119176850
The CRESST II Dark Matter Search
Direct Dark Matter detection with cryodetectors is briefly discussed, with particular mention of the possibility of the identification of the recoil nucleus. Preliminary results from the CRESST II Dark Matter search, with 730 kg-days of data, are presented. Major backgrounds and methods of identifying and dealing with them are indicated.
122254340
SIMULATIONS OF MUON-INDUCED NEUTRON BACKGROUND WITH GEANT4
12512718
High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and imaging of the nuclear outflow of the starburst galaxy NGC 253
Aims. Using XMM-Newton  data, we have studied the nuclear outflow of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 in X-rays with respect to its morphology and to spectral variations along the outflow. Methods. We analysed XMM-Newton  RGS spectra, RGS brightness profiles in cross-dispersion direction, narrow-band RGS and EPIC images, and EPIC PN brightness profiles of the nuclear region and of the outflow from NGC 253. Results. We detect a diversity of emission lines along the outflow of NGC 253. This includes the He-like ions of Si, Mg, Ne, and O and their corresponding ions in the next higher ionisation state. Additionally transitions from $\ion{Fe}{xvii}$ and $\ion{Fe}{xviii}$ are prominent. The derived temperatures from line ratios along the outflow range from 0.21 ± 0.01 to 0.79 ± 0.06 keV, and the ratio of $\ion{Fe}{xvii}$ lines indicates a predominantly collisionally ionised plasma. Additionally, we see indications of either a recombining or an underionised plasma in the $\ion{Fe}{xvii}$ line ratio. Derived electron densities are 0.106 ± 0.018 cm -3 for the nuclear region and 0.025 ± 0.003 cm -3 for the outflow region closest to the centre. The RGS image in the $\ion{O}{viii}$ line energy clearly shows the morphology of an outflow extending out to ~750 pc along the southeast minor axis, while the northwest part of the outflow is not seen in $\ion{O}{viii}$ due to the heavy absorption by the galactic disc. This is the first time that the hot wind fluid has been detected directly. The limb brightening in Chandra  and XMM-Newton  EPIC observations is only seen in the energy range that contains the $\ion{Fe}{xvii}$ lines (550-750 eV). In all other energy ranges between 400 and 2000 eV, no clear evidence of limb brightening could be detected.
209431040
Dark Matter Search with CRESST-II
R. Strauss, G. Angloher, M. Bauer, I. Bavykina, A. Bento, C. Bucci, C. Ciemniak, G. Deuter, F. von Feilitzsch, D. Hauff, C. Isaila, J. Jochum, M. Kiefer, M. Kimmerle, J.-C. Lanfranchi, F. Petricca, S. Pfister, W. Potzel, F. Pröbst , F. Reindl , S. Roth, K. Rottler, C. Sailer, K. Schäffner, J. Schmaler, S. Scholl, W. Seidel, M. von Sivers, L. Stodolsky , C. Strandhagen, A. Tanzke, I. Usherov, S. Wawoczny, M. Willers, A. Zöller Physik-Department E15, Technische Universität München, D-85747 Garching, Germany Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, D-80805 München, Germany Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, I-67010 Assergi, Italy Departamento de Fisica, Universidade de Coimbra, P3004 516 Coimbra, Portugal
122582401
Monte Carlo evaluation of the muon-induced background in the GERDA double beta decay experiment
Abstract The new generation of experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay is aiming at a background level of 10 - 3 counts / ( kg keV y ) or better at the respective Q -values. Cosmic ray muons can be a significant contribution due to a number of physics processes. The GERmanium Detector Array, GERDA, located at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy, uses germanium enriched in 76 Ge as source and detector material. Germanium is submerged into liquid nitrogen or argon that acts as cooling medium and radiation shield simultaneously. A detailed G eant 4-based Monte Carlo simulation was performed to calculate the photon and neutron fluxes induced by cosmic ray muons. The prompt background contributions from γ -ray and neutron interactions as well as the delayed contributions due to the production of radioactive isotopes within the setup are given. The background can be reduced to the desired level with the muon veto system incorporated in the GERDA design.
