132 research outputs found
The CUORE cryostat: an infrastructure for rare event searches at millikelvin temperatures
The CUORE experiment is the world's largest bolometric experiment. The
detector consists of an array of 988 TeO2 crystals, for a total mass of 742 kg.
CUORE is presently taking data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso,
Italy, searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te. A large
custom cryogen-free cryostat allows reaching and maintaining a base temperature
of about 10 mK, required for the optimal operation of the detector. This
apparatus has been designed in order to achieve a low noise environment, with
minimal contribution to the radioactive background for the experiment. In this
paper, we present an overview of the CUORE cryostat, together with a
description of all its sub-systems, focusing on the solutions identified to
satisfy the stringent requirements. We briefly illustrate the various phases of
the cryostat commissioning and highlight the relevant steps and milestones
achieved each time. Finally, we describe the successful cooldown of CUORE
Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of Te with CUORE-0
We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a
9.8~kgyr exposure of Te using a bolometric detector array,
CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in
the region of interest are FWHM and ~counts/(keVkgyr), respectively. The
median 90%~C.L. lower-limit sensitivity of the experiment is and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find
no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of Te and place a
Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, ~ at 90%~C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75~kgyr
exposure of Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain at 90%~C.L.~(Bayesian), the most stringent
limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element
estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass,
-- .Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, updated version as published in PR
Analysis Techniques for the Evaluation of the Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Lifetime in Te with CUORE-0
We describe in detail the methods used to obtain the lower bound on the
lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta () decay in Te and
the associated limit on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino using the
CUORE-0 detector. CUORE-0 is a bolometric detector array located at the
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that was designed to validate the
background reduction techniques developed for CUORE, a next-generation
experiment scheduled to come online in 2016. CUORE-0 is also a competitive
decay search in its own right and functions as a platform to
further develop the analysis tools and procedures to be used in CUORE. These
include data collection, event selection and processing, as well as an
evaluation of signal efficiency. In particular, we describe the amplitude
evaluation, thermal gain stabilization, energy calibration methods, and the
analysis event selection used to create our final decay search
spectrum. We define our high level analysis procedures, with emphasis on the
new insights gained and challenges encountered. We outline in detail our
fitting methods near the hypothesized decay peak and catalog
the main sources of systematic uncertainty. Finally, we derive the
decay half-life limits previously reported for CUORE-0,
yr, and in combination with the Cuoricino
limit, yr.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures. (Version 3 reflects only minor changes to the
text. Few additional details, no major content changes.
Measurement of the Two-Neutrino Double Beta Decay Half-life of Te with the CUORE-0 Experiment
We report on the measurement of the two-neutrino double beta decay half-life
of Te with the CUORE-0 detector. From an exposure of 33.4 kgy of
TeO, the half-life is determined to be = [8.2 0.2
(stat.) 0.6 (syst.)] 10y. This result is obtained after a
detailed reconstruction of the sources responsible for the CUORE-0 counting
rate, with a specific study of those contributing to the Te
neutrinoless double beta decay region of interest.Comment: Corrected typo in section 9: 3.43E5 Bq/kg should have read 3.43E-5
Bq/k
Measurement of the 2νββ Decay Half-Life of Te 130 with CUORE
We measured two-neutrino double beta decay of Te130 using an exposure of 300.7 kg yr accumulated with the CUORE detector. Using a Bayesian analysis to fit simulated spectra to experimental data, it was possible to disentangle all the major background sources and precisely measure the two-neutrino contribution. The half-life is in agreement with past measurements with a strongly reduced uncertainty: T1/22ν=7.71-0.06+0.08(stat)-0.15+0.12(syst)×1020 yr. This measurement is the most precise determination of the Te130 2νββ decay half-life to date
Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of Te-130 with CUORE-0
We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a 9.8 kg·yr exposure of 130Te using a bolometric detector array, CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in the region of interest are 5.1 ± 0.3 keV FWHM and 0.058 ± 0.004 (stat.) ± 0.002 (syst.) counts/(keV·kg·yr), respectively. The median 90 % C.L. lower-limit half-life sensitivity of the experiment is 2.9 × 1024 yr and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 130Te and place a Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, T 0¿ > 2.7 × 1024 yr at 90 % C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75 kg·yr exposure 1/2 of 130Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain T0¿ > 4.0×1024 yr at 90% C.L. (Bayesian), the 1/2 most stringent limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, mßß < 270–760 me
Status and prospects of discovery of 0νββ decay with the CUORE detector
In this contribution we present the achievements of the CUORE
experiment so far. It is the first tonne-scale bolometric detector and it is in stable
data taking since 2018. We reached to collect about 1800 kgĂ—yr of exposure of
which more than 1tonĂ—year have been analysed. The CUORE detector is meant
to search for the neutrinoless double β decay (0νββ) of the 130Te isotope. This is
a beyond Standard Model process which could establish the nature of the neutrino
to be Dirac or a Majorana particle. It is an alternative mode of the two-neutrinos
double β decay, a rare decay which have been precisely measured by CUORE in
the 130Te. We found no evidence of the 0νββ and we set a Bayesian lower limit
of 2.2Ă—1025yr on its half-life. The expertise achieved by CUORE set a milestone
for any future bolometric detector, including CUPID, which is the planned next
generation experiment searching for 0νββ with scintillating bolometers
Reduction of Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity and Maternal Mortality in Thyolo District, Malawi: The Impact of Obstetric Audit
BACKGROUND: Critical incident audit and feedback are recommended interventions to improve the quality of obstetric care. To evaluate the effect of audit at district level in Thyolo, Malawi, we assessed the incidence of facility-based severe maternal complications (severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) and maternal mortality) during two years of audit and feedback. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Between September 2007 and September 2009, we included all cases of maternal mortality and SAMM that occurred in Thyolo District Hospital, the main referral facility in the area, using validated disease-specific criteria. During two- to three-weekly audit sessions, health workers and managers identified substandard care factors. Resulting recommendations were implemented and followed up. Feedback was given during subsequent sessions. A linear regression analysis was performed on facility-based severe maternal complications. During the two-year study period, 386 women were included: 46 died and 340 sustained SAMM, giving a case fatality rate of 11.9%. Forty-five cases out of the 386 inclusions were audited in plenary with hospital staff. There was a reduction of 3.1 women with severe maternal complications per 1000 deliveries in the district health facilities, from 13.5 per 1000 deliveries in the beginning to 10.4 per 1000 deliveries at the end of the study period. The incidence of uterine rupture and major obstetric hemorrhage reduced considerably (from 3.5 to 0.2 and from 5.9 to 2.6 per 1000 facility deliveries respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that audit and feedback have the potential to reduce serious maternal complications including maternal mortality. Complications like major hemorrhage and uterine rupture that require relatively straightforward intrapartum emergency management are easier to reduce than those which require uptake of improved antenatal care (eclampsia) or timely intravenous medication or HIV-treatment (peripartum infections)
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