Search for light dark matter in XENON10 data.

We report results of a search for light (≲10 GeV) particle dark matter with the XENON10 detector. The event trigger was sensitive to a single electron, with the analysis threshold of 5 electrons corresponding to 1.4 keV nuclear recoil energy. Considering spin-independent dark matter-nucleon scattering, we exclude cross sections σ(n)>7×10(-42) cm(2), for a dark matter particle mass m(χ)=7 GeV. We find that our data strongly constrain recent elastic dark matter interpretations of excess low-energy events observed by CoGeNT and CRESST-II, as well as the DAMA annual modulation signal.

Dark matter results from 100 live days of XENON100 data.

We present results from the direct search for dark matter with the XENON100 detector, installed underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN, Italy. XENON100 is a two-phase time-projection chamber with a 62 kg liquid xenon target. Interaction vertex reconstruction in three dimensions with millimeter precision allows the selection of only the innermost 48 kg as the ultralow background fiducial target. In 100.9 live days of data, acquired between January and June 2010, no evidence for dark matter is found. Three candidate events were observed in the signal region with an expected background of (1.8 ± 0.6) events. This leads to the most stringent limit on dark matter interactions today, excluding spin-independent elastic weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) nucleon scattering cross sections above 7.0 × 10(-45) cm(2) for a WIMP mass of 50 GeV/c(2) at 90% confidence level.

Precision determination of the dpi<-->NN transition strength at threshold.

An unusual but effective way to determine at threshold the dpi<-->NN transition strength alpha is to exploit the hadronic ground-state broadening Gamma(1s) in pionic deuterium, accessible by x-ray spectroscopy. The broadening is dominated by the true absorption channel dpi(-)-->nn, which is related to s-wave pion production pp-->dpi(+) by charge symmetry and detailed balance. Using the exotic atom circumvents the problem of Coulomb corrections to the cross section as necessary in the production experiments. Our dedicated measurement finds Gamma(1s)=(1171(-49)(+23)) meV yielding alpha=(252(-11)(+5)) microb.

First dark matter results from the XENON100 experiment.

The XENON100 experiment, in operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, is designed to search for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) scattering off 62 kg of liquid xenon in an ultralow background dual-phase time projection chamber. In this Letter, we present first dark matter results from the analysis of 11.17 live days of nonblind data, acquired in October and November 2009. In the selected fiducial target of 40 kg, and within the predefined signal region, we observe no events and hence exclude spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering cross sections above 3.4 × 10⁻44 cm² for 55 GeV/c² WIMPs at 90% confidence level. Below 20 GeV/c², this result constrains the interpretation of the CoGeNT and DAMA signals as being due to spin-independent, elastic, light mass WIMP interactions.

EDXRF imaging of Pb in glazed ceramics using a micropattern gas detector.

A new system for energy-resolved X-ray fluorescence imaging using a microhole and strip plate (MHSP), a new type of micropattern gas detector (MPGD), is proposed. It works as a single photon counting detector with position and energy detection capability. The interaction of X-rays with the gas medium produces electrons via the photoelectric effect, and the number of electrons is proportional to the absorbed X-ray energy. These electrons are further multiplied in the MHSP. Position detection is achieved using the charge division method. The detector has an active area of 28 x 28 mm(2) and shows good position resolution, about sigma = 125 microm, an intrinsic energy resolution of about 14% FWHM for 5.9 keV X-rays, and a counting rate capability of up to 0.5 MHz. The system has shown good properties for energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) applications, since it allows efficient energy and position detection of fluorescence X-rays from multielemental samples. In this work, the system was used to study lead depth distributions in eighteenth-century Portuguese faiences from the Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery. The fluorescence images were obtained by irradiating the samples, with a pinhole placed between the sample and the detector to focus the radiation into the detector. The results are presented here, including the elemental map distributions for different samples.

Accurate miscut angle determination for spherically bent Bragg crystals.

Spherically bent crystals are used as analyzers in high-resolution spectroscopy, in particular, in low count-rate applications such as exotic-atom research. The focal conditions are determined not only by the bending radius and the Bragg angle but also by the crystal cut angle between its surface and the reflecting crystal planes, along with their orientation with respect to the direction of dispersion. We describe a simple but precise method for measuring the cut angle and its orientation for mounted spherically bent crystals, by combining x-ray diffraction and laser optical alignment, which can be easily performed with standard x-ray laboratory equipment.

Corrigendum: Novel concept for neutron detection: proportional counter filled with 10B nanoparticle aerosol.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep41699.

Novel concept for neutron detection: proportional counter filled with 10B nanoparticle aerosol.

