This paper reports on the development of a technology involving \(^{100}\)Mo-enriched scintillating bolometers, compatible with the goals of CUPID, a proposed next-generation bolometric experiment to ...search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Large mass (\(\sim\)1~kg), high optical quality, radiopure \(^{100}\)Mo-containing zinc and lithium molybdate crystals have been produced and used to develop high performance single detector modules based on 0.2--0.4~kg scintillating bolometers. In particular, the energy resolution of the lithium molybdate detectors near the \(Q\)-value of the double-beta transition of \(^{100}\)Mo (3034~keV) is 4--6~keV FWHM. The rejection of the \(\alpha\)-induced dominant background above 2.6~MeV is better than 8\(\sigma\). Less than 10~\(\mu\)Bq/kg activity of \(^{232}\)Th (\(^{228}\)Th) and \(^{226}\)Ra in the crystals is ensured by boule recrystallization. The potential of \(^{100}\)Mo-enriched scintillating bolometers to perform high sensitivity double-beta decay searches has been demonstrated with only 10~kg\(\times\)d exposure: the two neutrino double-beta decay half-life of \(^{100}\)Mo has been measured with the up-to-date highest accuracy as \(T_{1/2}\) = 6.90 \(\pm\) 0.15(stat.) \(\pm\) 0.37(syst.) \(\times\) 10\(^{18}\)~yr. Both crystallization and detector technologies favor lithium molybdate, which has been selected for the ongoing construction of the CUPID-0/Mo demonstrator, containing several kg of \(^{100}\)Mo.
The Spherical gaseous detector (or Spherical Proportional Counter, SPC) is a novel type of par- ticle detector, with a broad range of applications. Its main features include a very low energy ...threshold independent of the volume (due to its very low capacitance), a good energy resolution, robustness and a single detection readout channel, in its simplest version. Applications range from radon emanation gas monitoring, neutron flux and gamma counting and spectroscopy to dark matter searches, in particular low mass WIMPs and coherent neutrino scattering measure- ment. Laboratories interested in these various applications share expertise within the NEWS (New Experiments With Sphere) network. SEDINE, a low background prototype installed at underground site of Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane is currently being operated and aims at measuring events at very low energy threshold, around 100 eV. We will present the energy cali- bration with 37Ar, the surface background reduction, the measurement of detector background at sub-keV energies, and show anticipated sensitivities for light dark matter search.
The main characteristics of a new concept of spherical gaseous detectors, with some details on its operation are first given. The very low energy threshold of such detector has led to investigations ...of its potential performance for dark matter particle searches, in particular low mass WIMP's : original methods for energy and fiducial volume calibration and background rejection are described and preliminary results obtained with a low radioactivity prototype operated in Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane ("Frejus" lab) are presented. Typical expected sensitivities in cross section for low mass WIMP's are also shown, and other applications briefly discussed.
The LUMINEU is designed to investigate the possibility to search for
neutrinoless double beta decay in $^{100}$Mo by means of a large array of
scintillating bolometers based on ZnMoO$_4$ crystals ...enriched in $^{100}$Mo.
High energy resolution and relatively fast detectors, which are able to measure
both the light and the heat generated upon the interaction of a particle in a
crystal, are very promising for the recognition and rejection of background
events. We present the LUMINEU concepts and the experimental results achieved
aboveground and underground with large-mass natural and enriched crystals. The
measured energy resolution, the $\alpha/\beta$ discrimination power and the
radioactive internal contamination are all within the specifications for the
projected final LUMINEU sensitivity. Simulations and preliminary results
confirm that the LUMINEU technology can reach zero background in the region of
interest (around 3 MeV) with exposures of the order of hundreds
kg$\times$years, setting the bases for a next generation $0\nu2\beta$ decay
experiment capable to explore the inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino
mass pattern.
The reports collected in these proceedings have been presented in the third French-Ukrainian workshop on the instrumentation developments for high-energy physics held at LAL, Orsay on October 15-16. ...The workshop was conducted in the scope of the IDEATE International Associated Laboratory (LIA). Joint developments between French and Ukrainian laboratories and universities as well as new proposals have been discussed. The main topics of the papers presented in the Proceedings are developments for accelerator and beam monitoring, detector developments, joint developments for large-scale high-energy and astroparticle physics projects, medical applications.
Several years after a subtotal thyroidectomy complicated by bilateral vocal cord paralysis, the patient presented with progressive dyspnea due to laryngeal synkinesis. The impairement of the ...ventilation status, in spite of laser arytenoidectomy, followed by contralateral posterior transverse cordotomy, suggested a botulinum toxin injection in the intrinsic adductor laryngeal muscles. The rapid improvement in ventilation without phonatory impairement is discussed in the following report.
The ANTARES project Arpesella, C
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment,
05/1998, Volume:
409, Issue:
1-3
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Peer reviewed
The ANTARES project aims at the design and realisation of a prototype extensible to a km-scale neutrino undersea detector. The step-by-step programme is here presented.
Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings 273-275 (2016) 1801-1806 The technology of scintillating bolometers based on zinc molybdate
(ZnMoO$_4$) crystals is under development within the LUMINEU ...project to search
for 0$\nu$2$\beta$ decay of $^{100}$Mo with the goal to set the basis for large
scale experiments capable to explore the inverted hierarchy region of the
neutrino mass pattern. Advanced ZnMoO$_4$ crystal scintillators with mass of
$\sim$~0.3 kg were developed and Zn$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystal from enriched
$^{100}$Mo was produced for the first time by using the low-thermal-gradient
Czochralski technique. One ZnMoO$_4$ scintillator and two samples (59 g and 63
g) cut from the enriched boule were tested aboveground at milli-Kelvin
temperature as scintillating bolometers showing a high detection performance.
The first results of the low background measurements with three ZnMoO$_4$ and
two enriched detectors installed in the EDELWEISS set-up at the Modane
Underground Laboratory (France) are presented.