Engineering topics

Nakano, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Nakano, Y..

4 records

DOE OSTI2024

Measurements of the charge ratio and polarization of cosmic-ray muons with the Super-Kamiokande detector

We present the results of the charge ratio (𝑅) and polarization (𝑃$^{𝜇}_{0}$) measurements using decay electron events collected between September 2008 and June 2022 with the Super-Kamiokande detector. Because of its underground location and long operation, we are able to perform high-precision measurements by accumulating cosmic-ray muons. We measured the muon charge ratio to be 𝑅 = 1.32 ± 0.02⁢(stat +syst) at 𝐸 𝜇 ⁢cos⁡𝜃 Zenith = 0.7$^{+0.3}_{−0.2}$ TeV, where 𝐸 𝜇 is the muon energy and 𝜃 Zenith is the zenith angle of incoming cosmic-ray muons. This result is consistent with the Honda flux model while indicating a tension with the 𝜋⁢𝐾 model of 1.9⁢𝜎. We also measured the muon polarization at the production location to be 𝑃$^{𝜇}_{0}$ = 0.52 ± 0.02 (stat+syst) at the muon momentum of 0.9$^{+0.6}_{−0.1}$ TeV/𝑐 at the surface of the mountain; this also suggests a tension with the Honda flux model of 1.5⁢𝜎. This is the most precise measurement ever to experimentally determine the cosmic-ray muon polarization near 1 TeV/𝑐. These measurement results are useful to improve atmospheric neutrino simulations.

Atmospheric neutrino oscillations↗

DOE OSTI2024

Combined Pre-supernova Alert System with KamLAND and Super-Kamiokande

Preceding a core-collapse supernova (CCSN), various processes produce an increasing amount of neutrinos of all flavors characterized by mounting energies from the interior of massive stars. Among them, the electron antineutrinos are potentially detectable by terrestrial neutrino experiments such as KamLAND and Super-Kamiokande (SK) via inverse beta decay interactions. Once these pre-supernova (pre-SN) neutrinos are observed, an early warning of the upcoming CCSN can be provided. In light of this, KamLAND and SK, both located in the Kamioka mine in Japan, have been monitoring pre-SN neutrinos since 2015 and 2021, respectively. Recently, we performed a joint study between KamLAND and SK on pre-SN neutrino detection. A pre-SN alert system combining the KamLAND detector and the SK detector was developed and put into operation, which can provide a supernova alert to the astrophysics community. Fully leveraging the complementary properties of these two detectors, the combined alert is expected to resolve a pre-SN neutrino signal from a 15 M ⊙ star within 510 pc of the Earth at a significance level corresponding to a false alarm rate of no more than 1 per century. For a Betelgeuse-like model with optimistic parameters, it can provide early warnings up to 12 hr in advance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for Periodic Time Variations of the Solar 8 B Neutrino Flux between 1996 and 2018 in Super-Kamiokande

We report a search for time variations of the solar 8 B neutrino flux using 5804 live days of Super-Kamiokande data collected between May 31, 1996, and May 30, 2018. Super-Kamiokande measured the precise time of each solar neutrino interaction over 22 calendar years to search for solar neutrino flux modulations with unprecedented precision. Periodic modulations are searched for in a dataset comprising five-day interval solar neutrino flux measurements with a maximum likelihood method. We also applied the Lomb-Scargle method to this dataset to compare it with previous reports. The only significant modulation found is due to the elliptic orbit of the Earth around the Sun. The observed modulation is consistent with astronomical data: we measured an eccentricity of (1.53 ± 0.35)%, and a perihelion shift of (−1.5 ± 13.5) days.

astroparticle detectors↗

DOE OSTI2024

Second gadolinium loading to Super-Kamiokande

The first loading of gadolinium (Gd) into Super-Kamiokande in 2020 was successful, and the neutron capture efficiency on Gd reached 50%. To further increase the Gd neutron capture efficiency to 75%, 26.1 tons of Gd 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ∙ 8H 2 O was additionally loaded into Super-Kamiokande (SK) from May 31 to July 4, 2022. As the amount of loaded Gd 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ∙ 8H 2 O was doubled compared to the first loading, the capacity of the powder dissolving system was doubled. We also developed new batches of gadolinium sulfate with even further reduced radioactive impurities. In addition, a more efficient screening method was devised and implemented to evaluate these new batches of Gd 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ∙ 8H 2 O. Following the second loading, the Gd concentration in SK was measured to be 333.5 ± 2.5 ppm via an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). From the mean neutron capture time constant of neutrons from an Am/Be calibration source, the Gd concentration was independently measured to be 332.7 ± 6.8(sys.) ± 1.1(stat.) ppm, consistent with the AAS result. Furthermore, during the loading the Gd concentration was monitored continually using the capture time constant of each spallation neutron produced by cosmic-ray muons, and the final neutron capture efficiency was shown to become 1.5 times higher than that of the first loaded phase, as expected.

Gadolinium↗