18560327
Commissioning run of the CRESST-II dark matter search
Abstract The CRESST cryogenic direct dark matter search at Gran Sasso, searching for WIMPs via nuclear recoil, has been upgraded to CRESST-II by several changes and improvements. The upgrade includes a new detector support structure capable of accommodating 33 modules, the associated multichannel readout with 66 SQUID channels, a neutron shield, a calibration source lift, and the installation of a muon veto. We present the results of a commissioning run carried out in 2007. The basic element of CRESST-II is a detector module consisting of a large ( ∼ 300 g ) CaWO 4 crystal and a very sensitive smaller ( ∼ 2 g ) light detector to detect the scintillation light from the CaWO 4 . The large crystal gives an accurate total energy measurement. The light detector permits a determination of the light yield for an event, allowing an effective separation of nuclear recoils from electron–photon backgrounds. Furthermore, information from light-quenching factor studies allows the definition of a region of the energy-light yield plane which corresponds to tungsten recoils. A neutron test is reported which supports the principle of using the light yield to identify the recoiling nucleus. Data obtained with two detector modules for a total exposure of 48 kg-days are presented. Judging by the rate of events in the “all nuclear recoils” acceptance region the apparatus shows a factor ∼10 improvement with respect to previous results, which we attribute principally to the presence of the neutron shield. In the “tungsten recoils” acceptance region three events are found, corresponding to a rate of 0.063 per kg-day. Standard assumptions on the dark matter flux, coherent or spin independent interactions, then yield a limit for WIMP-nucleon scattering of 4.8 × 10 - 7 pb , at M WIMP ∼ 50 GeV .
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.
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.
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.
122921889
SIMULATION OF LOW ENERGY NEUTRON RECOILS WITH GEANT4
122869103
Evidence for Solar-Wind Charge-Exchange X-Ray Emission from the Earth’s Magnetosheath
133716710
New applications of silicon micromachining
The use of photolithography and anisotropic etching of silicon wafers to make strong, thin membranes has created a large family of miniature sensing devices such as pressure transducers and accelerometers. This report describes several entirely new devices in which silicon membranes are used for their strength and for their transparency to certain kinds of radiation. Two applications are described: a rugged alpha detector and a fluid sample cell for small-angle x-ray scattering. 8 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs.
118498826
Soft collinear effective theory for heavy WIMP annihilation
A bstractIn a large class of models for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), the WIMP mass M lies far above the weak scale mW . This work identifies universal Sudakov-type logarithms ∼ α log2(2 M/mW ) that spoil the naive convergence of perturbation theory for annihilation processes. An effective field theory (EFT) framework is presented, allowing the systematic resummation of these logarithms. Another impact of the large separation of scales is that a long-distance wavefunction distortion from electroweak boson exchange leads to observable modifications of the cross section. Careful accounting of momentum regions in the EFT allows the rigorous disentanglement of this so-called Sommerfeld enhancement from the short-distance hard annihilation process. The WIMP is described as a heavy-particle field, while the electroweak gauge bosons are treated as soft and collinear fields. Hard matching coefficients are computed at renormalization scale μ ∼ 2 M , then evolved down to μ ∼ mW , where electroweak symmetry breaking is incorporated and the matching onto the relevant quantum mechanical Hamiltonian is performed. The example of an SU(2)W triplet scalar dark matter candidate annihilating to line photons is used for concreteness, allowing the numerical exploration of the impact of next-to-leading order corrections and log resummation. For M ≃ 3 TeV, the resummed Sommerfeld enhanced cross section is reduced by a factor of ∼ 3 with respect to the treelevel fixed order result.
118156527
Randall-Sundrum Models and Precision Observables
I present a review of phenomenological implications of the Randall-Sundrum (RS) model with bulk fermions and brane-localized Higgs boson. Modifications to the W-boson mass, corrections to the Peskin-Takeuchi parameters and to the Z -> bb couplings will be discussed. From these observables severe bounds on the mass scale of Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes arise. Constraints from all three observables are very sensitive to the exact value of the Higgs boson mass and the bounds can be significantly lowered by allowing for a heavy Higgs boson (m_h ~ 1 TeV). Consequences thereof, as well as other approaches like "little RS" models and models with custodial symmetry will also be briefly discussed.
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.
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).