Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Haller, E. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Haller, E. E..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

CUORE opens the door to tonne-scale cryogenics experiments

The past few decades have seen major developments in the design and operation of cryogenic particle detectors. This technology offers an extremely good energy resolution – comparable to semiconductor detectors – and a wide choice of target materials, making low temperature calorimetric detectors ideal for a variety of particle physics applications. Rare event searches have continued to require ever greater exposures, which has driven them to ever larger cryogenic detectors, with the CUORE experiment being the first to reach a tonne-scale, mK-cooled, experimental mass. CUORE, designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay, has been operational since 2017 at a temperature of about 10 mK. This result has been attained by the use of an unprecedentedly large cryogenic infrastructure called the CUORE cryostat: conceived, designed and commissioned for this purpose. In this article the main characteristics and features of the cryogenic facility developed for the CUORE experiment are highlighted. In this work, a brief introduction of the evolution of the field and of the past cryogenic facilities are given. The motivation behind the design and development of the CUORE cryogenic facility is detailed as are the steps taken toward realization, commissioning, and operation of the CUORE cryostat. The major challenges overcome by the collaboration and the solutions implemented throughout the building of the cryogenic facility will be discussed along with the potential improvements for future facilities. The success of CUORE has opened the door to a new generation of large-scale cryogenic facilities in numerous fields of science. Broader implications of the incredible feat achieved by the CUORE collaboration on the future cryogenic facilities in various fields ranging from neutrino and dark matter experiments to quantum computing will be examined.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Double-beta decay of $^{130}\hbox {Te}$ to the first $0^+$ excited state of $^{130}\hbox {Xe}$ with CUORE-0

We report on a search for double beta decay of 130 Te to the first 0 + excited state of 130 Xe using a 9.8kg·yr exposure of 130 Te collected with the CUORE-0 experiment. In this work we exploit different topologies of coincident events to search for both the neutrinoless and two-neutrino double beta decay modes. We find no evidence for either mode and place lower bounds on the half-lives: $T_{0_1^+}^{0ν}$ > 7.9·10 23 yr and $T_{0_1^+}^{2ν}$ > 2.4·10 23 yr (90%CL). Combining our results with those obtained by the CUORICINO experiment, we achieve the most stringent constraints available for these processes: $T_{0_1^+}^{0ν}$ > 1.4·10 24 yr and $T_{0_1^+}^{2ν}$ > 2.5·10 23 yr (90%CL).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via 0 ν β β Decay of Te 130

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-numberviolating process: 130 Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO 2 exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of d7.7 ± 0.5T keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of d0.014 ± 0.002T counts=dkeV kg yrT, we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T 0ν 1/2 ( 130 Te) > 1.3 × 10 25 yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0 × 10 24 yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T 0ν 1/2 ( 130 Te) > 1.5 × 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.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events: Status and Prospects

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a large-scale double beta decay experiment utilizing cryogenic bolometers that is currently being commissioned at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy. Its primary focus is to search for the neutrino-less double beta decay of 130Te with a projected sensitivity to Majorana neutrino masses near the inverted mass hierarchy region. The detector is composed of 988 5x5x5-cm 3 TeO 2 crystals of natural isotopic composition arranged in 19 towers of 52 crystals each, all housed in a common dilution refrigerator. A single CUORE-like tower, CUORE-0, was assembled and operated as a stand-alone detector for a period of approximately two years. In this report, the results from CUORE-0 and the current status and physics potential of CUORE are presented.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events: Status and Prospects

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a large-scale double beta decay experiment utilizing cryogenic bolometers that is currently being commissioned at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy. Its primary focus is to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te with a projected sensitivity to Majorana neutrino masses near the inverted mass hierarchy region. The detector is composed of 988 5x5x5-cm 3 TeO 2 crystals of natural isotopic composition arranged in 19 towers of 52 crystals each, all housed in a common dilution refrigerator. A single CUORE-like tower, CUORE-0, was assembled and operated as a stand-alone detector for a period of approximately two years. In this report, the results from CUORE-0 and the current status and physics potential of CUORE are presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The CUORE cryostat and its bolometric detector

CUORE is a cryogenic detector that will be operated at LNGS to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) of 130 Te. The detector installation was completed in summer 2016. Before the installation, several cold runs were done to test the cryogenic system performance. In the last cold run the base temperature of 6.3 mK was reached in stable condition. CUORE-0, a CUORE prototype, has proven the feasibility of CUORE, demonstrating that the target background of 0.01 counts/keV/kg/y and the energy resolution of 5 keV are within reach.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

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 study we describe the design, construction and operation of the CUORE-0 experiment, with an emphasis on the improvements made over a predecessor experiment, Cuoricino. Finally, in particular, we demonstrate with CUORE-0 data that the design goals of CUORE are within reach.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Results from the CUORE-0 experiment

The CUORE-0 experiment searched for neutrinoless double beta decay in 130 Te using an array of 52 tellurium dioxide crystals, operated as bolometers at a temperature of 10 mK. It took data in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (Italy) since March 2013 to March 2015. We present the results of a search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 9.8 kg-years 130 Te exposure that allowed us to set the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. The performance of the detector in terms of background and energy resolution is also reported.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Status of the CUORE and results from the CUORE-0 neutrinoless double beta decay experiments

