arXiv subjects

J. W. Beeman

Publications and source records attributed to J. W. Beeman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Discrimination of alpha and beta/gamma interactions in a TeO$_2$ bolometer

TeO$_2$ crystals have proven to be superb bolometers for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay in many respects. However, if used alone, they do not exhibit any feature that allows to discriminate an alpha energy deposit from a beta/gamma one. This fact limits their ability to reject the background due to natural radioactivity and eventually affects the sensitivity of the search. In this paper we show the results of a TeO$_2$ crystal where, in coincidence with its bolometric heat signal, also the luminescence light escaping the crystal is recorded. The results show that we are able to measure the light produced by beta/gamma particles, which can be explained as due to Cerenkov emission. No light is detected from alpha particles, allowing the rejection of this background source.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Performance of a large TeO2 crystal as a cryogenic bolometer in searching for neutrinoless double beta decay

Bolometers are ideal devices in the search for neutrinoless Double Beta Decay. Enlarging the mass of individual detectors would simplify the construction of a large experiment, but would also decrease the background per unit mass induced by alpha-emitters located close to the surfaces and background arising from external and internal gamma's. We present the very promising results obtained with a 2.13 kg TeO2 crystal. This bolometer, cooled down to a temperature of 10.5 mK in a dilution refrigerator located deep underground in the Gran Sasso National Laboratories, represents the largest thermal detector ever operated. The detector exhibited an energy resolution spanning a range from 3.9 keV (at 145 keV) to 7.8 keV (at the 2615 gamma-line of 208Tl) FWHM. We discuss the decrease in the background per unit mass that can be achieved increasing the mass of a bolometer.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

Search for beta plus/EC double beta decay of 120Te

We present a search for beta plus/EC double beta decay of 120Te performed with the CUORICINO experiment, an array of TeO2 cryogenic bolometers. After collecting 0.0573 kg y of 120Te, we see no evidence of a signal and therefore set the following limits on the half-life: T1/2 (0nu) > 1.9 10^{21} y at 90% C.L. for the 0 neutrino mode and T1/2 (2nu) > 7.6 10^{19} y at 90% C.L. for the two neutrino mode. These results improve the existing limits by almost three orders of magnitude (four in the case of 0 neutrino mode).

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

130Te Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with CUORICINO

We report the final result of the CUORICINO experiment. Operated between 2003 and 2008, with a total exposure of 19.75 kg y of 130Te, CUORICINO was able to set a lower bound on the 130Te 0nDBD half-life of 2.8 10^{24} years at 90% C.L. The limit here reported includes the effects of systematic uncertainties that are examined in detail in the paper. The corresponding upper bound on the neutrino Majorana mass is in the range 300--710 meV, depending on the adopted nuclear matrix element evaluation.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

Performance of ZnMoO4 crystal as cryogenic scintillating bolometer to search for double beta decay of molybdenum

Zinc molybdate (ZnMoO4) single crystals were grown for the first time by the Czochralski method and their luminescence was measured under X ray excitation in the temperature range 85-400 K. Properties of ZnMoO4 crystal as cryogenic low temperature scintillator were checked for the first time. Radioactive contamination of the ZnMoO4 crystal was estimated as <0.3 mBq/kg (228-Th) and 8 mBq/kg (226-Ra). Thanks to the simultaneous measurement of the scintillation light and the phonon signal, the alpha particles can be discriminated from the gamma/beta interactions, making this compound extremely promising for the search of neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of 100-Mo. We also report on the ability to discriminate the alpha-induced background without the light measurement, thanks to a different shape of the thermal signal that characterizes gamma/beta and alpha particle interactions.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

Muon-induced backgrounds in the CUORICINO experiment

To better understand the contribution of cosmic ray muons to the CUORICINO background, 10 plastic scintillator detectors were installed at the CUORICINO site and operated during the final 3 months of the experiment. From these measurements, an upper limit of 0.0021 counts/(keV kg yr) (95% CL) was obtained on the cosmic ray-induced background in the neutrinoless double beta decay region of interest. The measurements were also compared to Geant4 simulations.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

CdWO4 scintillating bolometer for Double Beta Decay: Light and Heat anticorrelation, light yield and quenching factors

We report the performances of a 0.51 kg CdWO4 scintillating bolometer to be used for future Double Beta Decay Experiments. The simultaneous read-out of the heat and the scintillation light allows to discriminate between different interacting particles aiming at the disentanglement and the reduction of background contribution, key issue for next generation experiments. We will describe the observed anticorrelation between the heat and the light signal and we will show how this feature can be used in order to increase the energy resolution of the bolometer over the entire energy spectrum, improving up to a factor 2.6 on the 2615 keV line of 208Tl. The detector was tested in a 433 h background measurement that permitted to estimate extremely low internal trace contaminations of 232Th and 238U. The light yield of gamma/beta, alpha and neutrons is presented. Furthermore we developed a method in order to correctly evaluate the absolute thermal quenching factor of alpha particles in scintillating bolometers.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2009

