arXiv subjects

A. Barabash

Publications and source records attributed to A. Barabash.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Fabrication of thin planar radiopure foils with 82Se for the SuperNEMO Demonstrator

The SuperNEMO Demonstrator, designed to search for double beta decay using enriched 82Se, has been assembled in the Modane Underground Laboratory under the French Alps. Thin foils with radio - purified and enriched 82Se are installed centrally in the detector. A novel foil fabrication method has been developed, improving the radiopurity achieved in the previous generation experiment. It consists of wrapping standalone selenium pads in raw Mylar, combined with selenium purified by a new reverse-chromatography method. This paper describes the features of these foils, their fabrication process, the characterization results, and the integration of the foils into the SuperNEMO Demonstrator.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Calorimeter commissioning of the SuperNEMO Demonstrator

The SuperNEMO experiment is searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of \textsuperscript{82}Se, with the unique combination of a tracking detector and a segmented calorimeter. This feature allows to detect the two electrons emitted in the decay and measure their individual energy and angular distribution. The SuperNEMO calorimeter consists of 712 plastic scintillator blocks readout by large PMTs. After the construction of the demonstrator calorimeter underground, we have performed its first commissioning using $\gamma$-particles from calibration sources or from the ambient radioactive background. This article presents the quality assurance tests of the SuperNEMO demonstrator calorimeter and its first time and energy calibrations, with the associated methods.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Novel technique for the study of pile-up events in cryogenic bolometers

Precise characterization of detector time resolution is of crucial importance for next-generation cryogenic-bolometer experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay, such as CUPID, in order to reject background due to pile-up of two-neutrino double-beta decay events. In this paper, we describe a technique developed to study the pile-up rejection capability of cryogenic bolometers. Our approach, which consists of producing controlled pile-up events with a programmable waveform generator, has the benefit that we can reliably and reproducibly control the time separation and relative energy of the individual components of the generated pile-up events. The resulting data allow us to optimize and benchmark analysis strategies to discriminate between individual and pile-up pulses. We describe a test of this technique performed with a small array of detectors at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, in Italy; we obtain a 90% rejection efficiency against pulser-generated pile-up events with rise time of ~15ms down to time separation between the individual events of about 2ms.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Characterization of cubic Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystals for the CUPID experiment

The CUPID Collaboration is designing a tonne-scale, background-free detector to search for double beta decay with sufficient sensitivity to fully explore the parameter space corresponding to the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy scenario. One of the CUPID demonstrators, CUPID-Mo, has proved the potential of enriched Li$_{2}$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ crystals as suitable detectors for neutrinoless double beta decay search. In this work, we characterised cubic crystals that, compared to the cylindrical crystals used by CUPID-Mo, are more appealing for the construction of tightly packed arrays. We measured an average energy resolution of (6.7$\pm$0.6) keV FWHM in the region of interest, approaching the CUPID target of 5 keV FWHM. We assessed the identification of $α$ particles with and without a reflecting foil that enhances the scintillation light collection efficiency, proving that the baseline design of CUPID already ensures a complete suppression of this $α$-induced background contribution. We also used the collected data to validate a Monte Carlo simulation modelling the light collection efficiency, which will enable further optimisations of the detector.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2003

Possible background reductions in double beta decay experiments

The background induced by radioactive impurities of $^{208}\rm Tl$ and $^{214}\rm Bi$ in the source of the double beta experiment NEMO-3 has been investigated. New methods of data analysis which decrease the background from the above mentioned contamination are identified. The techniques can also be applied to other double beta decay experiments capable of measuring independently the energies of the two electrons.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2002

Comment on "Evidence for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay"

We comment on the recent claim for the experimental observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay. We discuss several limitations in the analysis provided in that paper and conclude that there is no basis for the presented claim.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2002

The Majorana Ge-76 Double-Beta Decay Project

The Majorana Experiment is a next-generation Ge-76 double-beta decay search. It will employ 500 kg of Ge, isotopically enriched to 86% in Ge-76, in the form of 200 detectors in a close-packed array for high granularity. Each crystal will be electronically segmented, with each region fitted with pulse-shape analysis electronics. A half-life sensitivity is predicted of 4.2e27 y or < 0.02-0.07 eV, depending on the nuclear matrix elements used to interpret the data.

hep-ex↗