arXiv subjects

M. L. Rappaport

Publications and source records attributed to M. L. Rappaport.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

A new scheme to measure the electron-neutrino correlation - the case of $^{6}$He

A novel experiment has been commissioned at the Weizmann Institute of Science for the study of weak interactions via a high-precision measurement of the beta-neutrino angular correlation in the radioactive decay of short-lived $^{6}$He. The facility consists of a 14 MeV $d+t$ neutron generator to produce atomic $^{6}$He, followed by ionization and bunching in an electron beam ion source, and injection into an electrostatic ion beam trap. This ion trap has been designed for efficient detection of the decay products from trapped light ions. The storage time in the trap for different stable ions was found to be in the range of 0.6 to 1.2 s at the chamber pressure of $\sim$7$\times$10$^{-10}$ mbar. We present the initial test results of the facility, and also demonstrate an important upgrade of an existing method \cite{stora} for production of light radioactive atoms, viz. $^{6}$He, for the precision measurement. The production rate of $^{6}$He atoms in the present setup has been estimated to be $\sim 1.45\times10^{-4}$ atoms per neutron, and the system efficiency was found to be 4.0$\pm$0.6\%. An improvement to this setup is also presented for the enhanced production and diffusion of radioactive atoms for future use.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Direct observation of bubble-assisted electroluminescence in liquid xenon

Bubble formation in liquid xenon underneath a Thick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (THGEM) electrode immersed in liquid xenon was observed with a CCD camera. With voltage across the THGEM, the appearance of bubbles was correlated with that of electroluminescence signals induced by ionization electrons from alpha-particle tracks. This confirms recent indirect evidence that the observed photons are due to electroluminescence within a xenon vapor layer trapped under the electrode. The bubbles seem to emerge spontaneously due to heat flow from 300K into the liquid, or in a controlled manner, by locally boiling the liquid with resistive wires. Controlled bubble formation resulted in energy resolution of σ/E~7.5% for ~6,000 ionization electrons. The phenomenon could pave ways towards the conception of large-volume 'local dual-phase' noble-liquid TPCs.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

First results of a large-area cryogenic gaseous photomultiplier coupled to a dual-phase liquid xenon TPC

We discuss recent advances in the development of cryogenic gaseous photomultipliers (GPM), for possible use in dark matter and other rare-event searches using noble-liquid targets. We present results from a 10 cm diameter GPM coupled to a dual-phase liquid xenon (LXe) TPC, demonstrating - for the first time - the feasibility of recording both primary ("S1") and secondary ("S2") scintillation signals. The detector comprised a triple Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) structure with cesium iodide photocathode on the first element; it was shown to operate stably at 180 K with gains above 10^5, providing high single-photon detection efficiency even in the presence of large alpha particle-induced S2 signals comprising thousands of photoelectrons. S1 scintillation signals were recorded with a time resolution of 1.2 ns (RMS). The energy resolution (σ/E) for S2 electroluminescence of 5.5 MeV alpha particles was ~9%, which is comparable to that obtained in the XENON100 TPC with PMTs. The results are discussed within the context of potential GPM deployment in future multi-ton noble-liquid detectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Liquid Hole Multipliers: bubble-assisted electroluminescence in liquid xenon

In this work we discuss the mechanism behind the large electroluminescence signals observed at relatively low electric fields in the holes of a Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) electrode immersed in liquid xenon. We present strong evidence that the scintillation light is generated in xenon bubbles trapped below the THGEM holes. The process is shown to be remarkably stable over months of operation, providing - under specific thermodynamic conditions - energy resolution similar to that of present dual-phase liquid xenon experiments. The observed mechanism may serve as the basis for the development of Liquid Hole Multipliers (LHMs), capable of producing local charge-induced electroluminescence signals in large-volume single-phase noble-liquid detectors for dark matter and neutrino physics experiments.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

First observation of liquid-xenon proportional electroluminescence in THGEM holes

Radiation-induced proportional-electroluminescence UV signals, emitted from the holes of a Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) electrode immersed in liquid xenon, were recorded with a PMT for the first time. Significant photon yields were observed using a 0.4 mm thick electrode with 0.3 mm diameter holes; at 2 kV across the THGEM the photon yield was estimated to be ~600 UV photons/electron over 4pi This may pave the way towards the realization of novel single-phase noble-liquid radiation detectors incorporating liquid hole-multipliers (LHM); their concept is presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

Scanning superconducting quantum interference device on a tip for magnetic imaging of nanoscale phenomena

We describe a new type of scanning probe microscope based on a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) that resides on the apex of a sharp tip. The SQUID-on-tip is glued to a quartz tuning fork which allows scanning at a tip-sample separation of a few nm. The magnetic flux sensitivity of the SQUID is 1.8 μ_0/Hz^{1/2} and the spatial resolution is about 200 nm, which can be further improved. This combination of high sensitivity, spatial resolution, bandwidth, and the very close proximity to the sample provides a powerful tool for study of dynamic magnetic phenomena on the nanoscale. The potential of the SQUID-on-tip microscope is demonstrated by imaging of the vortex lattice and of the local AC magnetic response in superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Energy-sensitive imaging detector applied to the dissociative recombination of D2H+

We report on an energy-sensitive imaging detector for studying the fragmentation of polyatomic molecules in the dissociative recombination of fast molecular ions with electrons. The system is based on a large area (10 cm x 10 cm) position-sensitive, double-sided Si-strip detector with 128 horizontal and 128 vertical strips, whose pulse height information is read out individually. The setup allows to uniquely identify fragment masses and is thus capable of measuring branching ratios between different fragmentation channels, kinetic energy releases, as well as breakup geometries, as a function of the relative ion-electron energy. The properties of the detection system, which has been installed at the TSR storage ring facility of the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, is illustrated by an investigation of the dissociative recombination of the deuterated triatomic hydrogen cation D2H+. A huge isotope effect is observed when comparing the relative branching ratio between the D2+H and the HD+D channel; the ratio 2B(D2+H)/B(HD+D), which is measured to be 1.27 +/- 0.05 at relative electron-ion energies around 0 eV, is found to increase to 3.7 +/- 0.5 at ~5 eV.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2002

V-I characteristics in the vicinity of order-disorder transition in vortex matter

The shape of the V-I characteristics leading to a peak in the differential resistance r_d=dV/dI in the vicinity of the order-disorder transition in NbSe2 is investigated. r_d is large when measured by dc current. However, for a small Iac on a dc bias r_d decreases rapidly with frequency, even at a few Hz, and displays a large out-of-phase signal. In contrast, the ac response increases with frequency in the absence of dc bias. These surprisingly opposite phenomena and the peak in r_d are shown to result from a dynamic coexistence of two vortex matter phases rather than from the commonly assumed plastic depinning.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Dynamic Creation and Annihilation of Metastable Vortex Phase as a Source of Excess Noise

The large increase in voltage noise, commonly observed in the vicinity of the peak-effect in superconductors, is ascribed to a novel noise mechanism. A strongly pinned metastable disordered vortex phase, which is randomly generated at the edges and annealed into ordered phase in the bulk, causes large fluctuations in the integrated critical current of the sample. The excess noise due to this dynamic admixture of two distinct phases is found to display pronounced reentrant behavior. In the Corbino geometry the injection of the metastable phase is prevented and, accordingly, the excess noise disappears

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Investigating The Vortex Melting Phenomenon In BSCCO Crystals Using Magneto-Optical Imaging Technique

Using a novel differential magneto-optical imaging technique we investigate the phenomenon of vortex lattice melting in crystals of Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 (BSCCO). The images of melting reveal complex patterns in the formation and evolution of the vortex solid-liquid interface with varying field (H) or temperature (T). We believe that the complex melting patterns are due to a random distribution of material disorder or inhomogeneities across the sample, which create fluctuations in the local melting temperature or field value. To study the fluctuations in the local melting temperature / field, we have constructed maps of the melting landscape T_m(H,r), viz., the melting temperature (T_m) at a given location (r) in the sample at a given field (H). A study of these melting landscapes reveals an unexpected feature: the melting landscape is not fixed, but changes rather dramatically with varying field and temperature along the melting line. It is concluded that the changes in both the scale and shape of the landscape result from the competing contributions of different types of quenched disorder which have opposite effects on the local melting transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Temperature variations of the disorder-induced vortex-lattice melting landscape

Differential magneto-optical imaging of the vortex-lattice melting process in Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 crystals reveals unexpected effects of quenched disorder on the broadening of the first-order phase transition. The melting patterns show that the disorder-induced melting landscape T_m(H,r) is not fixed, but rather changes dramatically with varying field and temperature along the melting line. The changes in both the scale and shape of the landscape are found to result from the competing contributions of different types of quenched disorder which have opposite effects on the local melting transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Instabilities and disorder-driven first-order transition of the vortex lattice

Transport studies in a Corbino disk geometry suggest that the Bragg glass phase undergoes a first-order transition into a disordered solid. This transition shows a sharp reentrant behavior at low fields. In contrast, in the conventional strip configuration, the phase transition is obscured by the injection of the disordered vortices through the sample edges, which results in the commonly observed vortex instabilities and smearing of the peak effect in NbSe2 crystals. These features are found to be absent in the Corbino geometry, in which the circulating vortices do not cross the sample edges.

cond-mat.supr-con↗