The Large APEX Bolometer Camera LABOCA

The Large APEX Bolometer Camera, LABOCA, has been commissioned for operation as a new facility instrument t the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment 12m submillimeter telescope. This new 295-bolometer total power camera, operating in the 870 micron atmospheric window, combined with the high efficiency of APEX and the excellent atmospheric transmission at the site, offers unprecedented capability in mapping submillimeter continuum emission for a wide range of astronomical purposes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2008

Compensation-dependent in-plane magnetization reversal processes in Ga1-xMnxP1-ySy

We report the effect of dilute alloying of the anion sublattice with S on the in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and magnetization reversal process in Ga1-xMnxP as measured by both ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. At T=5K, raising the S concentration increases the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy between in-plane <011> directions while decreasing the magnitude of the (negative) cubic anisotropy field. Simulation of the SQUID magnetometry indicates that the energy required for the nucleation and growth of domain walls decreases with increasing y. These combined effects have a marked influence on the shape of the field-dependent magnetization curves; while the direction remains the easy axis in the plane of the film, the field dependence of the magnetization develops double hysteresis loops in the [011] direction as the S concentration increases similar to those observed for perpendicular magnetization reversal in lightly doped Ga1-xMnxAs. The incidence of double hysteresis loops is explained with a simple model whereby magnetization reversal occurs by a combination of coherent spin rotation and noncoherent spin switching, which is consistent with both FMR and magnetometry experiments. The evolution of magnetic properties with S concentration is attributed to compensation of Mn acceptors by S donors, which results in a lowering of the concentration of holes that mediate ferromagnetism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Results from a search for the $0νββ$-decay of $^{130}Te$

A detailed description of the CUORICINO $^{130}Te$ neutrinoless double-beta ($\nbb$) decay experiment is given and recent results are reported. CUORICINO is an array of 62 tellurium oxide ($TeO_{2}$) bolometers with an active mass of 40.7 kg. It is cooled to $\sim 8-10$ mK by a dilution refrigerator shielded from environmental radioactivity and energetic neutrons. It is running in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Assergi, Italy. These data represent an exposure of $11.83\textrm{kg}...\textrm{y}$ or 91 mole-years of $^{130}Te$. No evidence for $\nbb$-decay was observed and a limit of $T^{0ν}_{1/2}(^{130}Te)\geq3.0\times10^{24}$ y (90% C.L.) is set. This corresponds to an upper limit on the effective mass, $< m_ν>$, between 0.19 and 0.68 eV when analyzed with the many published nuclear structure calculations. In the context of these nuclear models, the values fall within the range corresponding to the claim of evidence of $\nbb$-decay by H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, \textit{et al.} The experiment continues to acquire data.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2008

Metal-insulator transition by isovalent anion substitution in Ga1-xMnxAs: Implications to ferromagnetism

We have investigated the effect of partial isovalent anion substitution in Ga1-xMnxAs on electrical transport and ferromagnetism. Substitution of only 2.4% of As by P induces a metal-insulator transition at a constant Mn doping of x=0.046 while the replacement of 0.4 % As with N results in the crossover from metal to insulator for x=0.037. This remarkable behavior is consistent with a scenario in which holes located within an impurity band are scattered by alloy disorder in the anion sublattice. The shorter mean free path of holes, which mediate ferromagnetism, reduces the Curie temperature TC from 113 K to 60 K (100 K to 65 K) upon the introduction of 3.1 % P (1% N) into the As sublattice.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Debris disks around Sun-like stars

We have observed nearly 200 FGK stars at 24 and 70 microns with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We identify excess infrared emission, including a number of cases where the observed flux is more than 10 times brighter than the predicted photospheric flux, and interpret these signatures as evidence of debris disks in those systems. We combine this sample of FGK stars with similar published results to produce a sample of more than 350 main sequence AFGKM stars. The incidence of debris disks is 4.2% (+2.0/-1.1) at 24 microns for a sample of 213 Sun-like (FG) stars and 16.4% (+2.8/-2.9) at 70 microns for 225 Sun-like (FG) stars. We find that the excess rates for A, F, G, and K stars are statistically indistinguishable, but with a suggestion of decreasing excess rate toward the later spectral types; this may be an age effect. The lack of strong trend among FGK stars of comparable ages is surprising, given the factor of 50 change in stellar luminosity across this spectral range. We also find that the incidence of debris disks declines very slowly beyond ages of 1 billion years.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Absolute Calibration and Characterization of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer. III. An Asteroid-based Calibration of MIPS at 160 microns

