arXiv subjects

Giorgio Gratta

Publications and source records attributed to Giorgio Gratta.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Electrically Driven, Optically Levitated Microscopic Rotors

We report on the electrically driven rotation of $2.4~μ$m-radius, optically levitated dielectric microspheres. Electric fields are used to apply torques to a microsphere's permanent electric dipole moment, while angular displacement is measured by detecting the change in polarization state of light transmitted through the microsphere (MS). This technique enables greater control than previously achieved with purely optical means because the direction and magnitude of the electric torque can be set arbitrarily. We measure the spin-down of a microsphere released from a rotating electric field, the harmonic motion of the dipole relative to the instantaneous direction of the field, and the phase lag between the driving electric field and the dipole moment of the MS due to drag from residual gas. We also observe the gyroscopic precession of the MS when the axis of rotation of the driving field and the angular momentum of the microsphere are orthogonal. These observations are in quantitative agreement with the equation of motion. The control offered by the electrical drive enables precise measurements of microsphere properties and torque as well as a method for addressing the direction of angular momentum for an optically levitated particle.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Neutrino-based tools for nuclear verification and diplomacy in North Korea

We present neutrino-based options for verifying that the nuclear reactors at North Korea's Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center are no longer operating or that they are operating in an agreed manner, precluding weapons production. Neutrino detectors may be a mutually agreeable complement to traditional verification protocols because they do not require access inside reactor buildings, could be installed collaboratively, and provide persistent and specific observations. At Yongbyon, neutrino detectors could passively verify reactor shutdowns or monitor power levels and plutonium contents, all from outside the reactor buildings. The monitoring options presented here build on recent successes in basic particle physics. Following a dedicated design study, these tools could be deployed in as little as one year at a reasonable cost. In North Korea, cooperative deployment of neutrino detectors could help redirect a limited number of scientists and engineers from military applications to peaceful technical work in an international community. Opportunities for scientific collaboration with South Korea are especially strong. We encourage policymakers to consider collaborative neutrino projects within a broader program of action toward stability and security on the Korean Peninsula.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2019

Three-dimensional force-field microscopy with optically levitated microspheres

We report on the use of 4.7-$μ$m-diameter, optically levitated, charged microspheres to image the three-dimensional force field produced by charge distributions on an Au-coated, microfabricated Si beam in vacuum. An upward-propagating, single-beam optical trap, combined with an interferometric imaging technique, provides optimal access to the microspheres for microscopy. In this demonstration, the Au-coated surface of the Si beam can be brought as close as ${\sim}10~μ$m from the center of the microsphere while forces are simultaneously measured along all three orthogonal axes, fully mapping the vector force field over a total volume of ${\sim}10^6~μ$m$^3$. We report a force sensitivity of $(2.5 \pm 1.0) \times 10^{-17}~{\rm N / \sqrt{Hz}}$, in each of the three degrees of freedom, with a linear response to up to ${\sim}10^{-13}~{\rm N}$. While we discuss the case of mapping static electric fields using charged microspheres, it is expected that the technique can be extended to other force fields, using microspheres with different properties.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Magnetically-coupled piston pump for high-purity gas applications

Experiments based on noble elements such as gaseous or liquid argon or xenon utilize the ionization and scintillation properties of the target materials to detect radiation-induced recoils. A requirement for high light and charge yields is to reduce electronegative impurities well below the ppb level. To achieve this, the target material is continuously circulated in the gas phase through a purifier and returned to the detector. Additionally, the low backgrounds necessary dictate low-Rn-emanation rates from all components that contact the gas. Since commercial pumps often introduce electronegative impurities from lubricants on internal components or through small air leaks, and are not designed to meet the radiopurity requirements, custom-built pumps are an advantageous alternative. A new pump has been developed in Muenster in cooperation with the nEXO group at Stanford University and the nEXO/XENON group at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute based on a magnetically-coupled piston in a hermetically sealed low-Rn-emanating vessel. This pump delivers high performance for noble gases, reaching more than 210 standard liters per minute (slpm) with argon and more than 170 slpm with xenon while maintaining a compression of up to 1.9 bar, demonstrating its capability for noble gas detectors and other applications requiring high standards of gas purity.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Single-beam dielectric-microsphere trapping with optical heterodyne detection

A technique to levitate and measure the three-dimensional position of micrometer-sized dielectric spheres with heterodyne detection is presented. The two radial degrees of freedom are measured by interfering light transmitted through the microsphere with a reference wavefront, while the axial degree of freedom is measured from the phase of the light reflected from the surface of the microsphere. This method pairs the simplicity and accessibility of single beam optical traps to a measurement of displacement that is intrinsically calibrated by the wavelength of the trapping light and has exceptional immunity to stray light. A theoretical shot noise limit of $1.3\times10^{-13}\,\text{m}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ for the radial degrees of freedom, and $3.0\times10^{-15} \, \text{m}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ for the axial degree of freedom can be obtained in the system described. The measured acceleration noise in the radial direction is $7.5\times10^{-5} \, (\text{m/s}^2)/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Distributed Imaging for Liquid Scintillation Detectors

