Search for hep solar neutrinos and the diffuse supernova neutrino background using all three phases of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Not Available
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Engineering topics
Keeter, K. J.
Publications and source records attributed to Keeter, K. J..
Design improvements to cables and connectors in the Majorana Demonstrator
The Majorana Demonstrator is an experiment constructed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decays in germanium-76 and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a ton-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modular arrays of natural and 76 Ge-enriched germanium p-type point contact detectors totaling 44.1 kg, located at the 4850 level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. The Demonstrator uses custom high voltage cables to bias the detectors, as well as custom signal cables and connectors to read out the charge deposited at the point contact of each detector. These low-mass cables and connectors must meet stringent radio purity requirements while being subjected to thermal and mechanical stress. A number of issues have been identified with the currently installed cables and connectors. An improved set of cables and connectors for the Majorana Demonstrator are being developed with the aim of increasing their overall reliability and connectivity. In conclusion, we will discuss some of the issues encountered with the current cables and connectors as well as our improved designs and their initial performance.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Cosmogenic neutron production at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Not Available
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Spectral analysis for the M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR experiment
The M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR is an experiment constructed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decays in germanium-76 and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a ton-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modular arrays of natural and 76 Ge-enriched germanium detectors totaling 44.1kg (29.7kg enriched detectors), located at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Data taken with this setup since summer 2015 at different construction stages of the experiment show a clear reduction of the observed background index around the ROI for 0$νββ$- decay search due to improvements in shielding. We discuss the statistical approaches to search for a 0$νββ$-signal and derive the physics sensitivity for an expected exposure of 10kg y from enriched detectors using a profile likelihood based hypothesis test in combination with toy Monte Carlo data.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Progress Toward A $2νββ$ Measurement For The M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR
The M AJORNA D EMONSTRATOR is a 76 Ge-based neutrinoless double-beta decay (0 νββ ) experiment. Staged at the 4850 ft level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the D EMONSTRATOR operates an array of high-purity p-type point contact Ge detectors deployed within a graded passive shield and an active muon veto system. The present work concerns the two-neutrino double-beta decay mode (2 νββ ) of 76 Ge. For Ge detectors, having superior energy resolution (0.1%), this mode poses negligible background to the 0 νββ mode, even for a ton-scale experiment. However, the measurement of the 2 νββ mode allows for careful systematics checks of active detector mass, enrichment fraction, and pulse shape discrimination cuts related to both the 0 νββ and 2 νββ decay modes. A precision measurement of the 2 νββ shape also allows searches for spectral distortions, possibly indicative of new physics, including 0 νββχ . Work is underway to construct a full experimental background model enabling a Bayesian fit to the measured energy spectrum and extraction of a precise 2 νββ spectrum and half-life.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Recent results from the Majorana Demonstrator
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an experiment constructed to search for Neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a large-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modular arrays of natural and 76Ge-enriched germanium detectors totalling 44.1 kg, operating on the 4850’ level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Data acquisition in the commissioning phase began in June 2015, followed by data acquisition with the full detector array in August 2016. The ultralow background and record energy resolution achieved by the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR enable a sensitive neutrinoless double-beta decay search, as well as additional searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. I will discuss the design elements that enable these searches, along with our latest results, focusing on the neutrinoless double-beta decay search. I will also discuss the current status and the future plans of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, as well as the plans for a future tonne-scale 76Ge experiment.
Myslik, Jordan W.↗
Measurement of neutron production in atmospheric neutrino interactions at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Not Available
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Multisite event discrimination for the majorana demonstrator
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay($0\nu\beta\beta$) in 76 Ge using arrays of point-contact germanium detectors operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Background results in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ region of interest from data taken during construction, commissioning, and the start of full operations have been recently published. A pulse shape analysis cut applied to achieve this result, named AvsE , is described in this paper. This cut is developed to remove events whose waveforms are typical of multi-site energy deposits while retaining (90 ± 3.5)% of single-site events. This pulse shape discrimination is based on the relationship between the maximum current and energy, and tuned using 228 Th calibration source data. In conclusion, the efficiency uncertainty accounts for variation across detectors, energy, and time, as well as for the position distribution difference between calibration and $0\nu\beta\beta$ events, established using simulations.
59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗
Search for trinucleon decay in the Majorana Demonstrator
Not Available
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Constraints on neutrino lifetime from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The long baseline between Earth and the Sun makes solar neutrinos an excellent test beam for exploring possible neutrino decay. The signature of such decay would be an energy-dependent distortion of the traditional survival probability which can be fit for using well-developed and high-precision analysis methods. Here a model including neutrino decay is fit to all three phases of $^{8}\mathrm{B}$ solar neutrino data taken by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). This fit constrains the lifetime of neutrino mass state ${{\nu}}_{2}$ to be > $8.08\times{}{10}^{{-}5}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{eV}$ at 90% confidence. An analysis combining this SNO result with those from other solar neutrino experiments results in a combined limit for the lifetime of mass state ${{\nu}}_{2}$ of > $1.92\times{}{10}^{{-}3}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{eV}$ at 90% confidence.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Tests of Lorentz invariance at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Not Available
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
The Majorana Demonstrator Status and Preliminary Results
The MAJORANA Collaboration is using an array of high-purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76 Ge. Searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay are understood to be the only viable experimental method for testing the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Observation of this decay would imply violation of lepton number, that neutrinos are Majorana in nature, and provide information on the neutrino mass. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR comprises 44.1 kg of p-type point-contact Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in 76 Ge) surrounded by a low-background shield system. The experiment achieved a high efficiency of converting raw Ge material to detectors and an unprecedented detector energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q ββ . The MAJORANA collaboration began taking physics data in 2016. Here, this paper summarizes key construction aspects of the Demonstrator and shows preliminary results from initial data.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Recent Results from the Majorana Demonstrator
The MAJORANA Collaboration has completed construction and is now operating an array of high purity Ge detectors searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) in $^{76}$Ge. The array, known as the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, is comprised of 44 kg of Ge detectors (30 kg enriched to 88% in $^{76}$Ge) installed in an ultra-low background compact shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The primary goal of the DEMONSTRATOR is to establish a low-background design that can be scaled to a next-generation tonne-scale experiment. This work reports initial background levels in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ region of interest. Also presented are recent physics results leveraging P-type point-contact detectors with sub-keV energy thresholds to search for physics beyond the Standard Model; first results from searches for bosonic dark matter, solar axions, Pauli exclusion principle violation, and electron decay have been published. Finally, this work discusses the proposed tonne-scale $^{76}$Ge $0\nu\beta\beta$ LEGEND experiment.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