Taprogge, J. et al, Gadea, A., & Montaner-Piza, A. (2014). 1p(3/2) Proton-Hole State in Sn-132 and the Shell Structure Along N=82. Phys. Rev. Lett., 112(13), 132501–6pp.
Abstract: A low-lying state in In-131(82), the one-proton hole nucleus with respect to double magic Sn-132, was observed by its gamma decay to the I-pi 1/2(-) beta-emitting isomer. We identify the new state at an excitation energy of E-x = 1353 keV, which was populated both in the beta decay of Cd-131(83) and after beta-delayed neutron emission from Cd-132(84), as the previously unknown pi p(3/2) single-hole state with respect to the Sn-132 core. Exploiting this crucial new experimental information, shell-model calculations were performed to study the structure of experimentally inaccessible N = 82 isotones below Sn-132. The results evidence a surprising absence of proton subshell closures along the chain of N = 82 isotones. The consequences of this finding for the evolution of the N = 82 shell gap along the r-process path are discussed.
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Stuhl, L., Krasznahorkay, A., Csatlos, M., Algora, A., Gulyas, J., Kalinka, G., et al. (2014). A neutron spectrometer for studying giant resonances with (p,n) reactions in inverse kinematics. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 736, 1–9.
Abstract: A neutron spectrometer, the European Low-Energy Neutron Spectrometer (ELENS), has been constructed to study exotic nuclei in inverse-kinematics experiments. The spectrometer, which consists of plastic scintillator bars, can be operated in the neutron energy range of 100 keV-10 MeV. The neutron energy is determined using the time-of-flight technique, while the position of the neutron detection is deduced from the time-difference information from photomultipliers attached to both ends of each bar. A novel wrapping method has been developed for the plastic scintillators. The array has a larger than 25% detection efficiency for neutrons of approximately 500 keV in kinetic energy and an angular resolution of less than 1 degrees. Details of the design, construction and experimental tests of the spectrometer will be presented.
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Strege, C., Bertone, G., Besjes, G. J., Caron, S., Ruiz de Austri, R., Strubig, A., et al. (2014). Profile likelihood maps of a 15-dimensional MSSM. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 081–59pp.
Abstract: We present statistically convergent profile likelihood maps obtained via global fits of a phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with 15 free parameters (the MSSM-15), based on over 250M points. We derive constraints on the model parameters from direct detection limits on dark matter, the Planck relic density measurement and data from accelerator searches. We provide a detailed analysis of the rich phenomenology of this model, and determine the SUSY mass spectrum and dark matter properties that are preferred by current experimental constraints. We evaluate the impact of the measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (g – 2) on our results, and provide an analysis of scenarios in which the lightest neutralino is a subdominant component of the dark matter. The MSSM-15 parameters are relatively weakly constrained by current data sets, with the exception of the parameters related to dark matter phenomenology (M-1, M-2, mu), which are restricted to the sub-TeV regime, mainly due to the relic density constraint. The mass of the lightest neutralino is found to be < 1.5TeV at 99% C.L., but can extend up to 3 TeV when excluding the g – 2 constraint from the analysis. Low-mass bino-like neutralinos are strongly favoured, with spin-independent scattering cross-sections extending to very small values, similar to 10(-20) pb. ATLAS SUSY null searches strongly impact on this mass range, and thus rule out a region of parameter space that is outside the reach of any current or future direct detection experiment. The best-fit point obtained after inclusion of all data corresponds to a squark mass of 2.3 TeV, a gluino mass of 2.1 TeV and a 130 GeV neutralino with a spin-independent cross-section of 2.4 x 10(-10) pb, which is within the reach of future multi-ton scale direct detection experiments and of the upcoming LHC run at increased centre-of-mass energy.
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Sorel, M. (2014). Expected performance of an ideal liquid argon neutrino detector with enhanced sensitivity to scintillation light. J. Instrum., 9, P10002–25pp.
Abstract: Scintillation light is used in liquid argon (LAr) neutrino detectors to provide a trigger signal, veto information against cosmic rays, and absolute event timing. In this work, we discuss additional opportunities offered by detectors with enhanced sensitivity to scintillation light, that is with light collection efficiencies of about 10(-3). We focus on two key detector performance indicators for neutrino oscillation physics: calorimetric neutrino energy reconstruction and neutrino/antineutrino separation in a non-magnetized detector. Our results are based on detailed simulations, with neutrino interactions modelled according to the GENIE event generator, while the charge and light responses of a large LAr ideal detector are described by the Geant4 and NEST simulation tools. A neutrino energy resolution as good as 3.3% RMS for 4 GeV electron neutrino charged-current interactions can in principle be obtained in a large detector of this type, by using both charge and light information. By exploiting muon capture in argon and scintillation light information to veto muon decay electrons, we also obtain muon neutrino identification efficiencies of about 50%, and muon antineutrino misidentification rates at the few percent level, for few-GeV neutrino interactions that are fully contained. We argue that the construction of large LAr detectors with sufficiently high light collection efficiencies is in principle possible.
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Simpson, G. S. et al, & Montaner-Piza, A. (2014). Yrast 6(+) Seniority Isomers of Sn-136,Sn-138. Phys. Rev. Lett., 113(13), 132502–6pp.
Abstract: Delayed gamma-ray cascades, originating from the decay of (6(+)) isomeric states, in the very neutron-rich, semimagic isotopes Sn-136,Sn-138 have been observed following the projectile fission of a U-238 beam at RIBF, RIKEN. The wave functions of these isomeric states are proposed to be predominantly a fully aligned pair of f(7/2) neutrons. Shell-model calculations, performed using a realistic effective interaction, reproduce well the energies of the excited states of these nuclei and the measured transition rates, with the exception of the B(E2; 6(+) -> 4(+)) rate of Sn-136, which deviates from a simple seniority scheme. Empirically reducing the nu f(7/2)(2) orbit matrix elements produces a 4(1)(+) state with almost equal seniority 2 and 4 components, correctly reproducing the experimental B(E2; 6(+) -> 4(+)) rate of Sn-136. These data provide a key benchmark for shell-model interactions far from stability.
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