ANTARES Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Gomez-Gonzalez, J. P., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Lambard, G., Mangano, S., et al. (2014). Constraining the neutrino emission of gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars with ANTARES data. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 017–12pp.
Abstract: This paper proposes to exploit gravitational lensing effects to improve the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to the intrinsic neutrino emission of distant blazar populations. This strategy is illustrated with a search for cosmic neutrinos in the direction of four distant and gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars. The magnification factor is estimated for each system assuming a singular isothermal profile for the lens. Based on data collected from 2007 to 2012 by the ANTARES neutrino telescope, the strongest constraint is obtained from the lensed quasar B0218+357, providing a limit on the total neutrino luminosity of this source of 1.08 x 10(46) erg s(-1) This limit is about one order of magnitude lower than those previously obtained in the ANTARES standard point source searches with non-lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars.
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NEXT Collaboration(Lorca, D. et al), Martin-Albo, J., Laing, A., Ferrario, P., Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Alvarez, V., et al. (2014). Characterisation of NEXT-DEMO using xenon K-alpha X-rays. J. Instrum., 9, P10007–20pp.
Abstract: The NEXT experiment aims to observe the neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136 in a high-pressure xenon gas TPC using electroluminescence (EL) to amplify the signal from ionization. Understanding the response of the detector is imperative in achieving a consistent and well understood energy measurement. The abundance of xenon K-shell X-ray emission during data taking has been identified as a multitool for the characterisation of the fundamental parameters of the gas as well as the equalisation of the response of the detector. The NEXT-DEMO prototype is a similar to 1.5 kg volume TPC filled with natural xenon. It employs an array of 19 PMTs as an energy plane and of 256 SiPMs as a tracking plane with the TPC light tube and SiPM surfaces being coated with tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) which acts as a wavelength shifter for the VUV scintillation light produced by xenon. This paper presents the measurement of the properties of the drift of electrons in the TPC, the effects of the EL production region, and the extraction of position dependent correction constants using K-alpha X-ray deposits. These constants were used to equalise the response of the detector to deposits left by gammas from Na-22.
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Tarifeño-Saldivia, A., & Soto, L. (2014). Effects of gas chamber geometry and gas flow on the neutron production in a fast plasma focus neutron source. Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, 56(12), 125013–5pp.
Abstract: This work reports that gas chamber geometry and gas flow management substantially affect the neutron production of a repetitive fast plasma focus. The gas flow rate is the most sensitive parameter. An appropriate design of the gas chamber combined with a suitable flow-rate management can lead to improvements in the neutron production of one order of magnitude working in a fast repetitive mode.
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Hinarejos, M., Bañuls, M. C., & Perez, A. (2015). Wigner formalism for a particle on an infinite lattice: dynamics and spin. New J. Phys., 17, 013037–16pp.
Abstract: The recently proposed Wigner function for a particle in an infinite lattice (Hinarejos M, Banuls MC and Perez A 2012 New J. Phys. 14 103009) is extended here to include an internal degree of freedom as spin. This extension is made by introducing a Wigner matrix. The formalism is developed to account for dynamical processes, with or without decoherence. We show explicit solutions for the case of Hamiltonian evolution under a position-dependent potential, and for evolution governed by a master equation under some simple models of decoherence, for which the Wigner matrix formalism is well suited. Discrete processes are also discussed. Finally, we discuss the possibility of introducing a negativity concept for the Wigner function in the case where the spin degree of freedom is included.
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KM3NeT Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Calvo Diaz-Aldagalan, D., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Martinez-Mora, J. A., Real, D., Zornoza, J. D., et al. (2014). Deep sea tests of a prototype of the KM3NeT digital optical module. Eur. Phys. J. C, 74(9), 3056–8pp.
Abstract: The first prototype of a photo-detection unit of the future KM3NeT neutrino telescope has been deployed in the deepwaters of the Mediterranean Sea. This digital optical module has a novel design with a very large photocathode area segmented by the use of 31 three inch photomultiplier tubes. It has been integrated in the ANTARES detector for in-situ testing and validation. This paper reports on the first months of data taking and rate measurements. The analysis results highlight the capabilities of the new module design in terms of background suppression and signal recognition. The directionality of the optical module enables the recognition of multiple Cherenkov photons from the same (40)Kdecay and the localisation of bioluminescent activity in the neighbourhood. The single unit can cleanly identify atmospheric muons and provide sensitivity to the muon arrival directions.
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ANTARES Collaboration(Adrian-Martinez, S. et al), Barrios-Marti, J., Emanuele, U., Gomez-Gonzalez, J. P., Hernandez-Rey, J. J., Lambard, G., et al. (2014). A search for time dependent neutrino emission from microquasars with the ANTARES telescope. J. High Ener. Astrophy., 3, 9–17.