We describe the absolute calibration of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) 160 micron channel. After the on-orbit discovery of a near-IR ghost image that dominates the signal for sources hotter than about 2000 K, we adopted a strategy utilizing asteroids to transfer the absolute calibrations of the MIPS 24 and 70 micron channels to the 160 micron channel. Near-simultaneous observations at all three wavelengths are taken, and photometry at the two shorter wavelengths is fit using the Standard Thermal Model. The 160 micron flux density is predicted from those fits and compared with the observed 160 micron signal to derive the conversion from instrumental units to surface brightness. The calibration factor we derive is 41.7 MJy/sr/MIPS160 (MIPS160 being the instrumental units). The scatter in the individual measurements of the calibration factor, as well as an assesment of the external uncertainties inherent in the calibration, lead us to adopt an uncertainty of 5.0 MJy/sr/MIPS160 (12%) for the absolute uncertainty on the 160 micron flux density of a particular source as determined from a single measurement. For sources brighter than about 2 Jy, non-linearity in the response of the 160 micron detectors produces an under-estimate of the flux density: for objects as bright as 4 Jy, measured flux densities are likely to be ~20% too low. This calibration has been checked against that of ISO (using ULIRGS) and IRAS (using IRAS-derived diameters), and is consistent with those at the 5% level.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Compositional tuning of ferromagnetism in Ga1-xMnxP

We report the magnetic and transport properties of Ga1-xMnxP synthesized via ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting over a range of x, namely 0.018 to 0.042. Like Ga1-xMnxAs, Ga1-xMnxP displays a monotonic increase of the ferromagnetic Curie temperature with x associated with the hole-mediated ferromagnetic phase while thermal annealing above 300 C leads to a quenching of ferromagnetism that is accompanied by a reduction of the substitutional fraction of Mn. However, contrary to observations in Ga1-xMnxAs, Ga1-xMnxP is non-metallic over the entire composition range. At the lower temperatures over which the films are ferromagnetic, hole transport occurs via hopping conduction in a Mn-derived band; at higher temperatures it arises from holes in the valence band which are thermally excited across an energy gap that shrinks with x.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Mn L3,2 X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy And Magnetic Circular Dichroism In Ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)P

We have measured the X-ray absorption (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Mn L3,2 edges in ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxP films for 0.018<x<0.042. Large XMCD asymmetries at the L3 edge indicate significant spin-polarization of the density of states at the Fermi energy. The spectral shapes of the XAS and XMCD are nearly identical with those for Ga1-xMnxAs indicating that the hybridization of Mn d states and anion p states is similar in the two materials. Finally, compensation with sulfur donors not only lowers the ferromagnetic Curie temperature but also reduces the spin polarization of the hole states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Mn L3,2 X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism in ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxP

We have measured the X-ray absorption (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD)at the Mn L3,2 edges in ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxP for 0.018<x<0.042. Large XMCD asymmetries at the L3 edge indicate significant spin-polarization of the density of states at the Fermi energy. The temperature dependence of the XMCD and moment per Mn of 2.67 Bohr magnetons calculated using sum rules are consistent with magnetometry values. The spectral shapes of the XAS and XMCD are nearly identical with those for Ga1-xMnxAs indicating that the hybridization of Mn d and anion p states is similar in the two materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2005

Scintillating double beta decay bolometers

We present the results obtained in the development of scintillating Double Beta Decay bolometers. Several Mo and Cd based crystals were tested with the bolometric technique. The scintillation light was measured through a second independent bolometer. A 140 g CdWO_4 crystal was run in a 417 h live time measurement. Thanks to the scintillation light, the alpha background is easily discriminated resulting in zero counts above the 2615 keV gamma line of Thallium 208. These results, combined with an extremely easy light detector operation, represent the first tangible proof demonstrating the feasibility of this kind of technique.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2005

A New Limit on the Neutrinoless DBD of 130Te

We report the present results of CUORICINO a cryogenic experiment on neutrinoless double beta decay (DBD) of 130Te consisting of an array of 62 crystals of TeO2 with a total active mass of 40.7 kg. The array is framed inside of a dilution refrigerator, heavily shielded against environmental radioactivity and high-energy neutrons, and operated at a temperature of ~8 mK in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory. Temperature pulses induced by particle interacting in the crystals are recorded and measured by means of Neutron Transmutation Doped thermistors. The gain of each bolometer is stabilized with voltage pulses developed by a high stability pulse generator across heater resistors put in thermal contact with the absorber. The calibration is performed by means of two thoriated wires routinely inserted in the set-up. No evidence for a peak indicating neutrinoless DBD of 130Te is detected and a 90% C.L. lower limit of 1.8E24 years is set for the lifetime of this process. Taking largely into account the uncertainties in the theoretical values of nuclear matrix elements, this implies an upper boud on the effective mass of the electron neutrino ranging from 0.2 to 1.1 eV. This sensitivity is similar to those of the 76Ge experiments.

hep-ex↗