Andreotti, M. et al, Cervera-Villanueva, A., Garcia-Peris, M. a., Martin-Albo, J., Querol, M., Rocabado, J., et al. (2024). Cryogenic characterization of Hamamatsu HWB MPPCs for the DUNE photon detection system. J. Instrum., 19(1), T01007–27pp.
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next generation experiment aimed to study neutrino oscillation. Its long-baseline configuration will exploit a Near Detector (ND) and a Far Detector (FD) located at a distance of similar to 1300 km. The FD will consist of four Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) modules. A Photon Detection System (PDS) will be used to detect the scintillation light produced inside the detector after neutrino interactions. The PDS will be based on light collectors coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). Different photosensor technologies have been proposed and produced in order to identify the best samples to fullfill the experiment requirements. In this paper, we present the procedure and results of a validation campaign for the Hole Wire Bonding (HWB) MPPCs samples produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (HPK) for the DUNE experiment, referring to them as 'SiPMs'. The protocol for a characterization at cryogenic temperature (77 K) is reported. We present the down-selection criteria and the results obtained during the selection campaign undertaken, along with a study of the main sources of noise of the SiPMs including the investigation of a newly observed phenomenon in this field.
Keywords: Cryogenic detectors; Photon detectors for UV, visible and IR photons (solid-state); Photon detectors for UV, visible and IR photons (solid-state) (PIN diodes, APDs, Si-PMTs, G-APDs, CCDs, EBCCDs, EMCCDs, CMOS imagers, etc)
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Bayes, R., Laing, A., Soler, F. J. P., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Hernandez, P., et al. (2012). Golden channel at a neutrino factory revisited: Improved sensitivities from a magnetized iron neutrino detector. Phys. Rev. D, 86(9), 093015–27pp.
Abstract: This paper describes the performance and sensitivity to neutrino mixing parameters of a Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector at a Neutrino Factory with a neutrino beam created from the decay of 10 GeV muons. Specifically, it is concerned with the ability of such a detector to detect muons of the opposite sign to those stored (wrong-sign muons) while suppressing contamination of the signal from the interactions of other neutrino species in the beam. A new, more realistic simulation and analysis, which improves the efficiency of this detector at low energies, has been developed using the GENIE neutrino event generator and the GEANT4 simulation toolkit. Low-energy neutrino events down to 1 GeV were selected, while reducing backgrounds to the 10(-4) level. Signal efficiency plateaus of similar to 60% for nu(mu) and similar to 70% for (nu) over bar (mu) events were achieved starting at similar to 5 GeV. Contamination from the nu(mu) -> nu(tau) oscillation channel was studied for the first time and was found to be at the level between 1% and 4%. Full response matrices are supplied for all the signal and background channels from 1 GeV to 10 GeV. The sensitivity of an experiment involving a Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector detector of 100 ktons at 2000 km from the Neutrino Factory is calculated for the case of sin(2)2 theta(13) similar to 10(-1). For this value of theta(13), the accuracy in the measurement of the CP-violating phase is estimated to be Delta delta(CP) similar to 3 degrees-5 degrees, depending on the value of delta(CP), the CP coverage at 5 sigma is 85% and the mass hierarchy would be determined with better than 5 sigma level for all values of delta(CP).
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Bernal, N., Martin-Albo, J., & Palomares-Ruiz, S. (2013). A novel way of constraining WIMPs annihilations in the Sun: MeV neutrinos. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 08(8), 011–19pp.
Abstract: Annihilation of dark matter particles accumulated in the Sun would produce a flux of high-energy neutrinos whose prospects of detection in neutrino telescopes and detectors have been extensively discussed in the literature. However, for annihilations into Standard Model particles, there would also be a flux of neutrinos in the MeV range from the decays at rest of muons and positively charged pions. These low-energy neutrinos have never been considered before and they open the possibility to also constrain dark matter annihilation in the Sun into e(+)e(-), mu(+)mu(-) or light quarks. Here we perform a detailed analysis using the recent Super-Kamiokande data in the few tens of MeV range to set limits on the WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section for different annihilation channels and computing the evaporation rate of WIMPs from the Sun for all values of the scattering cross section in a consistent way.
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Bross, A., Wands, R., Bayes, R., Laing, A., Soler, F. J. P., Cervera-Villanueva, A., et al. (2013). Toroidal magnetized iron neutrino detector for a neutrino factory. Phys. Rev. Spec. Top.-Accel. Beams, 16(8), 081002–16pp.
Abstract: A neutrino factory has unparalleled physics reach for the discovery and measurement of CP violation in the neutrino sector. A far detector for a neutrino factory must have good charge identification with excellent background rejection and a large mass. An elegant solution is to construct a magnetized iron neutrino detector (MIND) along the lines of MINOS, where iron plates provide a toroidal magnetic field and scintillator planes provide 3D space points. In this paper, the current status of a simulation of a toroidal MIND for a neutrino factory is discussed in light of the recent measurements of large theta(13). The response and performance using the 10 GeV neutrino factory configuration are presented. It is shown that this setup has equivalent delta(CP) reach to a MIND with a dipole field and is sensitive to the discovery of CP violation over 85% of the values of delta(CP).
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Cervera-Villanueva, A., Laing, A., Martin-Albo, J., & Soler, F. J. P. (2010). Performance of the MIND detector at a Neutrino Factory using realistic muon reconstruction. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 624(3), 601–614.