15107359
Electron and gamma background in CRESST detectors
Abstract The CRESST experiment monitors 300 g CaWO 4 crystals as targets for particle interactions in an ultra low background environment. In this paper, we analyze the background spectra that are recorded by three detectors over many weeks of data taking. Understanding these spectra is mandatory if one wants to further reduce the background level, and allows us to cross-check the calibration of the detectors. We identify a variety of sources, such as intrinsic contaminations due to primordial radioisotopes and cosmogenic activation of the target material. In particular, we detect a 3.6 keV X-ray line from the decay of 41 Ca with an activity of ( 26 ± 4 ) μ Bq , corresponding to a ratio 41 Ca / 40 Ca = ( 2.2 ± 0.3 ) × 10 - 16 .
38251987
Solution to the flavor problem of warped extra-dimension models.
A minimal solution to the flavor problem of warped extra-dimension models, i.e., the excessive mixed-chirality contribution to CP violation in K-K ¯ mixing arising from Kaluza-Klein (KK) gluon exchange, is proposed. Extending the strong-interaction gauge group in the bulk by an additional SU(3), and breaking this symmetry to QCD via boundary conditions, the constraints arising from the ε(K) parameter are significantly relaxed. As a result, KK scales M(KK)~2 TeV are consistent with all flavor observables without significant fine-tuning. The model predicts an extended Higgs sector featuring massive color-octet scalars and a tower of KK pseudoaxial gluon resonances, whose existence is not in conflict with recent LHC dijet bounds.
119381704
Fusion and singular vectors inA1(1) highest weight cyclic modules
We show how the interplay between the fusion formalism of conformal field theory and the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation leads to explicit formulae for the singular vectors in the highest weight representations ofA1(1).
119268338
Light dark matter, naturalness, and the radiative origin of the electroweak scale
A bstractWe study classically scale invariant models in which the Standard Model Higgs mass term is replaced in the Lagrangian by a Higgs portal coupling to a complex scalar field of a dark sector. We focus on models that are weakly coupled with the quartic scalar couplings nearly vanishing at the Planck scale. The dark sector contains fermions and scalars charged under dark SU(2) × U(1) gauge interactions. Radiative breaking of the dark gauge group triggers electroweak symmetry breaking through the Higgs portal coupling. Requiring both a Higgs boson mass of 125.5 GeV and stability of the Higgs potential up to the Planck scale implies that the radiative breaking of the dark gauge group occurs at the TeV scale. We present a particular model which features a long-range abelian dark force. The dominant dark matter component is neutral dark fermions, with the correct thermal relic abundance, and in reach of future direct detection experiments. The model also has lighter stable dark fermions charged under the dark force, with observable effects on galactic-scale structure. Collider signatures include a dark sector scalar boson with mass ≲ 250 GeV that decays through mixing with the Higgs boson, and can be detected at the LHC. The Higgs boson, as well as the new scalar, may have significant invisible decays into dark sector particles.
107502491
Bipolar monolithic preamplifiers for SSC silicon calorimetry
This paper describes preamplifiers designed specifically to address the requirements of silicon calorimetry for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). Eight different preamplifiers designed for detector capacitances ranging from 20 pF to 500 pF and operating temperatures from 25{degree}C to {minus}20{degree}C are discussed. The preamplifiers were fabricated with two different high-frequency processes (one with the VTC, Inc. VJ900 process, seven with the Harris Semiconductor VHF Process). The different topologies and their features are discussed in addition to the design methodologies employed. The results for noise, power consumption, speed, and radiation damage effects as well as data for post-damage annealing are presented for the VTC process preamplifier. Simulations for the VHF Process circuits are presented. This work was funded through SSC Generic Detector funding, SSC Detector Subsystem funding, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Detector Center.
119743327
Affine Characters and Modular Transformations