arXiv subjects

X. G. Cao

Publications and source records attributed to X. G. Cao.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Update on the recent progress of the CUORE experiment

CUORE is a 741 kg array of 988 TeO$_2$ bolometeric crystals designed to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{130}$Te and other rare processes. CUORE has been taking data since summer 2017, and as of summer 2018 collected a total of 86.3 kg$\cdot$yr of TeO$_2$ exposure. Based on this exposure, we were able to set a limit on the $0νββ$ half-life of $^{130}$Te of $T^{0ν}_{1/2}>1.5\times10^{25}$ yr at 90% C.L. At this conference, we showed the decomposition of the CUORE background and were able to extract a $^{130}$Te $2νββ$ half-life of $T_{1/2}^{2ν}=[7.9\pm0.1 \mathrm{(stat.)}\pm0.2 \mathrm{(syst.)}]\times10^{20}$ yr. This is the most precise measurement of this half-life and is consistent with previous measurements.

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arXiv2018

Evidence for high excitation energy resonances in the 7 alpha disassembly of $^{28}$Si

The excitation function for the 7 alpha de-excitation of $^{28}$Si nuclei excited to high excitation energies in the collisions of 35 MeV/nucleon $^{28}$Si with $^{12}$C reveals resonance structures that may indicate the population of high spin toroidal isomers such as those predicted by a number of recent theoretical calculations. This interpretation is supported by extended theoretical analyses.

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arXiv2018

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via $0νββ$ Decay of $^{130}$Te

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number--violating process: $^{130}$Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO$_2$ exposure of 86.3 kg$\cdot$yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7 $\pm$ 0.5) keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014 $\pm$ 0.002) counts/(keV$\cdot$kg$\cdot$yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. The median statistical sensitivity of this search is $7.0\times10^{24}$ yr. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of $T^{0ν}_{1/2}$($^{130}$Te) > $1.3\times 10^{25}$ yr (90% C.L.). Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find $T^{0ν}_{1/2}$($^{130}$Te) > $1.5\times 10^{25}$ yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find $m_{ββ}<(110 - 520)$ meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

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arXiv2018

An experimental survey of the production of alpha decaying heavy elements in the reactions of $^{238}$U +$^{232}$Th at 7.5-6.1 MeV/nucleon

The production of alpha particle decaying heavy nuclei in reactions of 7.5-6.1 MeV/nucleon $^{238}$U +$^{232}$Th has been explored using an in-beam detection array composed of YAP scintillators and gas ionization chamber-Si telescopes. Comparisons of alpha energies and half-lives for the observed products with those of the previously known isotopes and with theoretically predicted values indicate the observation of a number of previously unreported alpha emitters. Alpha particle decay energies reaching as high as 12 MeV are observed. Many of these are expected to be from decay of previously unseen relatively neutron rich products. While the contributions of isomeric states require further exploration and specific isotope identifications need to be made, the production of heavy isotopes with quite high atomic numbers is suggested by the data.

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arXiv2018

Study of Rare Nuclear Processes with CUORE

TeO2 bolometers have been used for many years to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 130-Te. CUORE, a tonne-scale TeO2 detector array, recently published the most sensitive limit on the half-life, $T_{1/2}^{0ν} > 1.5 \times 10^{25}\,$yr, which corresponds to an upper bound of $140-400$~meV on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino. While it makes CUORE a world-leading experiment looking for neutrinoless double beta decay, it is not the only study that CUORE will contribute to in the field of nuclear and particle physics. As already done over the years with many small-scale experiments, CUORE will investigate both rare decays (such as the two-neutrino double beta decay of 130-Te and the hypothesized electron capture in 123-Te), and rare processes (e.g., dark matter and axion interactions). This paper describes some of the achievements of past experiments that used TeO2 bolometers, and perspectives for CUORE.

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arXiv2017

Low Energy Analysis Techniques for CUORE

CUORE is a tonne-scale cryogenic detector operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) that uses tellurium dioxide bolometers to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{130}$Te. CUORE is also suitable to search for low energy rare events such as solar axions or WIMP scattering, thanks to its ultra-low background and large target mass. However, to conduct such sensitive searches requires improving the energy threshold to 10 keV. In this paper, we describe the analysis techniques developed for the low energy analysis of CUORE-like detectors, using the data acquired from November 2013 to March 2015 by CUORE-0, a single-tower prototype designed to validate the assembly procedure and new cleaning techniques of CUORE. We explain the energy threshold optimization, continuous monitoring of the trigger efficiency, data and event selection, and energy calibration at low energies in detail. We also present the low energy background spectrum of CUORE-0 below 60keV. Finally, we report the sensitivity of CUORE to WIMP annual modulation using the CUORE-0 energy threshold and background, as well as an estimate of the uncertainty on the nuclear quenching factor from nuclear recoils in CUORE-0.

