Measurement of the response of a Ga solar neutrino experiment to 37Ar source

An intense ³⁷Ar source was produced by the (n, α) reaction on ⁴⁰Ca by irradiating 330 kg of calcium oxide in the fast neutron breeder reactor at Zarechny, Russia. The ³⁷Ar was released from the solid target by dissolution in acid, collected from this solution, purified, sealed into a small source, and brought to the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, where it was used to irradiate 13 t of gallium metal in the Russian—American solar neutrino experiment SAGE. Ten exposures of the gallium to the source, whose initial strength was ∼ 409 ± 2kCi, were carried out during the period from April to September 2004. The ⁷¹Ge produced by the reaction ⁷¹Ga(ν _e, e ⁻)⁷¹Ge was extracted, purified, and counted. The measured production rate was 11.0 _−0.9 ^+1.0 (stat.) ±0.6 (syst.) atoms of ⁷¹Ge/d, which is 0.79 _−0.10 ^+0.09 of the theoretically calculated production rate. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A lithium experiment in the program of solar neutrino research

Experiments sensitive to pp neutrinos from the Sun are very promising for precise measurement of the mixing angle ϑ ₁₂. A νe ⁻ scattering experiment (XMASS) and/or a charged-current experiment (indium detector) can measure the flux of electron pp neutrinos. One can find the total flux of pp neutrinos from a luminosity constraint after the contributions of ⁷Be and CNO neutrinos to the total luminosity of the Sun are measured. A radiochemical experiment utilizing a lithium target has high sensitivity to the CNO neutrinos; thus, it has a good promise for precise measurement of the mixing angle and for a test of the current theory of evolution of the stars. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

C2GT: intercepting CERN neutrinos to Gran Sasso in the Gulf of Taranto to measure θ13

Today’s greatest challenge in accelerator-based neutrino physics is to measure the mixing angle θ₁₃ which is known to be much smaller than the solar mixing angle θ₁₂ and the atmospheric mixing angle θ₂₃. A non-zero value of the angle θ₁₃ is a prerequisite for observing CP violation in neutrino mixing. In this paper, we discuss a deep-sea neutrino experiment with 1.5 Mt fiducial target mass in the Gulf of Taranto with the prime objective of measuring θ₁₃. The detector is exposed to the CERN neutrino beam to Gran Sasso in off-axis geometry. Monochromatic muon neutrinos of ≈ 800 MeV energy are the dominant beam component. Neutrinos are detected through quasi-elastic, charged-current reactions in sea water; electrons and muons are detected in a large-surface, ring-imaging Cherenkov detector. The profile of the seabed in the Gulf of Taranto allows for a moveable experiment at variable distances from CERN, starting at 1100 km. From the oscillatory pattern of the disappearance of muon neutrinos, the experiment will measure sin²θ₂₃ and especially Δm² ₂₃ with high precision. The appearance of electron neutrinos will be observed with a sensitivity to P(ν_μ→ν_e) as small as 0.0035 (90% CL) and sin²θ₁₃ as small as 0.0019 (90% CL; for a CP phase angle δ=0° and for normal neutrino mass hierarchy).     

An explanation of the beam dump experiment

The production of prompt neutrinos in the beam dump experiment is explained in a cluster model, by postulating the emission of strange clusters in hadron collisions, besides the usual non-strange clusters. The low mass strange clusters can decay only by the weak interaction. The leptonic and semi-leptonic decay modes of these clusters give rise to prompt neutrinos. A prediction of the model is that the ratios <v _e>/π ⁺ at PS energies would be the same as SPS energies.     

Progress in the development of cryogenic detectors for GNO

An improvement of the statistical and systematic uncertainty beyond the level achieved in GALLEX is an essential prerequisite for GNO. As major contributions to these errors are associated with the detection of the EC-decay of ⁷¹Ge in miniaturized gas counters, low temperature calorimetric detectors might provide a promising alternative for a later phase of GNO. We report first results achieved in measurements of the EC-decaying isotopes ⁷¹Ge and ³⁷Ar with cryogenic calorimeters.     

Is there an excess of electron neutrinos in the atmospheric flux?

