Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Bucci, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Bucci, C..

At least 37 records · Page 2

An automated system to define the optimal operating settings of cryogenic calorimeters

Cryogenic macro-calorimeters instrumented with NTD thermistors have been developed for several decades. The choice of the optimal bias current is crucial for a proper operation of these detectors, both in terms of energy resolution and stability. In this paper we present a set of automatic measurements and analysis procedures for the characterization and optimization of the working configuration of the NTD thermistors. The presented procedures were developed for CUORE, an array of 988 cryogenic macro-calorimeters instrumented with NTD thermistors that has been taking data since 2017. These procedures made it possible to characterize a large number of detectors in a reliable way. They are suitable enough to be used also in other large arrays of cryogenic detectors, such as CUPID.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A CUPID Li2100MoO4 scintillating bolometer tested in the CROSS underground facility

A scintillating bolometer based on a large cubic Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystal (45 mm side) and a Ge wafer (scintillation detector) has been operated in the CROSS cryogenic facility at the Canfranc underground laboratory in Spain. The dual-readout detector is a prototype of the technology that will be used in the next-generation $0\nu2\beta$ experiment CUPID. The measurements were performed at 18 and 12 mK temperature in a pulse tube dilution refrigerator. This setup utilizes the same technology as the CUORE cryostat that will host CUPID and so represents an accurate estimation of the expected performance. The Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ bolometer shows a high energy resolution of 6 keV FWHM at the 2615 keV $\gamma$ line. The detection of scintillation light for each event triggered by the Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ bolometer allowed for a full separation ($\sim$8$\sigma$) between $\gamma$($\beta$) and $\alpha$ events above 2 MeV. The Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystal also shows a high internal radiopurity with $^{228}$Th and $^{226}$Ra activities of less than 3 and 8 $\mu$Bq/kg, respectively. Taking also into account the advantage of a more compact and massive detector array, which can be made of cubic-shaped crystals (compared to the cylindrical ones), this test demonstrates the great potential of cubic Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ scintillating bolometers for high-sensitivity searches for the $^{100}$Mo $0\nu2\beta$ decay in CROSS and CUPID projects.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Perspectives of lowering CUORE thresholds with Optimum Trigger

CUORE is a cryogenic experiment that focuses on the search of neutrinoless double beta decay in 130Te and it is located at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories. Its detector consists of 988 TeO 2 crystals operating at a base temperature of ~10 mK. It is the first ton-scale bolometric experiment ever realized for this purpose. Thanks to its large target mass and ultra-low background, the CUORE detector is also suitable for the search of other rare phenomena. In particular the low energy part of the spectra is interesting for the detection of WIMP-nuclei scattering reactions. One of the most important requirements to perform these studies is represented by the achievement of a stable energy threshold lower than 10 keV. Here, the CUORE capability to accomplish this purpose using a low energy software trigger will be presented and described.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Status and results from the CUORE experiment

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a tonne-scale cryogenic experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that exploits bolometric technique to search for neutrinoless double beta decay [0$vββ$] of 130 Te. The detector consists of a segmented array of 988 natural TeO 2 cubic crystals arranged in a cylindrical compact structure of 19 towers. The detector construction was completed in August 2016 and data taking started in Spring 2017. Here, we present a brief description of the bolometric technique for rare events search and the CUORE detector, then we concentrate on the data analysis results. In this respect, we focus on the procedure for data processing and on the first 0$vββ$ results we obtained from a total TeO 2 exposure of 86.3 kg · yr. Next, we illustrate the main background sources and the CUORE background model, from which we obtain the most precise measurement of 130 Te 2$vββ$ half-life to date. Finally, we discuss the improvements achieved with 2018 and 2019 detector optimization campaigns and the current perspectives of our experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Lowering the Energy Threshold of the CUORE Experiment: Benefits in the Surface Alpha Events Reconstruction

