8,197 research outputs found
Superheated Droplet Detectors as CDM Detectors: The SIMPLE Experiment
Superheated Droplet Detectors (SDDs) are becoming commonplace in neutron
personnel dosimetry. Their total insensitivity to minimum ionizing radiation
(while responsive to nuclear recoils of energies ~ few keV), together with
their low cost, ease of production, and operation at room temperature and 1 atm
makes them ideal for Cold Dark Matter (CDM) searches. SDD's are optimal for the
exploration of the spin-dependent neutralino coupling due to their high
fluorine content. The status of SIMPLE (Superheated Instrument for Massive
ParticLe Experiments) is presented. Under realistic background considerations,
we expect an improvement in the present Cold Dark Matter sensitivity of 2-3
orders of magnitude after ~1 kg-y of data acquisition.Comment: 6 pages, including 4 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the
Intl. Workshop on the Identification of Dark Matter (Sheffield, Sept. 96
Model-independent Limits from Spin-dependent WIMP Dark Matter Experiments
Spin-dependent WIMP searches have traditionally presented results within an
odd group approximation and by suppressing one of the spin-dependent
interaction cross sections. We here elaborate on a model-independent analysis
in which spin-dependent interactions with both protons and neutrons are
simultaneously considered. Within this approach, equivalent current limits on
the WIMP-nucleon interaction at WIMP mass of 50 GeV/c are either
pb, pb or ,
depending on the choice of cross section or coupling strength
representation. These limits become less restrictive for either larger or
smaller masses; they are less restrictive than those from the traditional odd
group approximation regardless of WIMP mass. Combination of experimental
results are seen to produce significantly more restrictive limits than those
obtained from any single experiment. Experiments traditionally considered
spin-independent are moreover found to severely limit the spin-dependent phase
space. The extension of this analysis to the case of positive signal
experiments is explored.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Heavy Superheated Droplet Detectors as a Probe of Spin-independent WIMP Dark Matter Existence
At present, application of Superheated Droplet Detectors (SDDs) in WIMP dark
matter searches has been limited to the spin-dependent sector, owing to the
general use of fluorinated refrigerants which have high spin sensitivity. Given
their recent demonstration of a significant constraint capability with
relatively small exposures and the relative economy of the technique, we
consider the potential impact of heavy versions of such devices on the
spin-independent sector. Limits obtainable from a -loaded SDD
are estimated on the basis of the radiopurity levels and backgrounds already
achieved by the SIMPLE and PICASSO experiments. With 34 kgd exposure,
equivalent to the current CDMS, such a device may already probe to below
10 pb in the spin-independent cross section.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted Phys. Rev.
Central Proper-Motion Kinematics of NGC 6752
We present proper motions derived from WFPC2 imaging for stars in the core of
the peculiar globular cluster NGC 6752. The central velocity dispersion in both
components of the proper motion is 12 km/s. We discuss the implications of this
result as well as the intrinsic difficulties in making such measurements. We
also give an alternative correction for the 34-row problem in the WFPC2 CCDs.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, 1 table included. Accepted for publication in A
Confirmation of the planet around HD 95086 by direct imaging
VLT/NaCo angular differential imaging at L' (3.8 microns) revealed a probable
giant planet comoving with the young and early-type HD 95086 also known to
harbor an extended debris disk. The discovery was based on the proper motion
analysis of two datasets spanning 15 months. However, the second dataset
suffered from bad atmospheric conditions, which limited the significance of the
redetection at the 3 sigma level. In this Letter, we report new VLT/NaCo
observations of HD 95086 obtained on 2013 June 26-27 at L' to recover the
planet candidate. We unambiguously redetect the companion HD 95086 b with
multiple independent pipelines at a signal-to-noise ratio greater than or equal
to 5. Combined with previously reported measurements, our astrometry decisively
shows that the planet is comoving with HD 95086 and inconsistent with a
background object. With a revised mass of 5 pm 2 Jupiter masses, estimated from
its L' photometry and "hot-start" models at 17 pm 4 Myr, HD 95086 b becomes a
new benchmark for further physical and orbital characterization of young giant
planets.Comment: accepted for publication to AP
- …