Dual-phase xenon time projection chambers for rare-event searches.

In the past decade, dual-phase xenon time projection chambers (Xe-TPCs) have emerged as some of the most powerful detectors in the fields of astroparticle physics and rare-event searches. Developed primarily towards the direct detection of dark matter particles, experiments presently operating deep underground have reached target masses at the multi-tonne scale, energy thresholds of approximately 1 keV and radioactivity-induced background rates similar to those from solar neutrinos. These unique properties, together with demonstrated stable operation over several years, allow for the exploration of new territory via high-sensitivity searches for a plethora of ultra-rare interactions. These include searches for particle dark matter, for second-order weak decays, and the observation of astrophysical neutrinos. We first review some properties of xenon as a radiation detection medium and the operation principles of dual-phase Xe-TPCs together with their energy calibration and resolution. We then discuss the status of currently running experiments and of proposed next-generation projects, describing some of the technological challenges. We end by looking at their sensitivity to dark matter candidates, to second-order weak decays and to solar and supernova neutrinos. Experiments based on dual-phase Xe-TPCs are difficult and, like all good experiments, they are constantly pushed to their limits. Together with many other endeavours in astroparticle physics and cosmology they will continue to push at the borders of the unknown, hopefully to reveal profound new knowledge about our cosmos. This article is part of the theme issue 'The particle-gravity frontier'.

Enriched high purity germanium detectors for the LEGEND-200 experiment: purification and characterization by quadrupole and high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

LEGEND-200 (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless ßß Decay) is a physics experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS) in Italy searching for neutrinoless double beta (0υßß) decay of 76Ge using enriched high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors with a total mass of about 200 kg. During the production of germanium crystals, especially during the crystal cutting, a fraction of the enriched germanium remains as metal residues. To reuse these residual materials again for crystal growing, they must be efficiently purified. A special plant was built to purify and convert Ge metal to GeO2. Quadrupole ICP-MS (Q-ICP-MS) and High Resolution ICP-MS (HR-ICP-MS) were used to characterize the starting materials, reaction and final products. The results of the analyses are presented here.

Fabrication of Liquid Scintillators Loaded with 6-Phenylhexanoic Acid-Modified ZrO2 Nanoparticles for Observation of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay.

The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay is an important issue in nuclear and particle physics. The development of organic liquid scintillators with high transparency and a high concentration of the target isotope would be very useful for neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Therefore, we propose a liquid scintillator loaded with metal oxide nanoparticles containing the target isotope. In this work, 6-phenylhexanoic acid-modified ZrO2 nanoparticles, which contain 96Zr as the target isotope, were synthesized under sub/supercritical hydrothermal conditions. The effects of the synthesis temperature on the formation and surface modification of the nanoparticles were investigated. Performing the synthesis at 250 and 300 °C resulted in the formation of nanoparticles with smaller particle sizes and higher surface modification densities than those prepared at 350 and 400 °C. The highest modification density (3.1 ± 0.2 molecules/nm2) and Zr concentration of (0.33 ± 0.04 wt.%) were obtained at 300 °C. The surface-modified ZrO2 nanoparticles were dispersed in a toluene-based liquid scintillator. The liquid scintillator was transparent to the scintillation wavelength, and a clear scintillation peak was confirmed by X-ray-induced radioluminescence spectroscopy. In conclusion, 6-phenylhexanoic acid-modified ZrO2 nanoparticles synthesized at 300 °C are suitable for loading in liquid scintillators.

Optimum lithium loading of a liquid scintillator for neutron and neutrino detection.

Neutral particle detection in high-background environments is greatly aided by the ability to easily load 6Li into liquid scintillators. We describe a readily available and inexpensive liquid scintillation cocktail stably loaded with a Li mass fraction up to 1 %. Compositions that give thermodynamically stable microemulsions (reverse-micellar systems) were explored, using a Compton spectrum quenching technique to distinguish these from unstable emulsions. Scintillation light yield and transmittance were characterized. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) was measured using a 252Cf source, showing that electron-like and proton-like recoil events are well-resolved even for Li loading up to 1 %, providing a means of background suppression in neutron/neutrino detectors. While samples in this work were prepared with nat Li (7.59 % 6Li), the neutron capture peak was clearly visible in the PSD spectrum; this implies that while extremely high capture efficiency could be achieved with 6Li-enriched material, a very inexpensive neutron-sensitive detector can be prepared with nat Li.

2.7 years of beta-decay-rate ratio measurements in a controlled environment.

We report nearly continuous beta-decay-rate measurements of Na-22, Cl-36, Co-60, Sr-90, and Cs-137 over a period of 2.7 years using four Geiger-Müller tubes. We carefully control the ambient pressure and temperature for the detectors, sources, and electronics in order to minimize environmentally-dependent systematic drifts in the measurement chains. We show that the amplitudes of an annual oscillation in the decay rates are consistent with zero to within 0.004%.