We discuss a novel paradigm in the optical readout of scintillation radiation detectors. In one common configuration, such detectors are homogeneous and the scintillation light is collected and recorded by external photodetectors. It is usually assumed that imaging in such a photon-starved and large-emittance regime is not possible. Here we show that the appropriate optics, matched with highly segmented photodetector coverage and dedicated reconstruction software, can be used to produce images of the radiation-induced events. In particular, such a 'distributed imaging' system can discriminate between events produced as a single cluster and those resulting from more delocalized energy depositions. This is crucial in discriminating many common backgrounds at MeV energies. With the use of simulation, we demonstrate the performance of a detector augmented with a practical, if preliminary, set of optics. Finally, we remark that this new technique lends itself to be adapted to different detector sizes and briefly discuss the implications for a number of common applications in science and technology.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Magnetic Bubble Chambers and Sub-GeV Dark Matter Direct Detection

We propose a new application of single molecule magnet crystals: their use as "magnetic bubble chambers" for the direct detection of sub-GeV dark matter. The spins in these macroscopic crystals effectively act as independent nano-scale magnets. When anti-aligned with an external magnetic field they form meta-stable states with a relaxation time that can be very long at sufficiently low temperatures. The Zeeman energy stored in this system can be released through localized heating, caused for example by the scattering or absorption of dark matter, resulting in a spin avalanche (or "magnetic deflagration") that amplifies the effects of the initial heat deposit, enabling detection. Much like the temperature and pressure in a conventional bubble chamber, the temperature and external magnetic field set the detection threshold for a single molecule magnet crystal. We discuss this detector concept for dark matter detection and propose ways to ameliorate backgrounds. If successfully developed, this detector concept can search for hidden photon dark matter in the meV - eV mass range with sensitivities exceeding current bounds by several orders of magnitude.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

An RF-only ion-funnel for extraction from high-pressure gases

An RF ion-funnel technique has been developed to extract ions from a high-pressure (10 bar) noble-gas environment into vacuum ($10^{-6}$ mbar). Detailed simulations have been performed and a prototype has been developed for the purpose of extracting $^{136}$Ba ions from Xe gas with high efficiency. With this prototype, ions have been extracted for the first time from high-pressure xenon gas and argon gas. Systematic studies have been carried out and compared to the simulations. This demonstration of extraction of ions with mass comparable to that of the gas generating the high-pressure into vacuum has applications to Ba tagging from a Xe-gas time-projection chamber (TPC) for double beta decay as well as to the general problem of recovering trace amounts of an ionized element in a heavy (m$>40$ u) carrier gas.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Search for Screened Interactions Associated with Dark Energy Below the 100 $\mathrm{μm}$ Length Scale

We present the results of a search for unknown interactions that couple to mass between an optically levitated microsphere and a gold-coated silicon cantilever. The scale and geometry of the apparatus enables a search for new forces that appear at distances below 100 $μ$m and which would have evaded previous searches due to screening mechanisms. The data are consistent with electrostatic backgrounds and place upper limits on the strength of new interactions at $<0.1$ fN in the geometry tested. For the specific example of a chameleon interaction with an inverse power law potential, these results exclude matter couplings $β> 5.6 \times 10^4$ in the region of parameter space where the self-coupling $Λ\gtrsim 5$ meV and the microspheres are not fully screened.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2015

Testing long-distance modifications of gravity to 100 astronomical units

There are very few direct experimental tests of the inverse square law of gravity at distances comparable to the scale of the Solar System and beyond. Here we describe a possible space mission optimized to test the inverse square law at a scale of up to 100 AU. For example, sensitivity to a Yukawa correction with a strength of $10^{-7}$ times gravity and length scale of 100 AU is within reach, improving the current state of the art by over two orders of magnitude. This experiment would extend our understanding of gravity to the largest scale that can be reached with a direct probe using known technology. This would provide a powerful test of long-distance modifications of gravity including many theories motivated by dark matter or dark energy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Search for Millicharged Particles Using Optically Levitated Microspheres

We report results from a search for stable particles with charge > $10^{-5}$ e in bulk matter using levitated dielectric microspheres in high vacuum. No evidence for such particles was found in a total sample of 1.4 ng, providing an upper limit on the abundance per nucleon of 2.5 x $10^{-14}$ at the 95% confidence level for the material tested. These results provide the first direct search for single particles with charge < 0.1 e bound in macroscopic quantities of matter and demonstrate the ability to perform sensitive force measurements using optically levitated microspheres in vacuum.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2010

Search for Acoustic Signals from Ultra-High Energy Neutrinos in 1500 km^3 of Sea Water

