Neutron spectrometer for fast nuclear reactors

In this paper we describe the development and first tests of a neutron spectrometer designed for high flux environments, such as the ones found in fast nuclear reactors. The spectrometer is based on the conversion of neutrons impinging on $^6$Li into $\alpha$ and $t$ whose total energy comprises the initial neutron energy and the reaction $Q$-value. The $^6$LiF layer is sandwiched between two CVD diamond detectors, which measure the two reaction products in coincidence. The spectrometer was calibrated at two neutron energies in well known thermal and 3 MeV neutron fluxes. The measured neutron detection efficiency varies from 4.2$\times 10^{-4}$ to 3.5$\times 10^{-8}$ for thermal and 3 MeV neutrons, respectively. These values are in agreement with Geant4 simulations and close to simple estimates based on the knowledge of the $^6$Li(n,$\alpha$)$t$ cross section. The energy resolution of the spectrometer was found to be better than 100 keV when using 5 m cables between the detector and the preamplifiers.Comment: submitted to NI

Analysis of the Response of CVD Diamond Detectors for UV and sX-Ray Plasma Diagnostics Installed at JET

Abstract Diamond detectors are very promising candidates for plasma diagnostics in a harsh environment. In fact, they have several proprieties which make them suitable for magnetic fusion devices: radiation hardness, high thermal conductivity, high resistivity, high carrier mobility and a large bandgap (5.5 eV). The latter makes them insensitive to visible radiation and allows low noise measurements without any cooling. In 2008 two CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) single crystal diamond (SCD) detectors were installed at the JET tokamak as extreme UV and soft X-Ray diagnostics [1]. In this work the neutron background in these detectors was measured shielding the UV and soft X-Ray radiation by closing a local vacuum valve. The UV detector was found to be insensitive to the neutron flux, while the soft X Ray detector signal exhibited spikes during the highest neutron rate pulse (neutron rate 10 16 n / s , which corresponds to a flux of φ n ∼10 5 n / cm 2 s in the detector location). These spikes were found to be due to the (n,p) reaction within the plastic filter in front of the soft X-Ray detector. The UV SCD was also used to perform time of flight (ToF) measurements in laser ablation experiments. ToFs were found to be an order of magnitude higher than expected if only the drift velocity is considered. This discrepancy could be due to a delay between the arrival time of the impurities in the plasma and their emission in an energy range which SCD is sensitive to ( Eph >5.5 eV). The delay is found to be comparable with the expected ionization times for edge plasma conditions

Search for Spatial Correlations of Neutrinos with Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays

[EN] For several decades, the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) has been an unsolved question of high- energy astrophysics. One approach for solving this puzzle is to correlate UHECRs with high-energy neutrinos, since neutrinos are a direct probe of hadronic interactions of cosmic rays and are not de¿ected by magnetic ¿elds. In this paper, we present three different approaches for correlating the arrival directions of neutrinos with the arrival directions of UHECRs. The neutrino data are provided by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and ANTARES, while the UHECR data with energies above ~50 EeV are provided by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. All experiments provide increased statistics and improved reconstructions with respect to our previous results reported in 2015. The ¿rst analysis uses a high-statistics neutrino sample optimized for point- source searches to search for excesses of neutrino clustering in the vicinity of UHECR directions. The second analysis searches for an excess of UHECRs in the direction of the highest-energy neutrinos. The third analysis searches for an excess of pairs of UHECRs and highest-energy neutrinos on different angular scales. None of the analyses have found a signi¿cant excess, and previously reported over¿uctuations are reduced in signi¿cance. Based on these results, we further constrain the neutrino ¿ux spatially correlated with UHECRs.The authors of the ANTARES collaboration acknowledge the financial support of the funding agencies: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), Commission Europeenne (FEDER fund and Marie Curie Program), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), LabEx UnivEarthS (ANR-10-LABX-0023 and ANR-18-IDEX-0001), Region Ile-de-France (DIM-ACAV), Region Alsace (contrat CPER), Region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Departement du Var and Ville de La Seyne-sur-Mer, France; Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Germany; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy; Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), the Netherlands; Council of the President of the Russian Federation for young scientists and leading scientific schools supporting grants, Russia; Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI), Romania; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion, Investigacion y Universidades (MCIU): Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento (refs. PGC2018-096663-B-C41, -A-C42, -B-C43, -B-C44) (MCIU/FEDER), Generalitat Valenciana: Prometeo (PROMETEO/2020/019), Grisolia (refs. GRISOLIA/2018/119,/2021/192) and GenT (refs. CIDEGENT/2018/034,/2019/043,/2020/049,/2021/023) programs, Junta de Andalucia (ref. A-FQM-053-UGR18), La Caixa Foundation (ref. LCF/BQ/IN17/11620019), EU: MSC program (ref. 101025085), Spain; Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Morocco, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Kuwait. We also acknowledge the technical support of Ifremer, AIM and Foselev Marine for the sea operation and the CC-IN2P3 for the computing facilities. The ANTARES collaboration acknowledges the significant contributions to this manuscript from Julien Aublin.Albert, A.; Alves, S.; Andre, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Ardid-Ramírez, JS.; Aubert, ,J.... (2022). Search for Spatial Correlations of Neutrinos with Ultra-high-energy Cosmic Rays. The Astrophysical Journal. 934(2):1-21. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac6def121934

