactic axions are converted into microwave photons via the Primakoff effect in a static background field provided by a superconducting magnet. The photons are collected in a high Q microwave cavity and detected by a low noise receiver. The axion mass range accessible by this experiment is 1.3-13 micro-eV. The expected sensitivity will be roughly 50 times greater than achieved by previous experiments in this mass range. The assembly of the detector is well under way at LLNL and data taking will start in mid-1995.Comment: Postscript, 6 pages, 4 figures; submitted to proceedings of: XXXth Recontres de Moriond, 'Dark Matter in Cosmology", Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, Jan 21-28, 199

High current pulsed positron microprobe

We are developing a low energy, microscopically focused, pulsed positron beam for defect analysis by positron lifetime spectroscopy to provide a new defect analysis capability at the 10{sup 10} e{sup +}s{sup -l} beam at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory electron linac. When completed, the pulsed positron microprobe will enable defect specific, 3-dimensional maps of defect concentrations with sub-micron resolution of defect location. By coupling these data with first principles calculations of defect specific positron lifetimes and positron implantation profiles we will both map the identity and concentration of defect distributions

Neutron time-of-flight measurements of charged-particle energy loss in inertial confinement fusion plasmas

Neutron spectra from secondary ^{3}H(d,n)α reactions produced by an implosion of a deuterium-gas capsule at the National Ignition Facility have been measured with order-of-magnitude improvements in statistics and resolution over past experiments. These new data and their sensitivity to the energy loss of fast tritons emitted from thermal ^{2}H(d,p)^{3}H reactions enable the first statistically significant investigation of charged-particle stopping via the emitted neutron spectrum. Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, constrained to match a number of observables from the implosion, were used to predict the neutron spectra while employing two different energy loss models. This analysis represents the first test of stopping models under inertial confinement fusion conditions, covering plasma temperatures of k_{B}T≈1-4  keV and particle densities of n≈(12-2)×10^{24}  cm^{-3}. Under these conditions, we find significant deviations of our data from a theory employing classical collisions whereas the theory including quantum diffraction agrees with our data