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.
119283621
Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter search
The CRESST-II cryogenic Dark Matter search, aiming at detection of WIMPs via elastic scattering off nuclei in CaWO4 crystals, completed 730 kg days of data taking in 2011. We present the data collected with eight detector modules, each with a two-channel readout; one for a phonon signal and the other for coincidently produced scintillation light. The former provides a precise measure of the energy deposited by an interaction, and the ratio of scintillation light to deposited energy can be used to discriminate different types of interacting particles and thus to distinguish possible signal events from the dominant backgrounds.Sixty-seven events are found in the acceptance region where a WIMP signal in the form of low energy nuclear recoils would be expected. We estimate background contributions to this observation from four sources: (1) “leakage” from the e/γ-band (2) “leakage” from the α-particle band (3) neutrons and (4) 206Pb recoils from 210Po decay. Using a maximum likelihood analysis, we find, at a statistical significance of more than 4σ, that these sources alone are not sufficient to explain the data. The addition of a signal due to scattering of relatively light WIMPs could account for this discrepancy, and we determine the associated WIMP parameters.
122869103
Evidence for Solar-Wind Charge-Exchange X-Ray Emission from the Earth’s Magnetosheath
122260318
Direct dark matter search with CRESST and EURECA
Abstract The current status of the direct Dark Matter experiments CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers) and the planned EURECA (European Underground Rare Event Calorimeter Array) is presented. Both experiments are aimed at the direct detection of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), potential candidates for the Dark Matter in the universe. New design developments of the cryogenic detectors operated at mK temperatures are investigated to optimize detector performance and to simplify mass production. Thus, CRESST is also providing a basis for the EURECA project, aimed at a ton of cryogenic detectors with a multi-material target.
122303611
The CRESST dark matter search
CRESST is a WIMP dark matter search using scintillating CaWO4 cryogenic detectors with active background suppression. First results obtained in the commissioning run are presented.
122921889
SIMULATION OF LOW ENERGY NEUTRON RECOILS WITH GEANT4
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.
18094742
Exclusive semileptonic decays of heavy mesons
AbstractExclusive semileptonic decays of heavy mesons provide interesting information on systems consisting of quarks of unequal mass. We express the formfactors of the hadronic current in terms of relativistic bound state wave functions for which we take the solutions of a relativistic harmonic oscillator potential. The wave function overlap is determined by the quark mass dependent longitudinal momentum distribution and differs from results based on non relativistic wave functions. The semileptonic widths and lepton spectra are calculated using in addition nearest pole dominance for the momentum transfer dependence of the formfactors. We compare our results with recent experimental data. The formfactor calculation also allows an estimate of special nonleptonic transitions. From the CLEO results on
$$\bar B^0 \to \pi ^ + \pi ^ -$$
 and
$$\bar B^0 \to D^{* + } + \pi ^ -$$
 we find for the corresponding Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element ratio the limit |Vub/Vcb|≲0.3.
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).
4976848
Exotic leptons: Higgs, flavor and collider phenomenology
A bstractWe study extensions of the standard model by one generation of vector-like leptons with non-standard hypercharges, which allow for a sizable modification of the h → γγ decay rate for new lepton masses in the 300 GeV-1 TeV range. We analyze vacuum stability implications for different hypercharges. Effects in h → Zγ are typically much smaller than in h → γγ, but distinct among the considered hypercharge assignments. Non-standard hypercharges constrain or entirely forbid possible mixing operators with standard model leptons. As a consequence, the leading contributions to the experimentally strongly constrained electric dipole moments of standard model fermions are only generated at the two loop level by the new CP violating sources of the considered setups. We derive the bounds from dipole moments, electro-weak precision observables and lepton flavor violating processes, and discuss their implications. Finally, we examine the production and decay channels of the vector-like leptons at the LHC, and find that signatures with multiple light leptons or taus are already probing interesting regions of parameter space.
118512166
Top-quark forward-backward asymmetry in Randall-Sundrum models beyond the leading order
We calculate the $ t\overline t $ forward-backward asymmetry, AtFB, in Randall-Sundrum (RS) models taking into account the dominant next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections in QCD. At Born level we include the exchange of Kaluza-Klein (KK) gluons and photons, the Z boson and its KK excitations, as well as the Higgs boson, whereas beyond the leading order (LO) we consider the interference of tree-level KK-gluon exchange with one-loop QCD box diagrams and the corresponding bremsstrahlungs corrections. We find that the strong suppression of LO effects, that arises due to the elementary nature and the mostly vector-like couplings of light quarks, is lifted at NLO after paying the price of an additional factor of αs/(4π). In spite of this enhancement, the resulting RS corrections in AtFB remain marginal, leaving the predicted asymmetry SM-like. As our arguments are solely based on the smallness of the axial-vector couplings of light quarks to the strong sector, our findings are model-independent and apply to many scenarios of new physics that address the flavor problem via geometrical sequestering.