arXiv subjects

O. Saavedra

Publications and source records attributed to O. Saavedra.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Study of Forbush effects by means of muon hodoscopes

Muon rate variations during Forbush effects registered by means of muon detectors DECOR, TEMP and URAGAN operated in the experimental complex NEVOD (MEPhI, Moscow) have been studied, and comparative analysis with neutron monitor data has been performed. The ratio of values of Forbush decreases in muon and in neutron fluxes is about one third, and preliminary rigidity dependence of Forbush decrease amplitude using muon data has been also obtained (for 2.4 GV cut-off rigidity). The detection of muon flux in the hodoscopic mode allows to study the dynamics of muon flux anisotropy related with magnetic field perturbations. Results of analysis of data from the new unique muon detector URAGAN indicate the change of muon flux asymmetry direction during the Forbush decrease. This phenomenon is related with the motion of solar plasma cloud and hodoscope acceptance cone relative to each other.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Measurements of integral muon intensity at large zenith angles

High-statistics data on near-horizontal muons collected with Russian-Italian coordinate detector DECOR are analyzed. Precise measurements of muon angular distributions in zenith angle interval from 60 to 90 degrees have been performed. In total, more than 20 million muons are selected. Dependences of the absolute integral muon intensity on zenith angle for several threshold energies ranging from 1.7 GeV to 7.2 GeV are derived. Results for this region of zenith angles and threshold energies have been obtained for the first time. The dependence of integral intensity on zenith angle and threshold energy is well fitted by a simple analytical formula.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2006

Study of the effect of neutrino oscillations on the supernova neutrino signal in the LVD detector

The LVD detector, located in the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (Italy), studies supernova neutrinos through the interactions with protons and carbon nuclei in the liquid scintillator and interactions with the iron nuclei of the support structure. We investigate the effect of neutrino oscillations in the signal expected in the LVD detector. The MSW effect has been studied in detail for neutrinos travelling through the collapsing star and the Earth. We show that the expected number of events and their energy spectrum are sensitive to the oscillation parameters, in particular to the mass hierarchy and the value of $θ_{13}$, presently unknown. Finally we discuss the astrophysical uncertainties, showing their importance and comparing it with the effect of neutrino oscillations on the expected signal.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

Rare Particle Searches with the high altitude SLIM experiment

The search for rare particles in the cosmic radiation remains one of the main aims of non-accelerator particle astrophysics. Experiments at high altitude allow lower mass thresholds with respect to detectors at sea level or underground. The SLIM experiment is a large array of nuclear track detectors located at the Chacaltaya High Altitude Laboratory (5290 m a.s.l.). The preliminary results from the analysis of a part of the first 236 sq.m exposed for more than 3.6 y are here reported. The detector is sensitive to Intermediate Mass Magnetic Monopoles and to SQM nuggets and Q-balls, which are possible Dark Matter candidates.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2006

Results from the ULTRA experiment in the framework of the EUSO project

The detection of Cerenkov light from EAS in a delayed coincidence with fluorescence light gives a strong signature to discriminate protons and neutrinos in cosmic rays. For this purpose, the ULTRA experiment has been designed with 2 detectors: a small EAS array (ETscope) and an UV optical device including wide field (Belenos) and narrow field (UVscope) Cerenkov light detectors. The array measures the shower size and the arrival direction of the incoming EAS, while the UV devices, pointing both to zenith and nadir, are used to determine the amount of direct and diffused coincident Cerenkov light. This information, provided for different diffusing surfaces, will be used to verify the possibility of detecting from Space the Cerenkov light produced by UHECRs with the EUSO experiment, on board the ISS.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Search for nuclearites with the SLIM detector

The strange quark matter (SQM) may be the ground state of QCD; nuggets of SQM could be present in cosmic rays (CR). SLIM is a large area experiment, using CR39 and Makrofol track etch detectors, presently deployed at the high altitude CR Laboratory of Chacaltaya, Bolivia. We discuss the expected properties of SQM, from the point of view of its search with SLIM. We present also some preliminary results from SLIM.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Search for massive rare particles with the SLIM experiment