CUORE is a tonne-scale cryogenic experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that exploits bolometric technique to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te. Thanks to its very low background and large mass, CUORE is also a powerful tool to study a broad class of phenomena, such as solar axions and WIMP scattering. The ability to conduct such sensitive searches crucially depends on the energy threshold, which has to be kept as low as possible. Here, we show how the trigger algorithm affects the sensitivity to low-energy phenomena and the interpretation of the energy spectrum. In particular, we focus on the impact that the trigger algorithm has on the identification of the coincidence events among different crystals and, consequently, on the reconstruction of the background.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

CUORE: The first bolometric experiment at the ton scale for the search for neutrino-less double beta decay

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is the most massive bolometric experiment searching for neutrino-less double beta (0νββ) decay. The detector consists of an array of 988 TeO 2 crystals (742 kg) arranged in a compact cylindrical structure of 19 towers. Here, this paper will describe the CUORE experiment, including the cryostat, and present the detector performance during the first year of running. Additional detail will describe the effort made in improving the energy resolution in the 130 Te 0νββ decay region of interest (ROI) and the suppression of backgrounds. A description of work to lower the energy threshold in order to give CUORE the sensitivity to search for other rare events, such as dark matter, will also be provided.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Improved Limit on Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in Te 130 with CUORE

We report new results from the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in $^{130}$Te with the CUORE detector. This search benefits from a four-fold increase in exposure, lower trigger thresholds and analysis improvements relative to our previous results. We observe a background of $(1.38\pm0.07)\cdot10^{-2}$ counts$/($keV$\cdot$kg$\cdot$yr$)$ in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay region of interest and, with a total exposure of 372.5 kg$\cdot$yr, we attain a median exclusion sensitivity of $1.7\cdot10^{25}$ yr. We find no evidence for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay and set a $90\%$ CI Bayesian lower limit of $3.2\cdot10^{25}$ yr on the $^{130}$Te half-life for this process. In the hypothesis that $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay is mediated by light Majorana neutrinos, this results in an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass of 75-350 meV, depending on the nuclear matrix elements used.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The CUORE Detector and Results

The cryogenic underground observatory for rare events (CUORE) is a cryogenic experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) of 130 Te. The detector consists of an array of 988TeO 2 crystals arranged in a compact cylindrical structure of 19 towers. We report the CUORE initial operations and optimization campaigns. We then present the CUORE results on 0νββ and 2νββ decay of 130 Te obtained from the analysis of the physics data acquired in 2017.

0vββ↗

First results from the CUORE experiment

CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) is a ton-scale experiment aiming to the search of neutrino-less double beta decay in 130 Te with a projected sensitivity on the Majorana effective mass close to the inverted hierarchy region. The CUORE detector consists of a segmented array of 988 TeO 2 bolometers, organized in 19 towers and operated at a temperature of about 10 mK thanks to a custom cryogenic system which, besides the uncommon scale, observes several constraints from the radio-purity of the materials to the mechanical decoupling of the cooling systems. The successful commissioning of the CUORE cryogenic system has been completed early in 2016 and represents an outstanding achievement by itself. The installation of the detector proceeded along 2016 followed by the cooldown to base temperature at the beginning of 2017. The CUORE detector is now operational and has been taking science data since Spring 2017. With the first ~3 weeks of collected data, we present here the most stringent constraint on the 130 Te half-live for the neutrino-less double beta decay.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Initial performance of the CUORE detector

CUORE, the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, is an experiment searching for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 130 Te. The first CUORE dataset was acquired in May and June 2017 and consisted of 10.6 kg-yr of TeO 2 exposure, with several days of calibration data before and after the physics dataset. We discuss here the initial performance of the CUORE detector and cryostat in this first dataset.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Double-beta decay of $^{130}\hbox {Te}$ to the first $0^+$ excited state of $^{130}\hbox {Xe}$ with CUORE-0

