Engineering topics

Guan, M. Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Guan, M. Y..

10 records

DOE OSTI2017

Measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation based on 1230 days of operation of the Daya Bay experiment

Here, a measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation by the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment is described in detail. Six 2.9-GWth nuclear power reactors of the Daya Bay and Ling Ao nuclear power facilities served as intense sources of ¯ν e ’s. Comparison of the ¯ν e rate and energy spectrum measured by antineutrino detectors far from the nuclear reactors (~1500–1950 m) relative to detectors near the reactors (~350–600 m) allowed a precise measurement of ¯ν e disappearance. More than 2.5 million ¯ν e inverse beta-decay interactions were observed, based on the combination of 217 days of operation of six antineutrino detectors (December, 2011–July, 2012) with a subsequent 1013 days using the complete configuration of eight detectors (October, 2012–July, 2015). The ¯ν e rate observed at the far detectors relative to the near detectors showed a significant deficit, R = 0.949 ± 0.002(stat) ± 0.002(syst). The energy dependence of ¯ν e disappearance showed the distinct variation predicted by neutrino oscillation. Analysis using an approximation for the three-flavor oscillation probability yielded the flavor-mixing angle sin 2 2θ 13 = 0.0841 ± 0.0027(stat) ± 0.0019(syst) and the effective neutrino mass-squared difference of |Δm 2 ee | = (2.50 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.06(syst)) × 10 –3 eV 2 . Analysis using the exact three-flavor probability found Δm 2 32 = (2.45 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.06(syst)) × 10 –3 eV 2 assuming the normal neutrino mass hierarchy and Δm 2 32 = (–2.56 ± 0.06(stat) ± 0.06(syst)) × 10 –3 eV 2 for the inverted hierarchy.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Feasibility study of SiGHT: a novel ultra low background photosensor for low temperature operation

Rare event search experiments, such as those searching for dark matter and observations of neutrinoless double beta decay, require ultra low levels of radioactive background for unmistakable identification. In order to reduce the radioactive background of detectors used in these types of event searches, low background photosensors are required, as the physical size of these detectors become increasing larger, and hence the number of such photosensors used also increases rapidly. Considering that most dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments are turning towards using noble liquids as the target choice, liquid xenon and liquid argon for instance, photosensors that can work well at cryogenic temperatures are required, 165 K and 87 K for liquid xenon and liquid argon, respectively. The Silicon Geiger Hybrid Tube (SiGHT) is a novel photosensor designed specifically for use in ultra low background experiments operating at cryogenic temperatures. It is based on the proven photocathode plus silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) hybrid technology and consists of very few other, but also ultra radio-pure, materials like fused silica and silicon for the SiPM. Lastly, the introduction of the SiGHT concept, as well as a feasibility study for its production, is reported in this article.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2017

Improved measurement of the reactor antineutrino flux and spectrum at Daya Bay

Here, a new measurement of the reactor antineutrino flux and energy spectrum by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is reported. The antineutrinos were generated by six 2.9 GW th nuclear reactors and detected by eight antineutrino detectors deployed in two near (560 m and 600 m flux-weighted baselines) and one far (1640 m flux-weighted baseline) underground experimental halls. With 621 days of data, more than 1.2 million inverse beta decay (IBD) candidates were detected. The IBD yield in the eight detectors was measured, and the ratio of measured to predicted flux was found to be 0.946 ± 0.020 (0.992 ± 0.021) for the Huber+Mueller (ILL+Vogel) model. A 2.9σ deviation was found in the measured IBD positron energy spectrum compared to the predictions. In particular, an excess of events in the region of 4$-$6 MeV was found in the measured spectrum, with a local significance of 4.4σ. Finally, a reactor antineutrino spectrum weighted by the IBD cross section is extracted for model-independent predictions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Limits on Active to Sterile Neutrino Oscillations from Disappearance Searches in the MINOS, Daya Bay, and Bugey-3 Experiments

Searches for a light sterile neutrino have been performed independently by the MINOS and the Daya Bay experiments using the muon (anti)neutrino and electron antineutrino disappearance channels, respectively. In this Letter, results from both experiments are combined with those from the Bugey-3 reactor neutrino experiment to constrain oscillations into light sterile neutrinos. The three experiments are sensitive to complementary regions of parameter space, enabling the combined analysis to probe regions allowed by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) and MiniBooNE experiments in a minimally extended four-neutrino flavor framework. Stringent limits on sin22θμe are set over 6 orders of magnitude in the sterile mass-squared splitting Δm412. The sterile-neutrino mixing phase space allowed by the LSND and MiniBooNE experiments is excluded for Δm412<0.8 eV2 at 95% CLs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Improved Search for a Light Sterile Neutrino with the Full Configuration of the Daya Bay Experiment

