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Efremenko, Yu.

Publications and source records attributed to Efremenko, Yu..

Exotic Dark Matter Search with the Majorana Demonstrator

With excellent energy resolution and ultralow-level radiogenic backgrounds, the high-purity germanium detectors in the enable searches for several classes of exotic dark matter (DM) models. In this work, we report new experimental limits on keV-scale sterile neutrino DM via the transition magnetic moment from conversion to active neutrinos ν s → ν a . We report new limits on fermionic dark matter absorption ( χ + A → ν + A ) and sub-GeV DM-nucleus 3 → 2 scattering ( χ + χ + A → ϕ + A ), and new exclusion limits for bosonic dark matter (axionlike particles and dark photons). These searches utilize the (1–100)-keV low-energy region of a 37.5-kg y exposure collected by the between May 2016 and November 2019 using a set of Ge 76 -enriched detectors whose surface exposure time was carefully controlled, resulting in extremely low levels of cosmogenic activation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Constraints on the Decay of 180⁢𝑚 Ta

180m Ta is a rare nuclear isomer whose decay has never been observed. Its remarkably long lifetime surpasses the half-lives of all other known β and electron capture decays due to the large K-spin differences and small energy differences between the isomeric and lower energy states. Detecting its decay presents a significant experimental challenge but could shed light on neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis mechanisms, the nature of dark matter and K-spin violation. For this study, we repurposed the Majorana Demonstrator, an experimental search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76 Ge using an array of high-purity germanium detectors, to search for the decay of 180m Ta. More than 17 kilograms, the largest amount of tantalum metal ever used for such a search was installed within the ultra-low background Majorana Demonstrator detector array. In this paper we present results from the first year of Ta data taking and provide an updated limit for the 180m Ta half-life on the different decay channels. With new limits up to 1.5 × 10 19 years, we improved existing limits by one to two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this result is the most sensitive search for a single β and electron capture decay ever achieved.

150 ≤ A ≤ 189↗

Energy calibration of germanium detectors for the Majorana Demonstrator

The Majorana Demonstrator was a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) in the 76 Ge isotope. It was staged at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. The experiment consisted of 58 germanium detectors housed in a low background shield and was calibrated once per week by deploying a 228 Th line source for 1 to 2 hours. The energy scale calibration determination for the detector array was automated using custom analysis tools. We describe the offline procedure for calibration of the Demonstrator germanium detectors, including the simultaneous fitting of multiple spectral peaks, estimation of energy scale uncertainties, and the automation of the calibration procedure.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

This White Paper, prepared for the Fundamental Symmetries, Neutrons, and Neutrinos Town Meeting related to the 2023 Nuclear Physics Long Range Plan, makes the case for double beta decay as a critical component of the future nuclear physics program. The major experimental collaborations and many theorists have endorsed this white paper.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