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NEXT Collaboration(Monrabal, F. et al), Laing, A., Alvarez, V., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., et al. (2018). The NEXT White (NEW) detector. J. Instrum., 13, P12010–38pp.
Abstract: Conceived to host 5 kg of xenon at a pressure of 15 bar in the fiducial volume, the NEXT-White apparatus is currently the largest high pressure xenon gas TPC using electroluminescent amplification in the world. It is also a 1:2 scale model of the NEXT-100 detector for Xe-136 beta beta 0 nu decay searches, scheduled to start operations in 2019. Both detectors measure the energy of the event using a plane of photomultipliers located behind a transparent cathode. They can also reconstruct the trajectories of charged tracks in the dense gas of the TPC with the help of a plane of silicon photomultipliers located behind the anode. A sophisticated gas system, common to both detectors, allows the high gas purity needed to guarantee a long electron lifetime. NEXT-White has been operating since October 2016 at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc (LSC), in Spain. This paper describes the detector and associated infrastructures, as well as the main aspects of its initial operation.
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NEXT Collaboration(Renner, J. et al), Benlloch-Rodriguez, J., Botas, A., Ferrario, P., Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Alvarez, V., et al. (2017). Background rejection in NEXT using deep neural networks. J. Instrum., 12, T01004–21pp.
Abstract: We investigate the potential of using deep learning techniques to reject background events in searches for neutrinoless double beta decay with high pressure xenon time projection chambers capable of detailed track reconstruction. The differences in the topological signatures of background and signal events can be learned by deep neural networks via training over many thousands of events. These networks can then be used to classify further events as signal or background, providing an additional background rejection factor at an acceptable loss of efficiency. The networks trained in this study performed better than previous methods developed based on the use of the same topological signatures by a factor of 1.2 to 1.6, and there is potential for further improvement.
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NEXT Collaboration, Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Felkai, R., Kekic, M., Lopez-March, N., et al. (2020). Mitigation of backgrounds from cosmogenic Xe-137 in xenon gas experiments using He-3 neutron capture. J. Phys. G, 47(7), 075001–17pp.
Abstract: Xe-136 is used as the target medium for many experiments searching for 0 nu beta beta. Despite underground operation, cosmic muons that reach the laboratory can produce spallation neutrons causing activation of detector materials. A potential background that is difficult to veto using muon tagging comes in the form of Xe-137 created by the capture of neutrons on Xe-136. This isotope decays via beta decay with a half-life of 3.8 min and a Q(beta) of similar to 4.16 MeV. This work proposes and explores the concept of adding a small percentage of He-3 to xenon as a means to capture thermal neutrons and reduce the number of activations in the detector volume. When using this technique we find the contamination from Xe-137 activation can be reduced to negligible levels in tonne and multi-tonne scale high pressure gas xenon neutrinoless double beta decay experiments running at any depth in an underground laboratory.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Measurement of partial branching fractions of inclusive charmless B meson decays to K+, K-0, and pi(+). Phys. Rev. D, 83(3), 031103–8pp.
Abstract: We present measurements of partial branching fractions of B -> K+ X, B -> (KX)-X-0, and B -> pi(+) X, where X denotes any accessible final state above the endpoint for B decays to charmed mesons, specifically for momenta of the candidate hadron greater than 2.34 (2.36) GeV for kaons (pions) in the B rest frame. These measurements are sensitive to potential new-physics particles which could enter the b -> s(d) loop transitions. The analysis is performed on a data sample consisting of 383 X 10(6)B (B) over bar pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e(+)e(-) asymmetric energy collider. We observe the inclusive B -> pi(+) X process, and we set upper limits for B -> K+ X and B -> (KX)-X-0. Our results for these inclusive branching fractions are consistent with those of known exclusive modes, and exclude large enhancements due to sources of new physics.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Search for B+ -> (D+K0) and B+ -> (D+K0) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 82(9), 092006–11pp.
Abstract: We report a search for the rare decays B+ -> (D+K0) and B+ -> D+K*(0) in an event sample of approximately 465 x 10(6) B (B) over bar pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We find no significant evidence for either mode and we set 90% probability upper limits on the branching fractions of B(B+ -> (D+K0)) < 2.9 x 10(-6) and B(B+ -> D+K*(0)) < 3.0 x 10(-6)
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