Here this Letter reports an improved search for light sterile neutrino mixing in the electron antineutrino disappearance channel with the full configuration of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment. With an additional 404 days of data collected in eight antineutrino detectors, this search benefits from 3.6 times the statistics available to the previous publication, as well as from improvements in energy calibration and background reduction. A relative comparison of the rate and energy spectrum of reactor antineutrinos in the three experimental halls yields no evidence of sterile neutrino mixing in the 2 x 10 -4 $\lesssim$| Δ$2\atop{41}$| $\lesssim$ 0.3 eV 2 . The resulting limits on sin 2 $2\theta$ 14 are improved by approximately a factor of two over previous results and constitute the most stringent constraints to date in the |Δm$2\atop{41}$| $\lesssim$ 0.2 eV 2 region.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Current Status of the dark matter experiment DarkSide-50

DarkSide-50 is a dark matter direct search experiment at LNGS, searching for rare nuclear recoils possibly induced by WIMPs. It has two nested vetoes and a dual phase liquid argon TPC as dark matter detector. Key features of this experiment are the use of underground argon as radio-pure target and of muon and neutron active vetoes to suppress the background. The first data-taking campaign was running from November 2013 to April 2015 with an atmospheric argon target and a reduced efficiency neutron veto due to internal contamination. However, an upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon cross section of 6.1×10 -44 cm 2 at 90% CL was obtained for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV/c 2 and an exposure of (1422 ± 67) kg·d. At present DarkSide-50 started a 3 years run, intended to be background-free because the neutron veto was successfully recovered and underground argon replaced the atmospheric one. Additionally calibration campaigns for both the TPC and the neutron veto were completed. Thanks to the good performance of the background rejection, the results obtained so far suggest the scalability of DarkSide-50 to a ton-scale detector, which will play a key role into the dark matter search scenario.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2016

A first walk on the DarkSide

DarkSide-50 (DS-50) at Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS), Italy, is a direct dark matter search experiment based on a TPC with liquid argon. DS-50 has completed its first dark matter run using atmospheric argon as target. Here, the DS-50 detector performances and the results of the first physics run are reviewed in this proceeding.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2016

The DarkSide project

DarkSide is a graded experimental project based on radiopure argon, and is now, and will be, used in direct dark matter searches. The present DarkSide-50 detector, operating at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, is a dual-phase, 50 kg, liquid argon time-projection-chamber surrounded by an active liquid scintillator veto. It is designed to be background free in 3 years of operation. DS-50 performances, when filled with atmospheric argon, are reported. However DS-50 filled with underground argon, shows impressive reduction of the 39Ar isotope. The application of this powerful technology in a future generation of the DarkSide program is discussed.

Agnes, P.↗

DOE OSTI2015

The detector system of the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment

The Daya Bay experiment was the first to report simultaneous measurements of reactor antineutrinos at multiple baselines leading to the discovery of ν¯e oscillations over km-baselines. Subsequent data has provided the world's most precise measurement of sin 2 2θ 13 and the effective mass splitting Δm 2 ee . The experiment is located in Daya Bay, China where the cluster of six nuclear reactors is among the world's most prolific sources of electron antineutrinos. Multiple antineutrino detectors are deployed in three underground water pools at different distances from the reactor cores to search for deviations in the antineutrino rate and energy spectrum due to neutrino mixing. Instrumented with photomultiplier tubes, the water pools serve as shielding against natural radioactivity from the surrounding rock and provide efficient muon tagging. Arrays of resistive plate chambers over the top of each pool provide additional muon detection. The antineutrino detectors were specifically designed for measurements of the antineutrino flux with minimal systematic uncertainty. Relative detector efficiencies between the near and far detectors are known to better than 0.2%. With the unblinding of the final two detectors’ baselines and target masses, a complete description and comparison of the eight antineutrino detectors can now be presented. This study describes the Daya Bay detector systems, consisting of eight antineutrino detectors in three instrumented water pools in three underground halls, and their operation through the first year of eight detector data-taking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2015

New measurement of antineutrino oscillation with the full detector configuration at Daya Bay

We report a new measurement of electron antineutrino disappearance using the fully constructed Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment. The final two of eight antineutrino detectors were installed in the summer of 2012. Including the 404 days of data collected from October 2012 to November 2013 resulted in a total exposure of 6.9×10 5 GW th ton days, a 3.6 times increase over our previous results. Improvements in energy calibration limited variations between detectors to 0.2%. Removal of six 241 Am- 13 C radioactive calibration sources reduced the background by a factor of 2 for the detectors in the experimental hall furthest from the reactors. Direct prediction of the antineutrino signal in the far detectors based on the measurements in the near detectors explicitly minimized the dependence of the measurement on models of reactor antineutrino emission. The uncertainties in our estimates of 2 sin2θ 13 and |Δm 2 ee | were halved as a result of these improvements. An analysis of the relative antineutrino rates and energy spectra between detectors gave 2 sin2θ 13 =0.084±0.005 and |Δm 2 ee |=(2.42±0.11)×10 –3 eV 2 in the three-neutrino framework.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