Abstract: A Neutrino Factory producing an intense beam composed of v(e)((v) over bar (e)) and (v) over bar (mu)(v(mu)) from muon decays has been shown to have the greatest sensitivity to the two currently unmeasured neutrino mixing parameters theta(13) and delta(CP) Using the wrong-sign muon signal to measure v(e)-> v(mu)((v) over bar (e) ->(v) over bar (mu)) oscillations in a 50kt Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND) sensitivity to delta(CP) could be maintained down to small values of theta(13) However the detector efficiencies used in these previous studies were calculated assuming perfect pattern recognition In this paper MIND is reassessed taking into account for the first time a realistic pattern recognition for the muon candidate Reoptimisation of the analysis utilises a combination of methods including a multivariate analysis similar to the one used in MINOS to maintain high efficiency while suppressing backgrounds ensuring that the signal selection efficiency and the background levels are comparable or better than the ones in previous analyses As a result MIND remains the most sensitive future facility for the discovery of CP violation from neutrino oscillations.
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Coloma, P., Martin-Albo, J., & Urrea, S. (2024). Discovering long-lived particles at DUNE. Phys. Rev. D, 109(3), 035013–24pp.
Abstract: Long-lived particles (LLPs) arise in many theories beyond the Standard Model. These may be copiously produced from meson decays (or through their mixing with the LLPs) at neutrino facilities and leave a visible decay signal in nearby neutrino detectors. We compute the expected sensitivity of the DUNE liquid argon (LAr) and gaseous argon near detectors (NDs) to light LLP decays. In doing so, we determine the expected backgrounds for both detectors, which have been largely overlooked in the literature, taking into account their angular and energy resolution. We show that searches for LLP decays into muon pairs, or into three pions, would be extremely clean. Conversely, decays into two photons would be affected by large backgrounds from neutrino interactions for both near detectors; finally, the reduced signal efficiency for e thorn e- pairs leads to a reduced sensitivity for ND-LAr. Our results are first presented in a model -independent way, as a function of the mass of the new state and its lifetime. We also provide detailed calculations for several phenomenological models with axionlike particles (coupled to gluons, electroweak bosons, or quark currents). Some of our results may also be of interest for other neutrino facilities using a similar detector technology (e.g., MicroBooNE, SBND, ICARUS, or the T2K near detector).
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Contreras, T., Martins, A., Stanford, C., Escobar, C. O., Guenette, R., Stancari, M., et al. (2023). A method to characterize metalenses for light collection applications. J. Instrum., 18(9), T09004–11pp.
Abstract: Metalenses and metasurfaces are promising emerging technologies that could improve light collection in light collection detectors, concentrating light on small area photodetectors such as silicon photomultipliers. Here we present a detailed method to characterize metalenses to assess their efficiency at concentrating monochromatic light coming from a wide range of incidence angles, not taking into account their imaging quality.
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DUNE Collaboration(Abi, B. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2021). Searching for solar KDAR with DUNE. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 10(10), 065–28pp.
Abstract: The observation of 236 MeV muon neutrinos from kaon-decay-at-rest (KDAR) originating in the core of the Sun would provide a unique signature of dark matter annihilation. Since excellent angle and energy reconstruction are necessary to detect this monoenergetic, directional neutrino flux, DUNE with its vast volume and reconstruction capabilities, is a promising candidate for a KDAR neutrino search. In this work, we evaluate the proposed KDAR neutrino search strategies by realistically modeling both neutrino-nucleus interactions and the response of DUNE. We find that, although reconstruction of the neutrino energy and direction is difficult with current techniques in the relevant energy range, the superb energy resolution, angular resolution, and particle identification offered by DUNE can still permit great signal/background discrimination. Moreover, there are non-standard scenarios in which searches at DUNE for KDAR in the Sun can probe dark matter interactions.
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DUNE Collaboration(Abi, B. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2021). Prospects for beyond the Standard Model physics searches at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment DUNE Collaboration. Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(4), 322–51pp.
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be a powerful tool for a variety of physics topics. The high-intensity proton beams provide a large neutrino flux, sampled by a near detector system consisting of a combination of capable precision detectors, and by the massive far detector system located deep underground. This configuration sets up DUNE as a machine for discovery, as it enables opportunities not only to perform precision neutrino measurements that may uncover deviations from the present three-flavor mixing paradigm, but also to discover new particles and unveil new interactions and symmetries beyond those predicted in the Standard Model (SM). Of the many potential beyond the Standard Model (BSM) topics DUNE will probe, this paper presents a selection of studies quantifying DUNE's sensitivities to sterile neutrino mixing, heavy neutral leptons, non-standard interactions, CPT symmetry violation, Lorentz invariance violation, neutrino trident production, dark matter from both beam induced and cosmogenic sources, baryon number violation, and other new physics topics that complement those at high-energy colliders and significantly extend the present reach.
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DUNE Collaboration(Abi, B. et al), Antonova, M., Barenboim, G., Cervera-Villanueva, A., De Romeri, V., Fernandez Menendez, P., et al. (2021). Supernova neutrino burst detection with the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(5), 423–26pp.
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a 40-kton underground liquid argon time projection chamber experiment, will be sensitive to the electron-neutrino flavor component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova. Such an observation will bring unique insight into the astrophysics of core collapse as well as into the properties of neutrinos. The general capabilities of DUNE for neutrino detection in the relevant few- to few-tens-of-MeV neutrino energy range will be described. As an example, DUNE's ability to constrain the nu(e) spectral parameters of the neutrino burst will be considered.
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