We report on a search for double beta decay of 130 Te to the first 0 + excited state of 130 Xe using a 9.8kg·yr exposure of 130 Te collected with the CUORE-0 experiment. In this work we exploit different topologies of coincident events to search for both the neutrinoless and two-neutrino double beta decay modes. We find no evidence for either mode and place lower bounds on the half-lives: $T_{0_1^+}^{0ν}$ > 7.9·10 23 yr and $T_{0_1^+}^{2ν}$ > 2.4·10 23 yr (90%CL). Combining our results with those obtained by the CUORICINO experiment, we achieve the most stringent constraints available for these processes: $T_{0_1^+}^{0ν}$ > 1.4·10 24 yr and $T_{0_1^+}^{2ν}$ > 2.5·10 23 yr (90%CL).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The CUORE cryostat: An infrastructure for rare event searches at millikelvin temperatures

The CUORE experiment is the world's largest bolometric experiment. The detector consists of an array of 988 TeO 2 crystals, for a total mass of 742 kg. CUORE is presently taking data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te. A large custom cryogen-free cryostat allows reaching and maintaining a base temperature of ~10 mK, required for the optimal operation of the detector. This apparatus has been designed in order to achieve a low noise environment, with minimal contribution to the radioactive background for the experiment. In this paper, we present an overview of the CUORE cryostat, together with a description of all its sub-systems, focusing on the solutions identified to satisfy the stringent requirements. We briefly illustrate the various phases of the cryostat commissioning and highlight the relevant steps and milestones achieved each time. Finally, we describe the successful cooldown of CUORE.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

CUORE: The first bolometric experiment at the ton scale for rare decay searches

Here, the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is the first bolometric experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay that has been able to reach the 1-ton scale. The detector consists of an array of 988 TeO 2 crystals arranged in a cylindrical compact structure of 19 towers. The construction of the experiment and, in particular, the installation of all towers in the cryostat was completed in August 2016 and data taking started in spring 2017. In this contribution the achievement of the commissioning phase and the performance of the detector and the cryostat during the first physics run will be presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The CUORE Cryostat

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a bolometric experiment for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 130Te search, currently taking data at the underground facility of Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). The CUORE cryostat successfully cooled down a mass of about 1 ton at ~7mK , delivering a uniform and constant base temperature. This result marks a fundamental milestone in low-temperature detector techniques, opening the path for future ton-scale bolometric experiments searching for rare events. In this paper, we present the CUORE cryogenic infrastructure, briefly describing its critical subsystems.

Physics↗

CUPID-0: the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for 0$\nu \beta \beta$ decay investigations

The CUPID-0 detector hosted at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, is the first large array of enriched scintillating cryogenic detectors for the investigation of 82 Se neutrinoless double-beta decay (0$\nu \beta \beta$). CUPID0 aims at measuring a background index in the region of interest (RoI) for 0$\nu \beta \beta$ at the level of 10 -3 counts/(keV kg years), the lowest value ever measured using cryogenic detectors. CUPID-0 operates an array of Zn 82 Se scintillating bolometers coupled with bolometric light detectors, with a state of the art technology for background suppression and thorough protocols and procedures for the detector preparation and construction. In this paper, the different phases of the detector design and construction will be presented, from the material selection (for the absorber production) to the new and innovative detector structure. The successful construction of the detector lead to promising preliminary detector performance which is discussed here.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Search for neutrinoless β + EC decay of Te 120 with CUORE-0

Here, we have performed a search for neutrinoless $\beta^{+}\hspace{-0.2em}EC$ decay of $^{120}$Te using the final CUORE-0 data release. We describe a new analysis method for the simultaneous fit of signatures with different event topology, and of data subsets with different signal efficiency, obtaining a limit on the half-life of the decay of $T_{1/2}>1.6\cdot10^{21}$ yr at $90\%$ CI. Combining this with results from Cuoricino, a predecessor experiment, we obtain the strongest limit to date, corresponding to $T_{1/2}>2.7\cdot10^{21}$ yr at $90\%$ CI.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