The NUMEN project: Heavy-Ion Double Charge Exchange reactions towards 0νββ NME determination / El proyecto NUMEN: reacciones de intercambio de cargas dobles de iones pesados hacia la determinación de 0νββ NME

Abstract NUMEN proposes cross sections measurements of Heavy-Ion double charge exchange reactions as an innovative tool to access the nuclear matrix elements, entering the expression of the life time of Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). A key aspect of the projectis the use at INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) of the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) for the acceleration of the required high resolution and low emittance heavy-ion beams and of MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer for the detection of the ejectiles. The experimental measurements of double charge exchange reactions induced by heavy ions present a number of challenging aspects, since such reactions are characterized by very low cross sections. First experimental results give encouraging indication on the capability to access quantitative information towards the determination of the Nuclear Matrix Elements for 0νββ decay.

Resumen NUMEN propone mediciones de secciones eficaces de reacciones de intercambio de carga doble de iones pesados como una herramienta innovadora para acceder a los elementos de la matriz nuclear, entrando en la expresión del tiempo de vida de la desintegración beta doble sin neutrino (0νββ). Un aspecto clave del proyecto es el uso en INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) del ciclotrón superconductor (CS) para la aceleración de los haces de iones pesados de alta resolución y baja emitancia requeridos y del espectrómetro magnético de gran aceptación MAGNEX para la detección de los residuos eyectados. Las mediciones experimentales de reacciones de intercambio de carga doble inducidas por iones pesados presentan una serie de aspectos desafiantes, ya que tales reacciones se caracterizan por secciones eficaces muy bajas. Los primeros resultados experimentales dan una indicación alentadora sobre la capacidad de acceder a información cuantitativa para la determinación de los Elementos de la Matriz Nuclear para la descomposición de 0νββ.

An algorithm for filtering detector instabilities in search of novel non-exponential decay and in conventional half-life determinations.

Recent reports of Solar modulation of beta-decay have reignited interest in whether or not radioactive half-lives are constants. A numerical approach for filtering instrumental effects on residuals is developed, using correlations with atmospheric conditions recorded while counting 204Tl emissions with a Geiger-Müller counter. Half-life oscillations and detection efficiency oscillations can be separated provided their periods are substantially different. A partial uncertainty budget for the 204Tl half-life shows significant decreases to medium-frequency instabilities correlated with pressure and temperature, which suggests that further development may aid general improvements in half-life determinations.

The BiPo-3 detector.

The BiPo-3 detector is a low radioactive detector dedicated to measuring ultra-low natural contaminations of 208Tl and 214Bi in thin materials, initially developed to measure the radiopurity of the double ß decay source foils of the SuperNEMO experiment at the µBq/kg level. The BiPo-3 technique consists in installing the foil of interest between two thin ultra-radiopure scintillators coupled to low radioactive photomultipliers. The design and performances of the detector are presented. In this paper, the final results of the 208Tl and 214Bi activity measurements of the first enriched 82Se foils are reported for the first time, showing the capability of the detector to reach sensitivities in the range of some µBq/kg.

Ageing studies of TPB in noble gas detectors for dark matter and neutrinoless ßß decay searches.

Noble gases (Xe, Ar, Kr) are very attractive as detector media in Dark Matter search and neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments. However, the detection of their scintillation light (in the VUV spectral region) requires shifting the VUV light to visible light, where standard photosensors are more efficient. Tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) is widely used as wavelength shifter, absorbing the VUV light and re-emitting in the blue region (~430nm). TPB is an organic molecule that may degrade due to exposure to environmental agents and also to ultraviolet light. In this work, we present TPB ageing studies due to exposure to VUV light, aiming at quantifying the reduction of the absolute fluorescence yield of TPB coatings of several thicknesses (130nm, 260nm, 390nm, 1600nm), exposed to various doses of VUV light at 170nm (similar to the Xe scintillation). In our setup, the VUV light is produced from a vacuum monochromator coupled to a deuterium lamp. The VUV exposure in our setup is compared to the exposure obtained in the electroluminescent gaseous Xe TPC of the NEXT-100 experiment for neutrinoless double-beta decay search.

Phase stability and lithium loading capacity in a liquid scintillation cocktail.

Liquid scintillation cocktails loaded with neutron capture agents such as 6Li are used in both neutron and neutrino detectors. For detectors designed to operate over extended timespans, long-term stability can be a concern. We demonstrate the identification of thermodynamically unstable emulsions as distinct from stable microemulsions, driving phase separation with centrifugation. Phase separation was identified by monitoring the quench indicating parameter, measured using an external Compton source. Samples were also characterized by dynamic light scattering, where in an extreme case, phase separation could be observed in real time. We describe a stable cocktail with 0.01 mass fraction added Li, a relatively high Li concentration.