Abstract: Results are presented on a search for neutrino emission from a sample of six microquasars, based on the data collected by the ANTARES neutrino telescope between 2007 and 2010. By means of appropriate time cuts, the neutrino search has been restricted to the periods when the acceleration of relativistic jets was taking place at the microquasars under study. The time cuts have been chosen using the information from the X-ray telescopes RXTE/ASM and Swift/BAT, and, in one case, the gamma-ray telescope Fermi/LAT. No statistically significant excess has been observed, thus upper limits on the neutrino fluences have been derived and compared to the predictions by models. Constraints have been put on the ratio of proton to electron luminosity in the jets.
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Ghosh, P., Lopez-Fogliani, D. E., Mitsou, V. A., Muñoz, C., & Ruiz de Austri, R. (2015). Hunting physics beyond the standard model with unusual W-+/- and Z decays. Phys. Rev. D, 91(3), 035020–8pp.
Abstract: Nonstandard on-shell decays of W-+/- and Z bosons are possible within the framework of extended supersymmetric models, i.e., with singlet states and/or new couplings compared to the minimal supersymmetric standard model. These modes are typically encountered in regions of the parameter space with light singlet-like scalars, pseudoscalars, and neutralinos. In this letter we emphasize how these states can lead to novel signals at colliders from Z- or W-+/--boson decays with prompt or displaced multileptons/tau jets/jets/photons in the final states. These new modes would give distinct evidence of new physics even when direct searches remain unsuccessful. We discuss the possibilities of probing these new signals using the existing LHC run-I data set. We also address the same in the context of the LHC run-II, as well as for the future colliders. We exemplify our observations with the “mu from v” supersymmetric standard model, where three generations of right-handed neutrino superfields are used to solve shortcomings of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We also extend our discussion for other variants of supersymmetric models that can accommodate similar signatures.
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Clausse, A., Soto, L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2015). Influence of the Anode Length on the Neutron Emission of a 50 J Plasma Focus: Modeling and Experiment. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., 43(2), 629–636.
Abstract: A comprehensive set of electric data measured in a small plasma focus (PF) device of 50 J correlated with the corresponding neutron emissions is taken as the base for developing a semiempirical model of the current sheet dynamics and the neutron yield. The model is able to explain the dependence of the neutron yield with the pressure and anode length with good accuracy, and suggests a physical interpretation of the drive parameter commonly used in PF design.
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T2K Collaboration(Abe, K. et al), Cervera-Villanueva, A., Escudero, L., Izmaylov, A., Sorel, M., & Stamoulis, P. (2015). Measurements of neutrino oscillation in appearance and disappearance channels by the T2K experiment with 6.6 x 10(20) protons on target. Phys. Rev. D, 91(7), 072010–50pp.
Abstract: We report on measurements of neutrino oscillation using data from the T2K long-baseline neutrino experiment collected between 2010 and 2013. In an analysis of muon neutrino disappearance alone, we find the following estimates and 68% confidence intervals for the two possible mass hierarchies: normal hierarchy: sin(2)theta(23) = 0.514(-0.055)(+0.056) and Delta m(32)(2) = (2.51 +/- 0.10) x 10(-3) eV(2)/c(4) and inverted hierarchy: sin(2)theta(23) = 0.511 +/- 0.055 and Delta m(13)(2) = (2.48 +/- 0.10) x 10(-3) eV(2)/c(4). The analysis accounts for multinucleon mechanisms in neutrino interactions which were found to introduce negligible bias. We describe our first analyses that combine measurements of muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance to estimate four oscillation parameters, vertical bar Delta m(2)vertical bar, sin(2)theta(23), sin(2)theta(13,) delta(CP), and the mass hierarchy. Frequentist and Bayesian intervals are presented for combinations of these parameters, with and without including recent reactor measurements. At 90% confidence level and including reactor measurements, we exclude the region delta(CP) = [0.15; 0.83]pi for normal hierarchy and delta(CP) = [-0.08; 1.09]pi for inverted hierarchy. The T2K and reactor data weakly favor the normal hierarchy with a Bayes factor of 2.2. The most probable values and 68% one-dimensional credible intervals for the other oscillation parameters, when reactor data are included, are sin(2)theta(23) = 0.528(-0.055)(+0.038) and vertical bar Delta m(32)(2)vertical bar = (2.51 +/- 0.11) x 10(-3) eV(2)/c(4).
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NEXT Collaboration(Renner, J. et al), Alvarez, V., Carcel, S., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Diaz, J., Ferrario, P., et al. (2015). Ionization and scintillation of nuclear recoils in gaseous xenon. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 793, 62–74.
Abstract: Ionization and scintillation produced by nuclear recoils in gaseous xenon at approximately 14 bar have been simultaneously observed in an electroluminescent time projection chamber. Neutrons from radioisotope a-Be neutron sources were used to induce xenon nuclear recoils, and the observed recoil spectra were compared to a detailed Monte Carlo employing estimated ionization and scintillation yields for nuclear recoils. The ability to discriminate between electronic and nuclear recoils using the ratio of ionization to primary scintillation is demonstrated. These results encourage further investigation on the use of xenon in the gas phase as a detector medium in dark matter direct detection experiments.
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