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arXiv2017

A data acquisition system based on ROOT and waveform digital technology for Photo-Neutron Source

The data acquisition system is based on ROOT and waveform digital technology, including neutron detector, waveform digitizer, PCI card, optical fiber, computer, reaction target device, stepper motor, data acquisition software and control target software. It achieves to acquire and record the waveform information of signal measured by the detector using a waveform digitizer. The specific target position is changed by the stepper motor which is remotely controlled by the data acquisition software and control target software. It is implemented by the exchange of information between the data acquisition software and the control target software. The system realizes to automatically open files and change targets at fixed intervals. It is capable of data compression by removing the data those are not signals, and automatic alarm when the beam is lost.

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arXiv2017

Search for Neutrinoless $β^{+}\hspace{-0.2em}EC$ Decay of $^{120}$Te with CUORE-0

We have performed a search for neutrinoless $β^{+}\hspace{-0.2em}EC$ decay of $^{120}$Te using the final CUORE-0 data release. We describe a new analysis method for the simultaneous fit of signatures with different event topology, and of data subsets with different signal efficiency, obtaining a limit on the half-life of the decay of $T_{1/2}>1.6\cdot10^{21}$ yr at $90\%$ CI. Combining this with results from Cuoricino, a predecessor experiment, we obtain the strongest limit to date, corresponding to $T_{1/2}>2.7\cdot10^{21}$ yr at $90\%$ CI.

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arXiv2017

The projected background for the CUORE experiment

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te with an array of 988 TeO2 bolometers operating at temperatures around 10 mK. The experiment is currently being commissioned in Hall A of Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The goal of CUORE is to reach a 90\% C.L. exclusion sensitivity on the \tect decay half-life of 9$\times$10$^{25}$ years after 5\,years of data taking. The main issue to be addressed to accomplish this aim is the rate of background events in the region of interest, which must not be higher than 10$^{-2}$\,counts/keV/kg/y. We developed a detailed Monte Carlo simulation, based on results from a campaign of material screening, radioassays, and bolometric measurements, to evaluate the expected background. This was used over the years to guide the construction strategies of the experiment and we use it here to project a background model for CUORE. In this paper we report the results of our study and our expectations for the background rate in the energy region where the peak signature of neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te is expected.

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arXiv2017

CUORE Sensitivity to $0νββ$ Decay

We report a study of the CUORE sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta ($0νββ$) decay. We used a Bayesian analysis based on a toy Monte Carlo (MC) approach to extract the exclusion sensitivity to the $0νββ$ decay half-life ($T_{1/2}^{0ν}$) at $90\%$ credibility interval (CI) -- i.e. the interval containing the true value of $T_{1/2}^{0ν}$ with $90\%$ probability -- and the $3 σ$ discovery sensitivity. We consider various background levels and energy resolutions, and describe the influence of the data division in subsets with different background levels. If the background level and the energy resolution meet the expectation, CUORE will reach a $90\%$ CI exclusion sensitivity of $2\cdot10^{25}$ yr with $3$ months, and $9\cdot10^{25}$ yr with $5$ years of live time. Under the same conditions, the discovery sensitivity after $3$ months and $5$ years will be $7\cdot10^{24}$ yr and $4\cdot10^{25}$ yr, respectively.

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arXiv2017

Giant dipole resonance in proton capture reactions using an extended quantum molecular dynamics model

Proton capture reaction is an important process concerning the astrophysical origin of the elements. In present work, we focus on giant dipole resonance (GDR) in proton capture reactions, such as $^{11}$B$(p, γ)^{12}$C, $^{27}$Al$(p, γ)^{28}$Si, $^{39}$K$(p, γ)^{40}$Ca, and $^{67}$Co$(p, γ)^{68}$Ni in a framework of an extended quantum molecular dynamics model. The systematic properties of GDR parameters including the peak energy, the strength and full width at half maximum (FWHM) have been studied. The dependence of FWHM on temperature has also been discussed. Some comparisons with experimental data have been presented.

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arXiv2017

Investigation of giant dipole resonance in heavy deformed nuclei with the EQMD model

The deformation evolution of giant dipole resonance (GDR), in the chains of Sm and Nd isotopes, are investigated in the framework of an extended quantum molecular dynamics (EQMD) model. The mass number dependence of resonance peak position $(E_{m})$ in the major and minor axis directions of deformed nuclei as well as the difference $ΔE_{m}$ between them are described in detail. The correlation between the splitting ($ΔE_{m} /\bar{E}_m $) of the GDR spectra and the deformation($ β_{2}$) is further studied. The results confirm that $ΔE_{m} /\bar{E}_m $ is proportional to $ β_{2}$. By comparing the calculation with the experimental data on photon absorption cross section $σ_γ$, it shows that the EQMD model can quite well reproduce the shape of GDR spectra from spherical to prolate shape. The GDR shapes in $^{134}$Sm, $^{136}$Sm, $^{138}$Sm, $^{130}$Nd, $^{132}$Nd and $^{134}$Nd are also predicted. In addition, the symmetry energy coefficient $(E_{sym})$ dependence of GDR spectra of $^{150}$Nd is also discussed. It is found that the calculated GDR spectrum in the EQMD model is perfectly consistent with the experimental results when $E_{sym}$ equals to 32 MeV.

