300 research outputs found
Modeling of electron emission processes accompanying Radon--decays within electrostatic spectrometers
Electrostatic spectrometers utilized in high-resolution beta-spectroscopy
studies such as in the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment have to
operate with a background level of less than 10^(-2) counts per second. This
limit can be exceeded by even a small number of Rn-219 or Rn-220 atoms being
emanated into the volume and undergoing alpha-decay there. In this paper we
present a detailed model of the underlying background-generating processes via
electron emission by internal conversion, shake-off and relaxation processes in
the atomic shells of the Po-215 and Po-216 daughters. The model yields electron
energy spectra up to 400 keV and electron multiplicities of up to 20 which are
compared to experimental data.Comment: 7 figure
Study of background and transmission properties of the KATRIN spectrometers
The KATRIN experiment will determine the effective mass of the electron anti-neutrino with a sensitivity of 200 meV. This thesis focuses on the detailed description and optimization of background and transmission properties of the spectrometers. Various physics models have been implemented into the simulation software Kassiopeia to study experimental observations by Monte-Carlo simulations. A measurement strategy has been worked out to determine the main spectrometer transmission properties
Validation of a model for Radon-induced background processes in electrostatic spectrometers
The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment investigating tritium
beta-decay close to the endpoint with unprecedented precision has stringent
requirements on the background level of less than 10^(-2) counts per second.
Electron emission during the alpha-decay of Rn-219 and Rn-220 atoms in the
electrostatic spectrometers of KATRIN is a serious source of background
exceeding this limit. In this paper we compare extensive simulations of
Rn-induced background to specific measurements with the KATRIN pre-spectrometer
to fully characterize the observed Rn-background rates and signatures and
determine generic Rn emanation rates from the pre-spectrometer bulk material
and its vacuum components.Comment: 10 figure
Technical design and commissioning of the KATRIN large-volume air coil system
The KATRIN experiment is a next-generation direct neutrino mass experiment
with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV (90% C.L.) to the effective mass of the electron
neutrino. It measures the tritium -decay spectrum close to its endpoint
with a spectrometer based on the MAC-E filter technique. The -decay
electrons are guided by a magnetic field that operates in the mT range in the
central spectrometer volume; it is fine-tuned by a large-volume air coil system
surrounding the spectrometer vessel. The purpose of the system is to provide
optimal transmission properties for signal electrons and to achieve efficient
magnetic shielding against background. In this paper we describe the technical
design of the air coil system, including its mechanical and electrical
properties. We outline the importance of its versatile operation modes in
background investigation and suppression techniques. We compare magnetic field
measurements in the inner spectrometer volume during system commissioning with
corresponding simulations, which allows to verify the system's functionality in
fine-tuning the magnetic field configuration. This is of major importance for a
successful neutrino mass measurement at KATRIN.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figure
The Future of Neutrino Mass Measurements: Terrestrial, Astrophysical, and Cosmological Measurements in the Next Decade. Highlights of the NuMass 2013 Workshop. Milano, Italy, February 4 - 7, 2013
The third Workshop of the NuMass series ("The Future of Neutrino Mass
Measurements: Terrestrial, Astrophysical, and Cosmological Measurements in the
Next Decade: NuMass 2013") was held at Dipartimento di Fisica "G. Occhialini,
University of Milano-Bicocca in Milano, Italy, on 4-7 February 2013. The goal
of this international workshop was to review the status and future of direct
and indirect neutrino mass measurements in the laboratory as well as from
astrophysical and cosmological observations. This paper collects most of the
contributions presented during the Workshop
Kassiopeia: A Modern, Extensible C++ Particle Tracking Package
The Kassiopeia particle tracking framework is an object-oriented software
package using modern C++ techniques, written originally to meet the needs of
the KATRIN collaboration. Kassiopeia features a new algorithmic paradigm for
particle tracking simulations which targets experiments containing complex
geometries and electromagnetic fields, with high priority put on calculation
efficiency, customizability, extensibility, and ease of use for novice
programmers. To solve Kassiopeia's target physics problem the software is
capable of simulating particle trajectories governed by arbitrarily complex
differential equations of motion, continuous physics processes that may in part
be modeled as terms perturbing that equation of motion, stochastic processes
that occur in flight such as bulk scattering and decay, and stochastic surface
processes occuring at interfaces, including transmission and reflection
effects. This entire set of computations takes place against the backdrop of a
rich geometry package which serves a variety of roles, including initialization
of electromagnetic field simulations and the support of state-dependent
algorithm-swapping and behavioral changes as a particle's state evolves. Thanks
to the very general approach taken by Kassiopeia it can be used by other
experiments facing similar challenges when calculating particle trajectories in