Separation of calcium-48 isotope by crown ether chromatography using ethanol/hydrochloric acid mixed solvent.

Benzo-18-crown-6 ether resin embedded in porous silica beads was synthesized and used as the packing material for chromatographic separation of (48)Ca isotope. The aim of the present work is to develop efficient isotope enrichment process for double ß decay nuclide (48)Ca. To this end, ethanol/HCl mixed solvent was selected as the medium for the chromatographic separation. Adsorption of calcium on the resin was studied at different HCl concentrations and different ethanol mixing ratios in batch-wise experiments. A very interesting phenomenon was observed; Ca adsorption is controlled not by the overall HCl concentration of the mixed solvent, but by the initial concentration of added HCl solution. Calcium break-through chromatography experiments were conducted by using 75v/v% ethanol/25v/v% 8M HCl mixed solvent at different flow rates. The isotope separation coefficient between (48)Ca and (40)Ca was determined as 3.8×10(-3), which is larger than that of pure HCl solution system. Discussion is extended to the chromatographic HETP, height equivalent to a theoretical plate.

Measurement of the internal bremsstrahlung spectrum of a (89)Sr beta emitter in the 1-100keV photon energy regime.

The internal bremsstrahlung (IB) spectrum of (89)Sr, which is a unique first forbidden beta emitter, is studied in the 1-100keV photon energy regime. The IB spectrum is experimentally measured using a Si(Li) detector, which is efficient in this photon energy regime, and is compared with the IB distributions that are predicted by the Knipp, Uhlenbeck and Bloch (KUB), Nilsson, and Lewis and Ford theories. In the soft energy regime up to 15keV, the measured results are in agreement with all the aforementioned theories. However, from 16-30keV, the experimental results are in agreement with the Lewis and Ford theory, which applies to forbidden transitions, and at higher photon energies, the Nilsson theory best describes the measured results. The differences among the different theories also increase with the photon energy. The effect of the electrostatic Coulomb field on the IB process for beta emitters with different end-point energies is investigated by comparing the ratio of the IB probabilities predicted using the KUB and Nilsson theories for (35)S and (89)Sr, i.e., soft and hard beta emitters, respectively. The Coulomb effect is shown to be significant in the high photon energy regime and for beta emitters with low end-point energies.

Studies of internal bremsstrahlung spectrum of (35)S beta emitter in the photon energy region of 1-100 keV.

The internal bremsstrahlung (IB) spectral photon distribution, produced by soft beta particles of (35)S (Wmax=164keV), in the photon energy region of 1-100keV, is measured by using a Si(Li) detector, having high energy resolution and efficiency at low energy region. The measured spectral IB photon distribution is compared with KUB theory and Coulomb corrected IB theories given by Nilsson, and Lewis and Ford. After applying the necessary corrections, the experimental and theoretical IB spectral photon distributions are compared in terms of the number of IB photon of energy k per moc(2) per unit photon yield. In the low energy region (below 10keV), the experimental results are in agreement with all the theories. However, in photon energy region of 10-50keV, experimental results are in agreement with Coulomb corrected Nilsson theory only, within the experimental errors. Further, beyond 50keV, the Nilsson theory is more close to the experimental results than the KUB, and the Lewis and Ford theories. Hence, the Nilsson theory is more accurate than the other theories given by KUB and Lewis and Ford, particularly at a high energy end. The experimental results reported here with Si(Li) detector are free from number of ambiguities in earlier measurements reported with NaI(Tl) and HPGe detectors. The present results are indicating a relook into the theoretical considerations, given by different theories, while taking into account the Coulomb corrections for predicting the IB spectrum, particularly at high photon energy region.

FT values measured to ±0.1% for superallowed beta transitions: metrology at sub-second time scales.

Because of angular-momentum conservation, superallowed ß decay between 0(+) analog states involves only the vector part of the weak interaction, so its measured ft value can be used to determine the vector coupling constant, G(V). If many such transitions are measured, then the constancy of G(V) can be established and several important tests made on fundamentals of the electroweak Standard Model. We have developed apparatus that allows us to measure half-lives to ±0.03% and branching ratios to ±0.1% or better, for cyclotron-produced activities with half-lives as short as 100 ms. We present an overview of the equipment and a summary of more than 10 years of results.

Carbon-14 decay as a source of non-canonical bases in DNA.