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arXiv2017

Iso-vector dipole resonance and shear viscosity in low energy heavy-ion collision

The ratio of shear viscosity over entropy density in low energy heavy-ion collision has been calculated by using the Green-Kubo method in the framework of an extended quantum molecular dynamics model. After the system almost reaching a local equilibration for a head-on $^{40}$Ca+$^{100}$Mo collision, thermodynamic and transport properties are extracted. Meanwhile, iso-vector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR) of the collision system is also studied. By the Gaussian fits to the IVGDR photon spectra, the peak energies of IVGDR are extracted at different incident energies. The result shows that the IVGDR peak energy has a positive correlation with the ratio of shear viscosity over entropy density. This is a quantum effect and indicates a difference between nuclear matter and classical fluid.

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arXiv2017

Measurement of the Two-Neutrino Double Beta Decay Half-life of $^{130}$Te with the CUORE-0 Experiment

We report on the measurement of the two-neutrino double beta decay half-life of $^{130}$Te with the CUORE-0 detector. From an exposure of 33.4 kg$\cdot$y of TeO$_2$, the half-life is determined to be $T_{1/2}^{2ν}$ = [8.2 $\pm$ 0.2 (stat.) $\pm$ 0.6 (syst.)] $\times$ 10$^{20}$y. This result is obtained after a detailed reconstruction of the sources responsible for the CUORE-0 counting rate, with a specific study of those contributing to the $^{130}$Te neutrinoless double beta decay region of interest.

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arXiv2016

The CUORE and CUORE-0 experiments at LNGS

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a 1-ton scale bolometric experiment devoted to the search of the neutrinoless double-beta decay (0ν\b{eta}\b{eta}) in 130Te. The CUORE detector consists of an array of 988 TeO2 crystals operated at 10 mK. CUORE-0 is the CUORE demonstrator: it has been built to test the performance of the upcoming CUORE experiment and represents the largest 130Te bolometric setup ever operated. CUORE-0 has been running at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy) from 2013 to 2015. The final CUORE-0 analysis on 0ν\b{eta}\b{eta} and the corresponding detector performance are presented. The present status of the CUORE experiment, now in its final construction and commissioning phase, are discussed. The results from assembly of the detector and the commissioning of the cryostat are reported.

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arXiv2016

Proton-proton correlations in distinguishing the two-proton emission mechanism of $^{23}$Al and $^{22}$Mg

The proton-proton momentum correlation functions ($C_{pp}(q)$) for kinematically complete decay channels of $^{23}$Al $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{21}$Na and $^{22}$Mg $\rightarrow$ p + p + $^{20}$Ne have been measured at the RIKEN RI Beam Factory. From the very different correlation strength of $C_{pp}(q)$ for $^{23}$Al and $^{22}$Mg, the source size and emission time information were extracted from the $C_{pp}(q)$ data by assuming a Gaussian source profile in the correlation function calculation code (CRAB). The results indicated that the mechanism of two-proton emission from $^{23}$Al was mainly sequential emission, while that of $^{22}$Mg was mainly three-body simultaneous emission. By combining our earlier results of the two-proton relative momentum and the opening angle, it is pointed out that the mechanism of two-proton emission could be distinguished clearly.

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arXiv2016

CUORE-0 detector: design, construction and operation

The CUORE experiment will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{130}$Te with an array of 988 TeO$_2$ bolometers arranged in 19 towers. CUORE-0, the first tower assembled according to the CUORE procedures, was built and commissioned at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, and took data from March 2013 to March 2015. In this paper we describe the design, construction and operation of the CUORE-0 experiment, with an emphasis on the improvements made over a predecessor experiment, Cuoricino. In particular, we demonstrate with CUORE-0 data that the design goals of CUORE are within reach.

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arXiv2016

Dipole oscillation modes in light $α$-clustering nuclei

The $α$ cluster states are discussed in a model frame of extended quantum molecular dynamics. Different alpha cluster structures are studied in details, such as $^8$Be two-$α$ cluster structure, $^{12}$C triangle structure, $^{12}$C chain structure, $^{16}$O chain structure, $^{16}$O kite structure, and $^{16}$O square structure. The properties studied, include as the width of wave packets for different $α$ clusters, momentum distribution, and the binding energy among $α$ clusters. It is also discussed how the $α$ cluster degree of freedom affects nuclear collective vibrations. The cluster configurations in $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O are found to have corresponding characteristic spectra of giant dipole resonance (GDR), and the coherences of different $α$ clusters's dipole oscillation are described in details. The geometrical and dynamical symmetries of $α$-clustering configurations are responsible for the number and centroid energies of peaks of GDR spectra. Therefore, the GDR can be regarded as an effective probe to diagnose different $α$ cluster configurations in light nuclei.

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