CUORE is a 741 kg array of TeO 2 bolometers for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te. The detector is being constructed at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, where it will start taking data in 2015. If the target background of 0.01 counts/(keV·kg·y) will be reached, in five years of data taking CUORE will have a 1σ half life sensitivity of 10 26 y. CUORE-0 is a smaller experiment constructed to test and demonstrate the performances expected for CUORE. The detector is a single tower of 52 CUORE-like bolometers that started taking data in spring 2013. The status and perspectives of CUORE will be discussed, and the first CUORE-0 data will be presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Analysis techniques for the evaluation of the neutrinoless double- β decay lifetime in Te 130 with the CUORE-0 detector

We describe in detail the methods used to obtain the lower bound on the lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay in 130 Te and the associated limit on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino using the CUORE-0 detector. CUORE-0 is a bolometric detector array located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that was designed to validate the background reduction techniques developed for CUORE, a next-generation experiment scheduled to come online in 2016. CUORE-0 is also a competitive 0 ν β β decay search in its own right and functions as a platform to further develop the analysis tools and procedures to be used in CUORE. These include data collection, event selection and processing, as well as an evaluation of signal efficiency. In particular, we describe the amplitude evaluation, thermal gain stabilization, energy calibration methods, and the analysis event selection used to create our final 0 ν β β search spectrum. We define our high level analysis procedures, with emphasis on the new insights gained and challenges encountered. We outline in detail our fitting methods near the hypothesized 0 ν β β decay peak and catalog the main sources of systematic uncertainty. Finally, we derive the 0 ν β β decay half-life limits previously reported for CUORE-0, T 0 ν 1 / 2 > 2.7 × 10 24 yr , and in combination with the Cuoricino limit, T 0 ν 1 / 2 > 4.0 × 10 24 yr .

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magnetic effects in sulfur-decorated graphene

The interaction between two different materials can present novel phenomena that are quite different from the physical properties observed when each material stands alone. Strong electronic correlations, such as magnetism and superconductivity, can be produced as the result of enhanced Coulomb interactions between electrons. Two-dimensional materials are powerful candidates to search for the novel phenomena because of the easiness of arranging them and modifying their properties accordingly. In this work, we report magnetic effects in graphene, a prototypical non-magnetic two-dimensional semi-metal, in the proximity with sulfur, a diamagnetic insulator. In contrast to the well-defined metallic behaviour of clean graphene, an energy gap develops at the Fermi energy for the graphene/sulfur compound with decreasing temperature. This is accompanied by a steep increase of the resistance, a sign change of the slope in the magneto-resistance between high and low fields, and magnetic hysteresis. A possible origin of the observed electronic and magnetic responses is discussed in terms of the onset of low-temperature magnetic ordering. These results provide intriguing insights on the search for novel quantum phases in graphene-based compounds.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Compliant substrate epitaxy: Au on MoS 2

A theory for the epitaxial growth of Au on MoS 2 is developed and analyzed. The theory combines continuum linear elasticity theory with density functional theory to analyze epitaxial growth in this system. It is demonstrated that if one accounts for interfacial energies and strains, the presence of misfit dislocations, and the compliance of the MoS 2 substrate, the experimentally observed growth orientation is favored despite the fact that it represents a larger elastic mismatch than two competing structures. The stability of the experimentally preferred orientation is attributed to the formation of a large number of strong Au-S bonds, and it is noted that this strong bond may serve as a means to exfoliate and transfer large single layers sheets of MoS 2 , as well as to engineer strain within single layers of MoS 2 . The potential for using a van der Waals-bonded layered material as a compliant substrate for applications in 2D electronic devices and epitaxial thin film growth is discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of with CUORE-0

We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a 9.8 kg yr exposure of 130 Te using a bolometric detector array, CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in the region of interest are 5.1 ± 0.3 keV FWHM and 0.058 ± 0.004 (stat.) ± 0:002 (syst.) counts/(keV kg yr), respectively. The median 90% C.L. lower-limit sensitivity of the experiment is 2.9 x 10 24 yr and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 130 Te and place a Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, T 0$_1$ 1/2 > 2.7 x 10 24 yr at 90% C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75 kg yr exposure of 130 Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain T 0$_1$ 1/2 > 4.0 x 10 24 yr at 90% C.L. (Bayesian), the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, m ββ < 270 - 760 meV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CUORE-0 results and prospects for the CUORE experiment

With 741 kg of TeO{sub 2} crystals and an excellent energy resolution of 5 keV (0.2%) at the region of interest, the CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment aims at searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 130}Te with unprecedented sensitivity. Expected to start data taking in 2015, CUORE is currently in an advanced construction phase at LNGS. CUORE projected neutrinoless double beta decay half-life sensitivity is 1.6 × 10{sup 26} y at 1σ (9.5 × 10{sup 25} y at the 90 % confidence level), in five years of live time, corresponding to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range 40–100 meV (50–130 meV). Further background rejection with auxiliary bolometric detectors could improve CUORE sensitivity and competitiveness of bolometric detectors towards a full analysis of the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. CUORE-0 was built to test and demonstrate the performance of the upcoming CUORE experiment. It consists of a single CUORE tower (52 TeO{sub 2} bolometers of 750 g each, arranged in a 13 floor structure) constructed strictly following CUORE recipes both for materials and assembly procedures. An experiment its own, CUORE-0 is expected to reach a sensitivity to the ββ(0ν) half-life of {sup 130}Te around 3×10{sup 24} y in one year of live time. We present an update of the data, corresponding to an exposure of 18.1 kg y. An analysis of the background indicates that the CUORE performance goal is satisfied while the sensitivity goal is within reach.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