electromagnetic fields. It is publicly available at
https://github.com/KATRIN-Experiment/Kassiopei
Background due to stored electrons following nuclear decays in the KATRIN spectrometers and its impact on the neutrino mass sensitivity
The KATRIN experiment is designed to measure the absolute neutrino mass scale
with a sensitivity of 200 meV at 90% C.L. by high resolution tritium
beta-spectroscopy. A low background level of 10 mHz at the beta-decay endpoint
is required in order to achieve the design sensitivity. In this paper we
discuss a novel background source arising from magnetically trapped keV
electrons in electrostatic retarding spectrometers. The main sources of these
electrons are alpha-decays of the radon isotopes (219,220)Rn as well as
beta-decays of tritium in the volume of the spectrometers. We characterize the
expected background signal by extensive MC simulations and investigate the
impact on the KATRIN neutrino mass sensitivity. From these results we refine
design parameters for the spectrometer vacuum system and propose active
background reduction methods to meet the stringent design limits for the
overall background rate
Lowering IceCube's energy threshold for point source searches in the Southern Sky
Observation of a point source of astrophysical neutrinos would be a "smoking gun" signature of a cosmic-ray accelerator. While IceCube has recently discovered a diffuse flux of astrophysical neutrinos, no localized point source has been observed. Previous IceCube searches for point sources in the southern sky were restricted by either an energy threshold above a few hundred TeV or poor neutrino angular resolution. Here we present a search for southern sky point sources with greatly improved sensitivities to neutrinos with energies below 100 TeV. By selecting charged-current ν μ interacting inside the detector, we reduce the atmospheric background while retaining efficiency for astrophysical neutrino-induced events reconstructed with sub-degree angular resolution. The new event sample covers three years of detector data and leads to a factor of 10 improvement in sensitivity to point sources emitting below 100 TeV in the southern sky. No statistically significant evidence of point sources was found, and upper limits are set on neutrino emission from individual sources. A posteriori analysis of the highest-energy (~100 TeV) starting event in the sample found that this event alone represents a 2.8σ deviation from the hypothesis that the data consists only of atmospheric background.Fil: Aartsen, M. G.. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Abraham, K.. Technische Universität München; AlemaniaFil: Ackermann, M.. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron; AlemaniaFil: Adams, J.. University Of Canterbury; Nueva ZelandaFil: Aguilar, J. A.. Université Libre de Bruxelles; BélgicaFil: Golup, Geraldina Tamara. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Wallace, A.. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Wallraff, M.. Rwth Aachen University; AlemaniaFil: Wandkowsky, N.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Weaver, Ch.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Wendt, C.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Westerhoff, S.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Whelan, B. J.. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Whitehorn, N.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Wickmann, S.. Rwth Aachen University; AlemaniaFil: Wiebe, K.. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Wiebusch, C. H.. Rwth Aachen University; AlemaniaFil: Wille, L.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Williams, D. R.. University of Alabama at Birmingahm; Estados UnidosFil: Wills, L.. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Wissing, H.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Wolf, M.. Stockholms Universitet; SueciaFil: Wood, T. R.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Woschnagg, K.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, D. L.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, X. W.. Southern University; Estados UnidosFil: Xu, Y.. Stony Brook University; Estados UnidosFil: Yanez, J. P.. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron; AlemaniaFil: Yodh, G.. University of California at Irvine; Estados UnidosFil: Yoshida, S.. Chiba University; JapónFil: Zoll, M.. Stockholms Universitet; Sueci
Stochastic Heating by ECR as a Novel Means of Background Reduction in the KATRIN Spectrometers
The primary objective of the KATRIN experiment is to probe the absolute
neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 200 meV (90% C.L.) by precision
spectroscopy of tritium beta-decay. To achieve this, a low background of the
order of 10^(-2) cps in the region of the tritium beta-decay endpoint is
required. Measurements with an electrostatic retarding spectrometer have
revealed that electrons, arising from nuclear decays in the volume of the
spectrometer, are stored over long time periods and thereby act as a major
source of background exceeding this limit. In this paper we present a novel
active background reduction method based on stochastic heating of stored
electrons by the well-known process of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR). A
successful proof-of-principle of the ECR technique was demonstrated in test
measurements at the KATRIN pre-spectrometer, yielding a large reduction of the
background rate. In addition, we have carried out extensive Monte Carlo
simulations to reveal the potential of the ECR technique to remove all trapped
electrons within negligible loss of measurement time in the main spectrometer.
This would allow the KATRIN experiment attaining its full physics potential
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