arXiv subjects

Irene Nutini

Publications and source records attributed to Irene Nutini.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Measurement of the $^{99}$Tc $\beta$ spectrum with Silicon Drift Detectors

The need for reliable calculations of Nuclear Matrix Elements is compelling for the next generation of neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments. This requires nuclear models to be validated against experimental data, such as non-unique forbidden $\beta$ decays, which have been found sensitive to details in nuclear calculations, most importantly to the renormalization of the axial and vector currents. %, parametrized as a quenching of $g_A$ and $g_V$. We report here a measurement of the 2$^{nd}$ forbidden $^{99}$Tc $\beta$ spectrum performed for the first time with Silicon Drift Detectors, state-of-the-art semiconductor detectors for low-energy spectroscopy. We designed a novel hybrid spectrometer using a LYSO crystal read by a SiPM to precisely calibrate our main detector and to accurately measure the background. We then compared our measured spectrum with one obtained using cryogenic calorimeters, as well as with predictions from the Realistic Shell Model. Starting from Realistic Shell Model calculations performed with Bare decay operators, we carried out a Bayesian analysis to extract the average quenching factors required to reproduce both the measured spectral shape and the experimental half-life, obtaining $q_{g_A}=0.40(1)$ and $q_{g_V}=0.47(1)$. These values quantify the average renormalization of the axial and vector currents, respectively, and were compared with those predicted by RSM calculations employing Effective decay operators, thereby providing a benchmark for assessing the ability of the model to describe the second-forbidden $\beta$ decay of $^{99}\mathrm{Tc}$. More broadly, this comparison tests the reliability of the theoretical framework also used to predict $0\nu\beta\beta$ nuclear matrix elements.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2026

NTL-amplified cryogenic light detectors with optically transparent electrodes

The Neganov-Trofimov-Luke (NTL) effect is used by experiments based on cryogenic detectors to boost the sensitivity of light-sensitive devices down to a few optical photons. In this work we introduce a silicon light-detector technology that implements NTL amplification at millikelvin temperatures using transparent indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes. The ITO electrodes enable an electric field perpendicular to the wafer surface, mitigating surface charge recombination, and thanks to their optical properties, simultaneously serve as an anti-reflective coating. By combining these two functions in a single element, the fabrication process is simplified, yielding more robust and cost-effective devices. We report on the production and characterization of the first batch of these detectors. We performed a room-temperature characterization of the ITO electrodes, verifying the structural and optical characteristics of the deposited electrodes. We then operated 2 of these devices as cryogenic calorimeters at millikelvin temperatures. Finally, we develop a consistent analytical model for the NTL gain for both ionizing particles and optical photons, successfully describing the gain dependence on the NTL bias and explicitly accounting for the partial electrode coverage of the device surface.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Sterile-neutrino search based on 259 days of KATRIN data

Neutrinos are the most abundant fundamental matter particles in the Universe and play a crucial role in particle physics and cosmology. Neutrino oscillation, discovered about 25 years ago, reveals that the three known species mix with each other. Anomalous results from reactor and radioactive-source experiments suggest a possible fourth neutrino state, the sterile neutrino, which does not interact via the weak force. The KATRIN experiment, primarily designed to measure the neutrino mass via tritium $β$-decay, also searches for sterile neutrinos suggested by these anomalies. A sterile-neutrino signal would appear as a distortion in the $β$-decay energy spectrum, characterized by a discontinuity in curvature (kink) related to the sterile-neutrino mass. This signature, which depends only on the shape of the spectrum rather than its absolute normalization, offers a robust, complementary approach to reactor experiments. KATRIN examined the energy spectrum of 36 million tritium $β$-decay electrons recorded in 259 measurement days within the last 40 electronvolt below the endpoint. The results exclude a substantial part of the parameter space suggested by the gallium anomaly and challenge the Neutrino-4 claim. Together with other neutrino-disappearance experiments, KATRIN probes sterile-to-active mass splittings from a fraction of an electron-volt squared to several hundred electron-volts squared, excluding light sterile neutrinos with mixing angles above a few percent.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2024

Improving the Performance of Cryogenic Calorimeters with Nonlinear Multivariate Noise Cancellation Algorithms

State-of-the-art physics experiments require high-resolution, low-noise, and low-threshold detectors to achieve competitive scientific results. However, experimental environments invariably introduce sources of noise, such as electrical interference or microphonics. The sources of this environmental noise can often be monitored by adding specially designed "auxiliary devices" (e.g. microphones, accelerometers, seismometers, magnetometers, and antennae). A model can then be constructed to predict the detector noise based on the auxiliary device information, which can then be subtracted from the true detector signal. Here, we present a multivariate noise cancellation algorithm which can be used in a variety of settings to improve the performance of detectors using multiple auxiliary devices. To validate this approach, we apply it to simulated data to remove noise due to electromagnetic interference and microphonic vibrations. We then employ the algorithm to a cryogenic light detector in the laboratory and show an improvement in the detector performance. Finally, we motivate the use of nonlinear terms to better model vibrational contributions to the noise in thermal detectors. We show a further improvement in the performance of a particular channel of the CUORE detector when using the nonlinear algorithm in combination with optimal filtering techniques.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

An automated system to define the optimal operating settings of cryogenic calorimeters

Cryogenic macro-calorimeters instrumented with NTD thermistors have been developed for several decades. The choice of the optimal bias current is crucial for a proper operation of these detectors, both in terms of energy resolution and stability. In this paper we present a set of automatic measurements and analysis procedures for the characterization and optimization of the working configuration of the NTD thermistors. The presented procedures were developed for CUORE, an array of 988 cryogenic macro-calorimeters instrumented with NTD thermistors that has been taking data since 2017. These procedures made it possible to characterize a large number of detectors in a reliable way. They are suitable enough to be used also in other large arrays of cryogenic detectors, such as CUPID.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Modelling the shape of thermal pulses from low temperature detectors

Low temperature detectors are nowadays a technology widely used for rare events studies, such as the search for dark matter candidates and neutrino-less double beta decay. The convolution of the thermal and electrical response of these detectors results in pulses with different shapes depending on the materials, dimensions and operating conditions of the thermal sensors. It appears crucial to obtain a good description of the pulse shape, in order to possibly understand the several contributions in the thermal pulse formation. In this work, we present a general approach which allows us to model the shape of thermal pulses from different low temperature detectors.

physics.ins-det↗