Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Ning Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Ning Zhou.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2022

A Search for the Cosmic Ray Boosted Sub-GeV Dark Matter at the PandaX-II Experiment

We report a novel search for the cosmic ray boosted dark matter using the 100~tonne$\cdot$day full data set of the PandaX-II detector located at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. With the extra energy gained from the cosmic rays, sub-GeV dark matter particles can produce visible recoil signals in the detector. The diurnal modulations in rate and energy spectrum are utilized to further enhance the signal sensitivity. Our result excludes the dark matter-nucleon elastic scattering cross section between 10$^{-31}$cm$^{2}$ and 10$^{-28}$cm$^{2}$ for a dark matter masses from 0.1 MeV/$c^2$ to 0.1 GeV/$c^2$, with a large parameter space previously unexplored by experimental collaborations.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

Snowmass2021 Cosmic Frontier White Paper: Puzzling Excesses in Dark Matter Searches and How to Resolve Them

Intriguing signals with excesses over expected backgrounds have been observed in many astrophysical and terrestrial settings, which could potentially have a dark matter origin. Astrophysical excesses include the Galactic Center GeV gamma-ray excess detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, the AMS antiproton and positron excesses, and the 511 and 3.5 keV X-ray lines. Direct detection excesses include the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation signal, the XENON1T excess, and low-threshold excesses in solid state detectors. We discuss avenues to resolve these excesses, with actions the field can take over the next several years.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2022

On a Fractional Nirenberg problem involving the square root of the Laplacian on $\mathbb{S}^{3}$

In this paper, we are devoted to establishing the compactness and existence results of the solutions to the fractional Nirenberg problem for $n=3,$ $σ=1/2,$ when the prescribing $σ$-curvature function satisfies the $(n-2σ)$-flatness condition near its critical points. The compactness results are new and optimal. In addition, we obtain a degree-counting formula of all solutions. From our results, we can know where blow up occur. Moreover, for any finite distinct points, the sequence of solutions that blow up precisely at these points can be constructed. We extend the results of Li in \cite[CPAM, 1996]{LYY} from the local problem to nonlocal cases.

math.AP↗
arXiv2022

$\rm ^{83}Rb$/$\rm ^{83m}Kr$ production and cross-section measurement with 3.4 MeV and 20 MeV proton beams

$\rm ^{83m}Kr$, with a short lifetime, is an ideal calibration source for liquid xenon or liquid argon detectors. The $\rm ^{83m}Kr$ isomer can be generated through the decay of $\rm ^{83} Rb$ isotope which is usually produced by proton beams bombarding natural krypton atoms. In this paper, we report a successful production of $\rm ^{83}Rb/^{83m}Kr$ with a proton beam energy of 3.4 MeV, and the first measurement of the production rate with such low energy proton beams. Another production attempt is performed using the newly available 20 MeV proton beam in China, and the measured production rate is consistent with previous measurements. The produced $\rm ^{83m}Kr$ source has been successfully injected into the PandaX-II liquid xenon detector, yielding enough statistics for detector calibration.

nucl-ex↗
arXiv2021

Dark Matter Search Results from the PandaX-4T Commissioning Run

We report the first dark matter search results using the commissioning data from PandaX-4T. Using a time projection chamber with 3.7-tonne of liquid xenon target and an exposure of 0.63 tonne$\cdot$year, 1058 candidate events are identified within an approximate nuclear recoil energy window between 5 and 100 keV. No significant excess over background is observed. Our data set a stringent limit to the dark matter-nucleon spin-independent interactions, with a lowest excluded cross section (90% C.L.) of $3.8\times10^{-47} $cm$^2$ at a dark matter mass of 30 GeV/$c^2$.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2021

Light yield and field dependence measurement in PandaX-II dual-phase xenon detector

The dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) is one of the most sensitive detector technology for dark matter direct search, where the energy deposition of incoming particle can be converted into photons and electrons through xenon excitation and ionization. The detector response to signal energy deposition varies significantly with the electric field in liquid xenon. We study the detector's light yield and its dependence on the electric field in the PandaX-II dual-phase detector containing 580~kg liquid xenon in the sensitive volume. From our measurements, the light yield at electric fields from 0~V/cm to 317~V/cm is obtained for energy depositions up to 236~keV.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2021

A search for solar axions and anomalous neutrino magnetic moment with the complete PandaX-II data

We report a search for new physics signals using the low energy electron recoil events in the complete data set from PandaX-II, in light of the recent event excess reported by XENON1T. The data correspond to a total exposure of 100.7 ton-day with liquid xenon. With robust estimates of the dominant background spectra, we perform sensitive searches on solar axions and neutrinos with enhanced magnetic moment. We find that the axion-electron coupling $g_{Ae}<4.6\times 10^{-12}$ for an axion mass less than $\rm 0.1~keV/c^2$ and the neutrino magnetic moment $μ_ν<4.9\times 10^{-11}μ_{B}$ at 90% confidence level. The observed excess from XENON1T is within our experimental constraints.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2021

Constraining self-interacting dark matter with the full dataset of PandaX-II

Self-interacting Dark Matter (SIDM) is a leading candidate proposed to solve discrepancies between predictions of the prevailing cold dark matter theory and observations of galaxies. Many SIDM models predict the existence of a light force carrier that mediate strong dark matter self-interactions. If the mediator couples to the standard model particles, it could produce characteristic signals in dark matter direct detection experiments. We report searches for SIDM models with a light mediator using the full dataset of the PandaX-II experiment, based on a total exposure of 132 tonne-days. No significant excess over background is found, and our likelihood analysis leads to a strong upper limit on the dark matter-nucleon coupling strength. We further combine the PandaX-II constraints and those from observations of the light element abundances in the early universe, and show that direct detection and cosmological probes can provide complementary constraints on dark matter models with a light mediator.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2021

Horizontal Position Reconstruction in PandaX-II

Dual-phase noble-gas time projection chambers (TPCs) have improved the sensitivities for dark matter direct search in past decades. The capability of TPCs to reconstruct 3-D vertexes of keV scale recoilings is one of the most advantageous features. In this work, we develop two horizontal position reconstruction algorithms for the PandaX-II dark matter search experiment using the dual-phase liquid xenon TPC. Both algorithms are optimized by the $^{83m}$Kr calibration events and use photon distribution of ionization signals among photomultiplier tubes to infer the positions. According to the events coming from the gate electrode, the uncertainties in the horizontal positions are 3.4 mm (3.9 mm) in the analytical (simulation-based) algorithm for an ionization signal with several thousand photon electrons in the center of the TPC

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2021

Compactness of solutions to higher order elliptic equations

We use blow up analysis for local integral equations to prove compactness of solutions to higher order critical elliptic equations provided the potentials only have non-degenerate zeros. Secondly, corresponding to Schoen's Weyl tensor vanishing conjecture for the Yamabe equation on manifolds, we establish a Laplacian vanishing rate of the potentials at blow up points of solutions.

math.AP↗
arXiv2021

Search for Light Dark Matter-Electron Scatterings in the PandaX-II Experiment

We report constraints on light dark matter through its interactions with shell electrons in the PandaX-II liquid xenon detector with a total 46.9 tonne$\cdot$day exposure. To effectively search for these very low energy electron recoils, ionization-only signals are selected from the data. 1821 candidates are identified within ionization signal range between 50 to 75 photoelectrons, corresponding to a mean electronic recoil energy from 0.08 to 0.15 keV. The 90% C.L. exclusion limit on the scattering cross section between the dark matter and electron is calculated based on Poisson statistics. Under the assumption of point interaction, we provide the world's most stringent limit within the dark matter mass range from 15 to 30 $\rm MeV/c^2$, with the corresponding cross section from $2.5\times10^{-37}$ to $3.1\times10^{-38}$ cm$^2$.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2021

Fixed-Time Cooperative Behavioral Control for Networked Autonomous Agents with Second-Order Nonlinear Dynamics

In this paper, we investigate the fixed-time behavioral control problem for a team of second-order nonlinear agents, aiming to achieve a desired formation with collision/obstacle~avoidance. In the proposed approach, the two behaviors(tasks) for each agent are prioritized and integrated via the framework of the null-space-based behavioral projection, leading to a desired merged velocity that guarantees the fixed-time convergence of task errors. To track this desired velocity, we design a fixed-time sliding mode controller for each agent with state-independent adaptive gains, which provides a fixed-time convergence of the tracking error. The control scheme is implemented in a distributed manner, where each agent only acquires information from its neighbors in the network. Moreover, we adopt an online learning algorithm to improve the robustness of the closed system with respect to uncertainties/disturbances. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

math.OC↗
arXiv2021

Diurnal Effect of Sub-GeV Dark Matter Boosted by Cosmic Rays

We point out a new type of diurnal effect for the cosmic ray boosted dark matter (DM). The DM-nucleon interactions not only allow the direct detection of DM with nuclear recoils, but also allow cosmic rays to scatter with and boost the nonrelativistic DM to higher energies. If the DM-nuclei scattering cross sections are sufficiently large, the DM flux is attenuated as it propagates through the Earth, leading to a strong diurnal modulation. This diurnal modulation provides another prominent signature for the direct detection of boosted sub-GeV DM, in addition to signals with higher recoil energy.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2021

Ubiquitous proximity to a critical state for collective neural activity in the CA1 region of freely moving mice

Using miniscope recordings of calcium fluorescence signals in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of mice, we monitor the neural activity of hippocampal regions while the animals are freely moving in an open chamber. Using a data-driven statistical modeling approach, the statistical properties of the recorded data are mapped to spin-glass models with pairwise interactions. Considering the parameter space of the model, the observed system is generally near a critical state between two distinct phases. The close proximity to the criticality is found to be robust against different ways of sampling and segmentation of the measured data. By independently altering the coupling distribution and the network structure of the statistical model, the network structures are found to be vital to maintain the proximity to the critical state. We further find the observed assignment of the coupling strengths makes the net coupling at each site more balanced with slight variation, which likely helps the maintenance of the critical state. Network analysis on the connectivity obtained by thresholding the coupling strengths find the connectivity of the networks to be well described by a random network model. These results are consistent across different experiments, sampling and segmentation choices in our analysis.

q-bio.NC↗
arXiv2021

Determination of responses of liquid xenon to low energy electron and nuclear recoils using the PandaX-II detector

We report a systematic determination of the responses of PandaX-II, a dual phase xenon time projection chamber detector, to low energy recoils. The electron recoil (ER) and nuclear recoil (NR) responses are calibrated, respectively, with injected tritiated methane or $^{220}$Rn source, and with $^{241}$Am-Be neutron source, within an energy range from $1-25$ keV (ER) and $4-80$ keV (NR), under the two drift fields of 400 and 317 V/cm. An empirical model is used to fit the light yield and charge yield for both types of recoils. The best fit models can well describe the calibration data. The systematic uncertainties of the fitted models are obtained via statistical comparison against the data.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2021

Internal Calibration of the PandaX-II Detector with Radon Gaseous Sources

We have developed a low-energy electron recoil (ER) calibration method with $^{220}$Rn for the PandaX-II detector. $^{220}$Rn, emanated from natural thorium compounds, was fed into the detector through the xenon purification system. From 2017 to 2019, we performed three dedicated calibration campaigns with different radon sources. We studied the detector response to $α$, $β$, and $γ$ particles with focus on low energy ER events. During the runs in 2017 and 2018, the amount of radioactivity of $^{222}$Rn were on the order of 1\% of that of $^{220}$Rn and thorium particulate contamination was negligible, especially in 2018. We also measured the background contribution from $^{214}$Pb for the first time in PandaX-II with the help from a $^{222}$Rn injection. Calibration strategy with $^{220}$Rn and $^{222}$Rn will be implemented in the upcoming PandaX-4T experiment and can be useful for other xenon-based detectors as well.

physics.ins-det↗