The high neutron detection efficiency, good gamma-ray discrimination and non-toxicity of 3He made of proportional counters filled with this gas the obvious choice for neutron detection, particularly in radiation portal monitors (RPM), used to control the illicit transport of nuclear material, of which neutron detectors are key components. 3He is very rare and during the last decade this gas has become increasingly difficult to acquire. With the exception of BF3, which is toxic, no other gas can be used for neutron detection in proportional counters. We present an alternative where the 3He atoms are replaced by nanoparticles made of another neutron sensitive material, 10B. The particles are dispersed in a gaseous volume, forming an aerosol with neutron sensitive properties. A proportional counter filled with such aerosol was exposed to a thermal neutron beam and the recorded response indicates that the neutrons have interacted with the particles in the aerosol. This original technique, which transforms a standard proportional gas mixture into a neutron sensitive aerosol, is a breakthrough in the field of radiation detection and has the potential to become an alternative to the use of 3He in proportional counters.

Is the proton radius a player in the redefinition of the International System of Units?

It is now recognized that the International System of Units (SI units) will be redefined in terms of fundamental constants, even if the date when this will occur is still under debate. Actually, the best estimate of fundamental constant values is given by a least-squares adjustment, carried out under the auspices of the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) Task Group on Fundamental Constants. This adjustment provides a significant measure of the correctness and overall consistency of the basic theories and experimental methods of physics using the values of the constants obtained from widely differing experiments. The physical theories that underlie this adjustment are assumed to be valid, such as quantum electrodynamics (QED). Testing QED, one of the most precise theories is the aim of many accurate experiments. The calculations and the corresponding experiments can be carried out either on a boundless system, such as the electron magnetic moment anomaly, or on a bound system, such as atomic hydrogen. The value of fundamental constants can be deduced from the comparison of theory and experiment. For example, using QED calculations, the value of the fine structure constant given by the CODATA is mainly inferred from the measurement of the electron magnetic moment anomaly carried out by Gabrielse's group. (Hanneke et al. 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 120801) The value of the Rydberg constant is known from two-photon spectroscopy of hydrogen combined with accurate theoretical quantities. The Rydberg constant, determined by the comparison of theory and experiment using atomic hydrogen, is known with a relative uncertainty of 6.6×10(-12). It is one of the most accurate fundamental constants to date. A careful analysis shows that knowledge of the electrical size of the proton is nowadays a limitation in this comparison. The aim of muonic hydrogen spectroscopy was to obtain an accurate value of the proton charge radius. However, the value deduced from this experiment contradicts other less accurate determinations. This problem is known as the proton radius puzzle. This new determination of the proton radius may affect the value of the Rydberg constant . This constant is related to many fundamental constants; in particular, links the two possible ways proposed for the redefinition of the kilogram, the Avogadro constant N(A) and the Planck constant h. However, the current relative uncertainty on the experimental determinations of N(A) or h is three orders of magnitude larger than the 'possible' shift of the Rydberg constant, which may be shown by the new value of the size of the proton radius determined from muonic hydrogen. The proton radius puzzle will not interfere in the redefinition of the kilogram. After a short introduction to the properties of the proton, we will describe the muonic hydrogen experiment. There is intense theoretical activity as a result of our observation. A brief summary of possible theoretical explanations at the date of writing of the paper will be given. The contribution of the proton radius puzzle to the redefinition of SI-based units will then be examined.

Line shape of the microH(3p-1s) hyperfine transitions.

The (3p-1s) x-ray transition to the muonic hydrogen ground state was measured with a high-resolution crystal spectrometer. A Doppler effect broadening of the x-ray line was established which could be attributed to different Coulomb deexcitation steps preceding the measured transition. The assumption of a statistical population of the hyperfine levels of the muonic hydrogen ground state was directly confirmed by the experiment, and measured values for the hyperfine splitting can be reported. The results allow a decisive test of advanced cascade model calculations and establish a method to extract fundamental strong-interaction parameters from pionic hydrogen experiments.

First results from the XENON10 dark matter experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory.

The XENON10 experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory uses a 15 kg xenon dual phase time projection chamber to search for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). The detector measures simultaneously the scintillation and the ionization produced by radiation in pure liquid xenon to discriminate signal from background down to 4.5 keV nuclear-recoil energy. A blind analysis of 58.6 live days of data, acquired between October 6, 2006, and February 14, 2007, and using a fiducial mass of 5.4 kg, excludes previously unexplored parameter space, setting a new 90% C.L. upper limit for the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross section of 8.8x10(-44) cm2 for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV/c2, and 4.5x10(-44) cm2 for a WIMP mass of 30 GeV/c2. This result further constrains predictions of supersymmetric models.

Limits on spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross sections from the XENON10 experiment.

XENON10 is an experiment to directly detect weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which may comprise the bulk of the nonbaryonic dark matter in our Universe. We report new results for spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon interactions with 129Xe and 131Xe from 58.6 live days of operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. Based on the nonobservation of a WIMP signal in 5.4 kg of fiducial liquid xenon mass, we exclude previously unexplored regions in the theoretically allowed parameter space for neutralinos. We also exclude a heavy Majorana neutrino with a mass in the range of approximately 10 GeV/c2-2 TeV/c2 as a dark matter candidate under standard assumptions for its density and distribution in the galactic halo.