The search for magnetic monopoles in the cosmic radiation remains one of the main aims of non-accelerator particle astrophysics. Experiments at high altitude allow lower mass thresholds with respect to detectors at sea level or underground. The SLIM experiment is a large array of nuclear track detectors at the Chacaltaya High Altitude Laboratory (5290 m a.s.l.). The results from the analysis of 171 m$^2$ exposed for more than 3.5 y are here reported. The completion of the analysis of the whole detector will allow to set the lowest flux upper limit for Magnetic Monopoles in the mass range 10$^5$ - 10$^{12}$ GeV. The experiment is also sensitive to SQM nuggets and Q-balls, which are possible Dark Matter candidates.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2005

Search for Intermediate Mass Magnetic Monopoles and Nuclearites with the SLIM experiment

SLIM is a large area experiment (440 m2) installed at the Chacaltaya cosmic ray laboratory since 2001, and about 100 m2 at Koksil, Himalaya, since 2003. It is devoted to the search for intermediate mass magnetic monopoles (107-1013 GeV/c2) and nuclearites in the cosmic radiation using stacks of CR39 and Makrofol nuclear track detectors. In four years of operation it will reach a sensitivity to a flux of about 10-15 cm-2 s-1 sr-1. We present the results of the calibration of CR39 and Makrofol and the analysis of a first sample of the exposed detector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2004

Search for low energy neutrinos in correlation with the 8 events observed by the EXPLORER and NAUTILUS detectors in 2001

We report on a search for low-energy neutrino (antineutrino) bursts in correlation with the 8 time coincident events observed by the gravitational waves detectors EXPLORER and NAUTILUS (GWD) during the year 2001. The search, conducted with the LVD detector (INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory, Italy), has considered several neutrino reactions, corresponding to different neutrino species, and a wide range of time intervals around the (GWD) observed events. No evidence for statistically significant correlated signals in LVD has been found. Assuming two different origins for neutrino emission, the cooling of a neutron star from a core-collapse supernova or from coalescing neutron stars and the accretion of shocked matter, and taking into account neutrino oscillations, we derive limits to the total energy emitted in neutrinos and to the amount of accreting mass, respectively.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Study of the effect of neutrino oscillation on the supernova neutrino signal with the LVD detector

We present an update of our previous study (astro-ph/0112312) on how $ν$ oscillations affect the signal from a supernova core collapse observed in the LVD detector at LNGS. In this paper we use a recent, more precise determination of the cross section (astro-ph/0302055) to calculate the expected number of inverse beta decay events, we introduce in the simulation also the $ν$-{\rm Fe} interactions, we include the Earth matter effects and, finally, we study also the inverted mass hierarchy case.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

CNGS beam monitor with the LVD detector

The importance of an adequate CNGS beam monitor at the Gran Sasso Laboratory has been stressed in many papers. Since the number of internal $ν_μ$ CC and NC interactions in the various detectors will not allow to collect statistics rapidly, one should also be able to detect the $ν_μ$ CC interactions in the upstream rock. In this study we have investigated the performances of the LVD detector as a monitor for the CNGS neutrino beam. Thanks to its wide area ($13 \times 11 m^2$ orthogonal to the beam direction) LVD can detect about 120 muons per day originated by $ν_μ$ CC interactions in the rock. The LVD total mass is $\sim2 kt$. This allows to get 30 more CNGS events per day as internal $(NC + CC)$ $ν_μ$ interactions, for a total of $\sim 150$ events per day. A 3% statistical error can be reached in 7 days. Taking into account the time characteristics of the CNGS beam, the cosmic muon background can be reduced to a negligible level, of the order of 1.5 events per day.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2001

Chacaltaya: towards a solution of the knee ....?

Cosmic rays physics is currently being studied with rather sophisticated detectors running in a variety of experimental conditions and atmospheric depths around the world. In this paper we describe the reasons why cosmic ray physics experiments at high altitudes like Chacaltaya are so important for resolving some of the open problems in cosmic physics. A discussion on the future prospects of the high altitude mountain laboratories such as Chacaltaya for cosmic ray physics is presented.

astro-ph↗