Neutrinoless double beta decay (0vββ) is one of the most sensitive probes for physics beyond the Standard Model, providing unique information on the nature and masses of neutrinos. In order to ...explore the so-called inverted neutrino mass hierarchy region a further improvement on the upcoming 0vββ experiment is needed. In this respect, scintillating bolometers are the suitable technology for achieving such goal: they ensure excellent energy resolution and highly efficient particle discrimination. The LUCIFER project aims at deploying the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for the investigation of 0vββ of 82Se. The matrix which embeds the source is an array of Zn 82Se crystals, where enriched 82Se is used as decay isotope. Taking advantage of the large Q-value (2997 keV) and of the particle discrimination, the expected background rate in the region of interest is as low as 10-3 c/keV/kg/y. The foreseen sensitivity after 2 years of live time will be 1.8×1025 years. We will report on the potential of such technology and on the present status of the project.
Abstract
Supernovae (SNe) are among the most energetic events in the universe still far from being fully understood. An early and prompt detection of neutrinos is a one-time opportunity for the ...realization of the first multi-messenger observation of these events. In this work, we present the prospects of detecting neutrinos produced before (pre-SN) and during a SN while running an advanced cryogenic detector. Recent advances in the cryogenic detector technique and the discovery of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering offer a wealth of opportunities in neutrino detection. The combination of the excellent energy resolution of this experimental technique, with the high cross section of this detection channel and its equal sensitivity to all neutrino flavors, enables the realization of highly sensitive neutrino telescopes of the size of a few tens of cm, as the newly proposed RES-NOVA experiment. We present a detailed study on the detection promptness of pre-SN and SN neutrino signals, with direct comparisons among different classes of test statistics. While the well-established Poisson test offers in general best performance under optimal conditions, the nonparametric Recursive Product of Spacing statistical test (RPS) is more robust for triggering astrophysical neutrino signals with no specific prior knowledge. Based on our statistical tests the RES-NOVA experiment is able to identify SN neutrino signals at a 15 kpc distance with 95% of success rate, and pre-SN signal as far as 450 pc with a pre-warn time of the order of 10 s. These results demonstrate the potential of RPS for the identification of neutrino signals and the physics reach of the RES-NOVA experiment.
Background model of the CUPID-0 experiment Azzolini, O.; Beeman, J. W.; Bellini, F. ...
The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
07/2019, Letnik:
79, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
CUPID-0 is the first large mass array of enriched Zn
82
Se scintillating low temperature calorimeters, operated at LNGS since 2017. During its first scientific runs, CUPID-0 collected an exposure of ...9.95 kg year. Thanks to the excellent rejection of
α
particles, we attained the lowest background ever measured with thermal detectors in the energy region where we search for the signature of
82
Se
neutrinoless double beta decay. In this work we develop a model to reconstruct the CUPID-0 background over the whole energy range of experimental data. We identify the background sources exploiting their distinctive signatures and we assess their extremely low contribution down to
∼
10
-
4
counts/(keV kg year) in the region of interest for
82
Se
neutrinoless double beta decay search. This result represents a crucial step towards the comprehension of the background in experiments based on scintillating calorimeters and in next generation projects such as CUPID.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
.
Archaeological Roman lead (Pb) is known to be a suitable material for shielding experimental apparata in rare event searches. In the past years the intrinsic radiopurity of this material was ...investigated using different technologies. In this work we applied the latest advancements in cryogenic techniques to study the bulk radiopurity of a 1cm^3 sample of archaeological Roman Pb. We report the lowest ever measured limit on
210
Pb content in Roman Pb, with a concentration lower than 715μBq/kg. Furthermore, we also studied
238
U and
232
Th impurity concentrations. Our values concur with independent measurements reported in literature.
We present the performances of a 330 g zinc molybdate (ZnMoO
4
) crystal working as scintillating bolometer as a possible candidate for a next generation experiment to search for neutrinoless double ...beta decay of
100
Mo. The energy resolution, evaluated at the 2615 keV
γ
-line of
208
Tl, is 6.3 keV FWHM. The internal radioactive contaminations of the ZnMoO
4
were evaluated as <6 μBq/kg (
228
Th) and 27±6 μBq/kg (
226
Ra). We also present the results of the
α
vs
β
/
γ
discrimination, obtained through the scintillation light as well as through the study of the shape of the thermal signal alone.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
RES-NOVA is a new proposed experiment for the investigation of astrophysical neutrino sources with archaeological Pb-based cryogenic detectors. RES-NOVA will exploit Coherent Elastic neutrino-Nucleus ...Scattering (CEνNS) as detection channel, thus it will be equally sensitive to all neutrino flavors produced by Supernovae (SNe). RES-NOVA with only a total active volume of (60 cm)3 and an energy threshold of 1 keV will probe the entire Milky Way Galaxy for (failed) core-collapse SNe with > 3 σ detection significance. The high detector modularity makes RES-NOVA ideal also for reconstructing the main parameters (e.g. average neutrino energy, star binding energy) of SNe occurring in our vicinity, without deterioration of the detector performance caused by the high neutrino interaction rate. For the first time, distances <3 kpc can be surveyed, similarly to the ones where all known past galactic SNe happened. We discuss the RES-NOVA potential, accounting for a realistic setup, considering the detector geometry, modularity and background level in the region of interest. We report on the RES-NOVA background model and on the sensitivity to SN neutrinos as a function of the distance travelled by neutrinos.
In low background experiments the reduction of all possible radioactive contaminants is a crucial point for detector construction. This is also true for the surface contaminants, either those ...introduced during the production of detector components or those introduced during handling, treatment or storage. One of the most critical issue in this field is the control of the contamination induced by
222
Rn and its progenies in the environment where the detectors are assembled and stored. Radioactive atoms can stick on detector components and create a net increase of the contaminants present on their surfaces, introducing an additional—often not negligible—source of background. The reduction of this kind of contaminations can become of primary importance in the case of fully sensitive devices, like cryogenic particle detectors. In this paper the analysis on the Rn sticking factor for copper and tellurium dioxide—the two main materials used for the construction of the CUORE detector—is discussed. The diffusion of radioactive atoms inside the detector components is considered in order to evaluate the effective contribution of Rn exposure to the background counting rate of an experiment.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering (CEνNS) offers a unique way to study neutrino properties and to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Nuclear reactors are promising sources ...to explore this process at low energies since they deliver large fluxes of anti-neutrinos with typical energies of a few MeV. In this paper, a new-generation experiment to study CEνNS is described. The NUCLEUS experiment will use cryogenic detectors which feature an unprecedentedly low-energy threshold and a time response fast enough to be operated under above-ground conditions. Both sensitivity to low-energy nuclear recoils and a high event rate tolerance are stringent requirements to measuring CEνNS of reactor anti-neutrinos. A new experimental site, the Very-Near-Site (VNS), at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France is described. The VNS is located between the two 4.25 GWth reactor cores and matches the requirements of NUCLEUS. First results of on-site measurements of neutron and muon backgrounds, the expected dominant background contributions, are given. In this paper a preliminary experimental set-up with dedicated active and passive background reduction techniques and first background estimations are presented. Furthermore, the feasibility to operate the detectors in coincidence with an active muon veto at shallow overburden is studied. The paper concludes with a sensitivity study pointing out the physics potential of NUCLEUS at the Chooz nuclear power plant.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK