We present the first Ge-based constraints on sub-MeV /c2 dark matter (DM) particles interacting with electrons using a 33.4 g Ge cryogenic detector with a 0.53 electron-hole pair (rms) resolution, ...operated underground at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane. Competitive constraints are set on the DM-electron scattering cross section, as well as on the kinetic mixing parameter of dark photons down to 1 eV / c2. In particular, the most stringent limits are set for dark photon DM in the 6 to 9 eV / c2 range. These results demonstrate the high relevance of Ge cryogenic detectors for the search of DM-induced eV-scale electron signals.
Beyond a critical disorder, two-dimensional (2D) superconductors become insulating. In this Superconductor-Insulator Transition (SIT), the nature of the insulator is still controversial. Here, we ...present an extensive experimental study on insulating Nb
Si
close to the SIT, as well as corresponding numerical simulations of the electrical conductivity. At low temperatures, we show that electronic transport is activated and dominated by charging energies. The sample thickness variation results in a large spread of activation temperatures, fine-tuned via disorder. We show numerically and experimentally that this originates from the localization length varying exponentially with thickness. At the lowest temperatures, there is an increase in activation energy related to the temperature at which this overactivated regime is observed. This relation, observed in many 2D systems shows that conduction is dominated by single charges that have to overcome the gap when entering superconducting grains.
We make use of the EDELWEISS-III array of germanium bolometers to search for electron interactions at the keV scale induced by phenomena beyond the Standard Model. A 90% C.L. lower limit is set on ...the electron lifetime decaying to invisibles, ?>1.2×1024 years. We investigate the emission of axions or axionlike particles (ALPs) by the Sun, constraining the coupling parameters gae<1.1×10?11 and gae×gaNeff<3.5×10?17 at 90% C.L. in the massless limit. We also directly search for the absorption of bosonic dark matter particles that would constitute our local galactic halo. Limits are placed on the couplings of ALPs or hidden photon dark matter in the mass range 0.8–500 keV/c2. Prospects for searching for dark matter particles with masses down to 150 eV/c2 using improved detectors are presented.
Experimental data are presented for the charge collection efficiency for near-electrode interactions in cryogenic germanium detectors, and analyzed in terms of a model involving a phonon wind-driven ...expansion of the electron-hole cloud generated at the site of energy deposition. Computer simulations reproduce to an excellent accuracy the collection depth profiles as obtained by experiment and their dependence on the collection field and the nature of the electrode. Electrode-dependent effects in particular are explained by differences in the phonon reflection properties at the interface of the Ge crystal and the electrode.
We present the performances of two 92% enriched 130TeO2 crystals operated as thermal bolometers in view of a next generation experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te. The ...crystals, 435 g each, show an energy resolution, evaluated at the 2615 keV γ-line of 208Tl, of 6.5 and 4.3 keV FWHM. The only observable internal radioactive contamination arises from 238U (15 and 8 μBq/kg, respectively). The internal activity of the most problematic nuclei for neutrinoless double beta decay, 226Ra and 228Th, are both evaluated as <3.1 μBq/kg for one crystal and <2.3 μBq/kg for the second. Thanks to the readout of the weak Cherenkov light emitted by β/γ particles by means of Neganov–Luke bolometric light detectors we were able to perform an event-by-event identification of β/γ events with a 95% acceptance level, while establishing a rejection factor of 98.21% and 99.99% for α particles.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of respiratory airflow have the potential to change the clinical assessment of regional airway function in health and disease, in pulmonary medicine and ...otolaryngology. For example, in diseases where multiple sites of airway obstruction occur, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), CFD simulations can identify which sites of obstruction contribute most to airway resistance and may therefore be candidate sites for airway surgery. The main barrier to clinical uptake of respiratory CFD to date has been the difficulty in validating CFD results against a clinical gold standard. Invasive instrumentation of the upper airway to measure respiratory airflow velocity or pressure can disrupt the airflow and alter the subject's natural breathing patterns. Therefore, in this study, we instead propose phase contrast (PC) velocimetry magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of inhaled hyperpolarized 129Xe gas as a non-invasive reference to which airflow velocities calculated via CFD can be compared. To that end, we performed subject-specific CFD simulations in airway models derived from 1H MRI, and using respiratory flowrate measurements acquired synchronously with MRI. Airflow velocity vectors calculated by CFD simulations were then qualitatively and quantitatively compared to velocity maps derived from PC velocimetry MRI of inhaled hyperpolarized 129Xe gas. The results show both techniques produce similar spatial distributions of high velocity regions in the anterior-posterior and foot-head directions, indicating good qualitative agreement. Statistically significant correlations and low Bland-Altman bias between the local velocity values produced by the two techniques indicates quantitative agreement. This preliminary in vivo comparison of respiratory airway CFD and PC MRI of hyperpolarized 129Xe gas demonstrates the feasibility of PC MRI as a technique to validate respiratory CFD and forms the basis for further comprehensive validation studies. This study is therefore a first step in the pathway towards clinical adoption of respiratory CFD.
Long-range order is destroyed in a superconductor warmed above its critical temperature (Tc). However, amplitude fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter survive and lead to a number of ...well-established phenomena, such as paraconductivity: an excess of charge conductivity due to the presence of short-lived Cooper pairs in the normal state. According to theory, these pairs generate a transverse thermoelectric (Nernst) signal. In two dimensions, the magnitude of the expected signal depends only on universal constants and the superconducting coherence length, so the theory can be rigorously tested. Here, we present measurements of amorphous superconducting films of Nb0.15Si0.85. In this dirty superconductor, the lifetime of Cooper pairs exceeds the elastic scattering lifetime of quasiparticles in a wide temperature range above Tc and, consequently, their Nernst response dominates that generated by the normal electrons. We resolved a Nernst signal, which persists deep inside the normal state. Its amplitude is in excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction. This result provides an unambiguous case for a Nernst effect produced by short-lived Cooper pairs.
Random coincidences of events could be one of the main sources of background in the search for neutrino-less double-beta decay of
100
Mo with macro-bolometers, due to their modest time resolution. ...Scintillating bolometers as those based on Li
2
MoO
4
crystals and employed in the CROSS and CUPID experiments can eventually exploit the coincident fast signal detected in a light detector to reduce this background. However, the scintillation provides a modest signal-to-noise ratio, making difficult a pile-up pulse-shape recognition and rejection at timescales shorter than a few ms. Neganov–Trofimov–Luke assisted light detectors (NTL-LDs) offer the possibility to effectively increase the signal-to-noise ratio, preserving a fast time-response, and enhance the capability of pile-up rejection via pulse shape analysis. In this article we present: (a) an experimental work performed with a Li
2
MoO
4
scintillating bolometer, studied in the framework of the CROSS experiment, and utilizing a NTL-LD; (b) a simulation method to reproduce, synthetically, randomly coincident two-neutrino double-beta decay events; (c) a new analysis method based on a pulse-shape discrimination algorithm capable of providing high pile-up rejection efficiencies. We finally show how the NTL-LDs offer a balanced solution between performance and complexity to reach background index
∼
10
-
4
counts/keV/kg/year with 280 g Li
2
MoO
4
(
100
Mo enriched) bolometers at 3034 keV, the Q
β
β
of the double-beta decay, and target the goal of a next generation experiment like CUPID.
We have developed lumped element kinetic inductance detectors (LEKIDs) that are sensitive in the frequency band from 80 to 120 GHz. In this work, we take advantage of the so-called proximity effect ...to reduce the superconducting gap of aluminium (Al), otherwise strongly suppressing the LEKID response for frequencies smaller than 100 GHz. We designed, produced, and optically tested various fully multiplexed arrays based on multi-layer combinations of Al and titanium (Ti). Their sensitivities were measured using a dedicated closed-circle 100 mK dilution cryostat and a sky simulator, which allowed us to reproduce realistic observation conditions. The spectral response was characterised with a Martin-Puplett interferometer up to THz frequencies and had a resolution of 3 GHz. We demonstrate that Ti–Al LEKID can reach an optical sensitivity of about 1.4 × 10-17 W/Hz0.5 (best pixel), or 2.2 × 10-17 W/Hz0.5 when averaged over the whole array. The optical background was set to roughly 0.4 pW per pixel, which is typical for future space observatories in this particular band. The performance is close to a sensitivity of twice the CMB photon noise limit at 100 GHz, which drove the design of the Planck HFI instrument. This figure remains the baseline for the next generation of millimetre-wave space satellites.
Competing phenomena in low dimensional systems can generate exotic electronic phases, either through symmetry breaking or a non-trivial topology. In two-dimensional (2D) systems, the interplay ...between superfluidity, disorder and repulsive interactions is especially fruitful in this respect although both the exact nature of the phases and the microscopic processes at play are still open questions. In particular, in 2D, once superconductivity is destroyed by disorder, an insulating ground state is expected to emerge, as a result of a direct superconductor-to-insulator quantum phase transition. In such systems, no metallic state is theoretically expected to survive to the slightest disorder. Here we map out the phase diagram of amorphous NbSi thin films as functions of disorder and film thickness, with two metallic phases in between the superconducting and insulating ones. These two dissipative states, defined by a resistance which extrapolates to a finite value in the zero temperature limit, each bear a specific dependence on disorder. We argue that they originate from an inhomogeneous destruction of superconductivity, even if the system is morphologically homogeneous. Our results suggest that superconducting fluctuations can favor metallic states that would not otherwise exist.
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