1,396 research outputs found
Evidence for Neutrino Mass: A Decade of Discovery
Neutrino mass and mixing are amongst the major discoveries of recent years.
From the observation of flavor change in solar and atmospheric neutrino
experiments to the measurements of neutrino mixing with terrestrial neutrinos,
recent experiments have provided consistent and compelling evidence for the
mixing of massive neutrinos. The discoveries at Super-Kamiokande, SNO, and
KamLAND have solved the long-standing solar neutrino problem and demand that we
make the first significant revision of the Standard Model in decades. Searches
for neutrinoless double-beta decay probe the particle nature of neutrinos and
continue to place limits on the effective mass of the neutrino. Possible signs
of neutrinoless double-beta decay will stimulate neutrino mass searches in the
next decade and beyond. I review the recent discoveries in neutrino physics and
the current evidence for massive neutrinos.Comment: Invited talk at SEESAW25: International Conference on the Seesaw
Mechanism and Neutrino Mass, Paris, France, 10-11 June 200
Search for Sterile Neutrinos with a Radioactive Source at Daya Bay
The far site detector complex of the Daya Bay reactor experiment is proposed
as a location to search for sterile neutrinos with > eV mass. Antineutrinos
from a 500 kCi 144Ce-144Pr beta-decay source (DeltaQ=2.996 MeV) would be
detected by four identical 20-ton antineutrino targets. The site layout allows
flexible source placement; several specific source locations are discussed. In
one year, the 3+1 sterile neutrino hypothesis can be tested at essentially the
full suggested range of the parameters Delta m^2_{new} and sin^22theta_{new}
(90% C.L.). The backgrounds from six nuclear reactors at >1.6 km distance are
shown to be manageable. Advantages of performing the experiment at the Daya Bay
far site are described
Constraining the Leading Weak Axial Two-body Current by SNO and Super-K
We analyze the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and Super-Kamiokande (SK) data on charged current (CC), neutral current (NC) and neutrino electron elastic scattering (ES) reactions to constrain the leading weak axial two-body current parameterized by L_1A. This two-body current is the dominant uncertainty of every low energy weak interaction deuteron breakup process, including SNO's CC and NC reactions. Our method shows that the theoretical inputs to SNO's determination of the CC and NC fluxes can be self-calibrated, be calibrated by SK, or be calibrated by reactor data. The only assumption made is that the total flux of active neutrinos has the standard ^8B spectral shape (but distortions in the electron neutrino spectrum are allowed). We show that SNO's conclusion about the inconsistency of the no-flavor-conversion hypothesis does not contain significant theoretical uncertainty, and we determine the magnitude of the active solar neutrino flux
Magnetic Structure of Nano-Graphite Moebius Ribbon
We consider the electronic and magnetic properties of nanographite ribbon
with zigzag edges under the periodic or Moebius boundary conditions. The zigzag
nano-graphite ribbons possess edge localized states at the Fermi level which
cause a ferrimagnetic spin polarization localized at the edge sites even in the
very weak Coulomb interaction. The imposition of the Moebius boundary condition
makes the system non-AB-bipartite lattice, and depress the spin polarization,
resulting in the formation of a magnetic domain wall. The width of the magnetic
domain depends on the Coulomb interaction and narrows with increasing U/t.Comment: 4 pages; 6 figures; published at J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 72 No. 5 pp.
998-1001 (2003
The low-temperature energy calibration system for the CUORE bolometer array
The CUORE experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0nDBD)
of 130Te using an array of 988 TeO_2 bolometers operated at 10 mK in the
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). The detector is housed in a large
cryogen-free cryostat cooled by pulse tubes and a high-power dilution
refrigerator. The TeO_2 bolometers measure the event energies, and a precise
and reliable energy calibration is critical for the successful identification
of candidate 0nDBD and background events. The detector calibration system under
development is based on the insertion of 12 gamma-sources that are able to move
under their own weight through a set of guide tubes that route them from
deployment boxes on the 300K flange down into position in the detector region
inside the cryostat. The CUORE experiment poses stringent requirements on the
maximum heat load on the cryostat, material radiopurity, contamination risk and
the ability to fully retract the sources during normal data taking. Together
with the integration into a unique cryostat, this requires careful design and
unconventional solutions. We present the design, challenges, and expected
performance of this low-temperature energy calibration system.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the 13th International Workshop
on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD), Stanford, CA, July 20-24, 200
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