An underwater acoustic sensor array spanning ~1500 km^3 is used to search for cosmic-ray neutrinos of ultra-high energies (UHE, E > 10^18 eV). Approximately 328 million triggers accumulated over an integrated 130 days of data taking are analysed. The sensitivity of the experiment is determined from a Monte Carlo simulation of the array using recorded noise conditions and expected waveforms. Two events are found to have properties compatible with showers in the energy range 10^24 to 5x10^24 eV and 10^22 to 5x10^22 eV. Since the understanding of impulsive backgrounds is limited, a flux upper limit is set providing the most sensitive limit on UHE neutrinos using the acoustic technique.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2008

Oceanic Ambient Noise as a Background to Acoustic Neutrino Detection

Ambient noise measured in the deep ocean is studied in the context of a search for signals from ultra-high energy cosmic ray neutrinos. The spectral shape of the noise at the relevant high frequencies is found to be very stable for an extensive data set collected over several months from 49 hydrophones mounted near the bottom of the ocean at ~1600 m depth. The slopes of the ambient noise spectra above 15 kHz are found to roll-off faster than the -6 dB/octave seen in Knudsen spectra. A model attributing the source to an uniform distribution of surface noise that includes frequency-dependent absorption at large depth is found to fit the data well up to 25 kHz. This depth dependent model should therefore be used in analysis methods of acoustic neutrino pulse detection that require the expected noise spectra.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2001

Nuclear Reactor Safeguards and Monitoring with Antineutrino Detectors

Cubic-meter-sized antineutrino detectors can be used to non-intrusively, robustly and automatically monitor and safeguard a wide variety of nuclear reactor types, including power reactors, research reactors, and plutonium production reactors. Since the antineutrino spectra and relative yields of fissioning isotopes depend on the isotopic composition of the core, changes in composition can be observed without ever directly accessing the core itself. Information from a modest-sized antineutrino detector, coupled with the well-understood principles that govern the core's evolution in time, can be used to determine whether the reactor is being operated in an illegitimate way. A group at Sandia is currently constructing a one cubic meter antineutrino detector at the San Onofre reactor site in California to demonstrate these principles.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2001

Reactor-based Neutrino Oscillation Experiments

The status of neutrino oscillation searches employing nuclear reactors as sources is reviewed. This technique, a direct continuation of the experiments that proved the existence of neutrinos, is today an essential tool in investigating the indications of oscillations found in studying neutrinos produced in the sun and in the earth's atmosphere. The low-energy of the reactor \nuebar makes them an ideal tool to explore oscillations with small mass differences and relatively large mixing angles. In the last several years the determination of the reactor anti-neutrino flux and spectrum has reached a high degree of accuracy. Hence measurements of these quantities at a given distance L can be readily compared with the expectation at L = 0, thus testing \nuebar disappearance. While two experiments, Chooz and Palo Verde, with baselines of about 1 km and thus sensitive to the neutrino mass differences associated with the atmospheric neutrino anomaly, have collected data and published results recently, an ambitious project with a baseline of more than 100 km, Kamland, is preparing to take data. This ultimate reactor experiment will have a sensitivity sufficient to explore part of the oscillation phase space relevant to solar neutrino scenarios. It is the only envisioned experiment with a terrestrial source of neutrinos capable of addressing the solar neutrino puzzle.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2001

Sensitivity of an underwater acoustic array to ultra-high energy neutrinos

We investigate the possibility of searching for ultra high energy neutrinos in cosmic rays using acoustic techniques in ocean water. The type of information provided by the acoustic detection is complementary to that of other techniques, and the filtering effect of the atmosphere, imposed by the fact that detection only happens if a shower fully develops in water, would provide a clear neutrino identification. We find that it may be possible to implement this technique with very limited resources using existing high frequency underwater hydrophone arrays. We review the expected acoustic signals produced by neutrino-induced showers in water and develop an optimal filtering algorithm able to suppress statistical noise. The algorithm found is computationally appropriate to be used as a trigger for the signal processors available on existing arrays. We estimate the noise rates for a trigger system on a very large size hydrophone array of the US Navy and find that, while a higher density of hydrophones would be desirable, the existing system may already provide useful data.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Neutrino Oscillation Experiments at Nuclear Reactors

In this paper I give an overview of the status of neutrino oscillation experiments performed using nuclear reactors as sources of neutrinos. I review the present generation of experiments (Chooz and Palo Verde) with baselines of about 1 km as well as the next generation that will search for oscillations with a baseline of about 100 km. While the present detectors provide essential input towards the understanding of the atmospheric neutrino anomaly, in the future, the KamLAND reactor experiment represents our best opportunity to study very small mass neutrino mixing in laboratory conditions. In addition KamLAND with its very large fiducial mass and low energy threshold, will also be sensitive to a broad range of different physics.

hep-ex↗