arXiv subjects

A. Tarrant

Publications and source records attributed to A. Tarrant.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Design and development of optical modules for the BUTTON-30 detector

BUTTON-30 is a neutrino detector demonstrator located in the STFC Boulby underground facility in the north-east of England. The main goal of the project is to deploy and test the performance of the gadolinium-loaded water-based liquid scintillator for neutrino detection in an underground environment. This will pave the way for a future large-volume neutrino observatory that can also perform remote monitoring of nuclear reactors for nonproliferation. This paper describes the design and construction of the watertight optical modules of the experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

The BUTTON-30 detector at Boulby

The BUTTON-30 detector is a 30-tonne technology demonstrator designed to evaluate the potential of hybrid event detection, simultaneously exploiting both Cherenkov and scintillation light to detect particles produced in neutrino interactions. The detector is installed at a depth of 1.1 km in the Boulby Underground Laboratory allowing to test the performance of this new technology underground in a low background environment. This paper describes the design and construction of the experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Supernova model discrimination with a kilotonne-scale Gd-H$_{2}$O Cherenkov detector

The supernova model discrimination capabilities of the WATCHMAN detector concept are explored. This cylindrical kilotonne-scale water Cherenkov detector design has been developed to detect reactor antineutrinos through inverse $β$-decay for non-proliferation applications but also has the ability to observe antineutrino bursts of core-collapse supernovae within our galaxy. Detector configurations with sizes ranging from 16 m to 22 m tank diameter and 10% to 20% PMT coverage are used to compare the expected observable antineutrino spectra based on the Nakazato, Vartanyan and Warren supernova models. These spectra are then compared to each other with a fixed event count of 100 observed inverse $β$-decay events and a benchmark supernova at 10 kpc distance from Earth. By comparing the expected spectra, each detector configuration's ability to distinguish is evaluated. This analysis then demonstrates that the detector design is capable of meaningful event discrimination (90+% accuracy) with 100 observed supernova antineutrino events in most configurations. Furthermore, a larger tank configuration can maintain this performance at 10 kpc distance and above, indicating that overall target mass is the main factor for such a detector's discrimination capabilities. Finally, it is estimated that the detector design can provide early warning capability for supernova bursts for the entire Milky Way in all configurations.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Off-Axis Characterisation of the CERN T10 Beam for low Momentum Proton Measurements with a High Pressure Gas Time Projection Chamber

We present studies of proton fluxes in the T10 beamline at CERN. A prototype high pressure gas time projection chamber (TPC) was exposed to the beam of protons and other particles, using the 0.8 GeV/c momentum setting in T10, in order to make cross section measurements of low energy protons in argon. To explore the energy region comparable to hadrons produced by GeV-scale neutrino interactions at oscillation experiments, i.e., near 0.1 GeV of kinetic energy, methods of moderating the T10 beam were employed: the dual technique of moderating the beam with acrylic blocks and measuring scattered protons off the beam axis was used to decrease the kinetic energy of incident protons, as well as change the proton/minimum ionising particle (MIP) composition of the incident flux. Measurements of the beam properties were made using time of flight systems upstream and downstream of the TPC. The kinetic energy of protons reaching the TPC was successfully changed from $\sim0.3$ GeV without moderator blocks to less than 0.1 GeV with four moderator blocks (40 cm path length). The flux of both protons and MIPs off the beam axis was increased. The ratio of protons to MIPs vary as a function of the off-axis angle allowing for possible optimisation of the detector to select the type of required particles. Simulation informed by the time of flight measurements show that with four moderator blocks placed in the beamline, ($5.6 \pm 0.1$) protons with energies below 0.1 GeV per spill traversed the active TPC region. Measurements of the beam composition and energy are presented.

physics.ins-det↗