A Work Proposal for a Collaborative Study of Magnet Technology for a Future Muon Collider

In this paper we elaborate on the nature and challenges for the magnet systems of a muon collider as presently considered within the scope of the International Muon Collider Collaboration (IMCC). We outline the structure of the work proposed over the coming period of five years to study and demonstrate relevant magnet technology. The proposal, which is part of the overall work planned to establish feasibility of a muon collider, is in direct response to the recent recommendations received from the Laboratories Directors Group (LDG). The plan is to profit from joint activities, within the scope of the IMCC and beyond, implemented through direct and EU-funded contributions.Comment: contribution to Snowmass 202

Sensitivity to light sterile neutrino mixing parameters with KM3NeT/ORCA

KM3NeT/ORCA is a next-generation neutrino telescope optimised for atmospheric neutrino oscillations studies. In this paper, the sensitivity of ORCA to the presence of a light sterile neutrino in a 3+1 model is presented. After three years of data taking, ORCA will be able to probe the active-sterile mixing angles θ14, θ24, θ34 and the effective angle θμe, over a broad range of mass squared difference ∆m412 ∼ [10−5, 10] eV2, allowing to test the eV-mass sterile neutrino hypothesis as the origin of short baseline anomalies, as well as probing the hypothesis of a very light sterile neutrino, not yet constrained by cosmology. ORCA will be able to explore a relevant fraction of the parameter space not yet reached by present measurements

First observation of the cosmic ray shadow of the Moon and the Sun with KM3NeT/ORCA

This article reports the first observation of the Moon and the Sun shadows in the sky distribution of cosmic-ray induced muons measured by the KM3NeT/ORCA detector. The analysed data-taking period spans from February 2020 to November 2021, when the detector had 6 Detection Units deployed at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, each composed of 18 Digital Optical Modules. The shadows induced by the Moon and the Sun were detected at their nominal position with a statistical significance of 4.2 σ and 6.2 σ , and an angular resolution of σres= 0. 49 ∘ and σres= 0. 66 ∘ , respectively, consistent with the prediction of 0. 53 ∘ from simulations. This early result confirms the effectiveness of the detector calibration, in time, position and orientation and the accuracy of the event direction reconstruction. This also demonstrates the performance and the competitiveness of the detector in terms of pointing accuracy and angular resolution

A Muon Collider Facility for Physics Discovery

Muon colliders provide a unique route to deliver high energy collisions thatenable discovery searches and precision measurements to extend ourunderstanding of the fundamental laws of physics. The muon collider design aimsto deliver physics reach at the highest energies with costs, power consumptionand on a time scale that may prove favorable relative to other proposedfacilities. In this context, a new international collaboration has formed tofurther extend the design concepts and performance studies of such a machine.This effort is focused on delivering the elements of a $\sim$10 TeV center ofmass (CM) energy design to explore the physics energy frontier. The path tosuch a machine may pass through lower energy options. Currently a 3 TeV CMstage is considered. Other energy stages could also be explored, e.g. ans-channel Higgs Factory operating at 125 GeV CM. We describe the status of theR&D and design effort towards such a machine and lay out a plan to bring theseconcepts to maturity as a tool for the high energy physics community.<br