BACKGROUND: Significant experimental effort has been applied to study radioactive beta-decay in biological systems. Atomic-scale knowledge of this transmutation process is lacking due to the absence of computer simulations. Carbon-14 is an important beta-emitter, being ubiquitous in the environment and an intrinsic part of the genetic code. Over a lifetime, around 50 billion (14)C decays occur within human DNA. METHODS: We apply ab initio molecular dynamics to quantify (14)C-induced bond rupture in a variety of organic molecules, including DNA base pairs. RESULTS: We show that double bonds and ring structures confer radiation resistance. These features, present in the canonical bases of the DNA, enhance their resistance to (14)C-induced bond-breaking. In contrast, the sugar group of the DNA and RNA backbone is vulnerable to single-strand breaking. We also show that Carbon-14 decay provides a mechanism for creating mutagenic wobble-type mispairs. CONCLUSIONS: The observation that DNA has a resistance to natural radioactivity has not previously been recognized. We show that (14)C decay can be a source for generating non-canonical bases. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings raise questions such as how the genetic apparatus deals with the appearance of an extra nitrogen in the canonical bases. It is not obvious whether or not the DNA repair mechanism detects this modification nor how DNA replication is affected by a non-canonical nucleobase. Accordingly, (14)C may prove to be a source of genetic alteration that is impossible to avoid due to the universal presence of radiocarbon in the environment.

Preliminary beta spectrum measurements using a magnetic spectrometer.

We report the performances of a double focusing magnetic beta spectrometer. The energy resolution was measured using conversion peaks of Cs-137 and Ba-133 at 0.73% for 624 keV, and 1.33% for 124 keV. The counting efficiency as a function of the energy was estimated using a P-32 source and was used to correct the measured spectra of Cs-137. The result was compared with the theoretical spectrum and we found a good agreement.

Ultra-low gamma-ray measurement system for neutrinoless double beta decay.

An experiment for the detection of 0νß(+)/EC and 0νEC/EC in 92Mo nuclei has been carried out with a scintillating crystal, CaMoO4, in coincidence with the HPGe detector. We study the background events inside the event selection window for 0ν ß(+)/EC decays of CaMoO4 detector. For 51.2 days of data taking period, we didn't observe any event in the neutrinoless EC/EC decay event window. The (92)Mo 0νß(+)/EC decay half-life limit was set to 0.61×10(20) years with a 90% confidence by method of Feldman and Cousins. This ultra-low gamma ray measurement utilizing coincidence technique can be used for the resonant EC/EC decay process of some nuclei which is potentially important for neutrinoless double beta decay process.

Dosimetric comparison of Y90, P32, and Re186 radiocolloids in craniopharyngioma treatments.

PURPOSE: In the radionuclide treatment of some forms of brain tumors such as craniopharyngiomas, the selection of the appropriate radionuclide for therapy is a key element in treatment planning. The aim was to study the influence by considering the beta-emitter radionuclide dose rate in an intracranial cyst. METHODS: Dosimetry was performed using the MCNP4C radiation transport code. Analytical dosimetry was additionally performed using the Loevinger and the Berger formulas in the MATLAB software. Each result was compared under identical conditions. The advantages and disadvantages of using Y90 versus P32 and Re186 were investigated. RESULTS: The dose rate at the inner surface of the cyst wall was estimated to be400mGy∕h for a 1MBq∕ml concentration of Y90. Under identical conditions of treatment, the corresponding dose rates were 300mGy∕h for P32 and 160mGy∕h for Re186. For a well-defined cyst radius and identical wall thickness, higher dose rates resulted for Y90. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve the same radiological burden, the required amount of physical activity of injectable solution is lower forP32. This is found to be a consequence of both the radionuclide physical half-life and the pattern of energy deposition from the emitted radiation. According to the half-life and dose-rate results, Y90 would be a good substitute for P32.

Radiative Corrections for Neutron Decay and Search for New Physics.

The expected increased accuracy of neutron ß-decay experiments at the new Spallation Neutron Source could result in more stringent tests of the Standard Model. For an unambiguous search for new physics in neutron decay experiments and for a precise determination of fundamental constants, it is necessarily to understand and evaluate all corrections for neutron decay with higher accuracy than the expected experimental precision. We discuss the possibility to estimate the accuracy of radiative corrections. New results based on the applications of effective field theory for neutron decay is presented.

Precision Neutron Polarimetry for Neutron Beta Decay.

The abBA collaboration is developing a new type of field-expansion spectrometer for a measurement of the three correlation coefficients a, A, and B and the shape parameter b. The measurement of A and B requires precision neutron polarimetry. We will polarize a pulsed cold neutron beam from the SNS using a (3)He neutron spin filter. The well-known polarizing cross section for n-(3)He has a 1/v dependence, where v is the neutron velocity, which is used to determine the absolute beam polarization through a time-of-flight (TOF) measurement. We show that by measuring the TOF dependence of A and B, the coefficients and the neutron polarization can be determined with a small loss of the statistical precision and with negligible systematic error. We conclude that it is possible to determine the neutron polarization averaged over a long run in the neutron beta decay experiment with a statistical error less than 10(-4). We discuss various sources of systematic uncertainty in the measurement of A and B and conclude that the fractional systematic errors are less than 2 × 10(-4).