Summary The background produced by isolated neutrons in Cherenkov detectors studying the atmospheric neutrinos is discussed. The neutrons are generated in nuclear showers initiated by muons in the rock surrounding the detectors. It is shown that, taking into account the detection of π⁰ events from reactions of nA→π⁰X, which look likev _e detection, results in an observedI(v _μ)/I(v _e) ratio close to the expected one for the energy range 0.2–5 GeV.     

Resonance structure of the beta-strength function

The beta-decay strength function S _β(E) is described within two approaches: numerical solution of equation of the theory of finite Fermi systems for the effective nuclear field and solution of these equations using the quasi-classical approximation. Calculations were carried out for the isotopes ⁷¹Ge and ¹²⁷Xe. A comparison with experimental data showed their good accuracy. The resonance structure of the function S _β(E) and the quenching-effect resulting from the effective charge of quasiparticles in the nucleus are discussed.     

Study of the proton weak decay of 12ΛCg.s. with FINUDA

The FINUDA experiment studies the Λ -hypernuclei formation and decay using the reaction ( K ^- _stop,π^- induced by the low-momentum K^- from the deacy of the φ -meson produced at the (e ⁺, e ^- collider DAφ NE at the Laboratory Nazionali di Frascati of INFN. In this paper we present new data on the proton spectra following the weak decay of ¹² _ΛC .     

Majorana mass of the electron-muon Dirac neutrino and the fermion masses

The left-handed electron and muon neutrinos are considered to be Majorana neutrinos with equal mass. They have oppositeCP parities and are equivalent to a single Dirac neutrino. These neutrinos are shown to have a Majorana mass of about 6.5 eV. The relatively large mass of their charged leptons is due to their γ₅ coupling with the Higgs scalars By expressing the Higgs scalars as Clebsch-Gordon type of combinations ofZ andD neutral vector bosons with appropriate quantum numbers, it is shown that 2m _e m _μ /(m _e ² +m _μ ² )=(g_{v/g A}) _eμ ² , whereg _v andg _A are the vector and axial vector coupling constants, respectively, ofZ (orD) with the leptonse and μ. Weinberg mixing parametersx _L =e²/g _L ² andx _R =e ²/g _R ² are determined to be 0.2254 and 0.2746, respectively. In the quark sector the Cabibbo angle is about 13°11′ and the masses oft andb quarks are found to be respectively 134.2 and 4.69 GeV.     

New answer to the solar neutrino problem

We suggest a new answer to the problem of the solar neutrinos: a neutrino-photon interaction that would cause the neutrinos to disappear before they leave the sun or make them lose energy towards detection thresholds. We calculate the available energy in the system of the centre of mass, and show that the photons may be endowed with a pseudo-cross-section in the system of the sun. Under the assumption of an absorption, made to simplify the neutrino transport calculation, the chlorine experiment yields:σ _a =1.8( _−1.0 ^+0.7 )*10⁻⁹ barn, which is close tog _β/(ℏc)=4·49^*10⁻⁹ barn. The escape probability is substantially larger for the gallium neutrinos than for the chlorine neutrinos. Thermal radiation in the core of a supernova is suppressed by electrical conductivity, therefore the neutrinos from SN1987A could escape; they interacted with the photon piston in the outer layers of the supernova and the interaction has to be a scattering. The cosmological implications of a neutrino-photon interaction are discussed; Hubble’s constant may have to be modified. The case of an elastic scattering between neutrino and photon is discussed in more detail. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Search for new phenomena using single photon events at LEP1

Data are presented on the reaction e⁺e^? → γ + no other detected particle at centre-of-mass energies of 89.48, 91.26 and 93.08 GeV. The cross-section for this reaction is related directly to the number of light neutrino generations which couple to the Z° boson, and to several other possible phenomena such as the production of excited neutrinos, the production of any invisible ‘X’ particle, and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino. Based on the observed number of single photon events, the number of light neutrinos that couple to the Z° is measured to be N_v = 2.89 ± 0.38. No evidence is found for anomalous production of energetic single photons, and upper limits at 95% confidence level are determined for excited neutrino production (BR < 4 ? 8 × 10^?6 depending on its mass), production of an invisible ‘X’ particle (σ, < 0.1 pb for masses below 60 GeV), and the magnetic moment of the tau neutrino (< 5.1 × 10^-6 μB).     

The Baikal Neutrino Experiment: Status and beyond

The present status of the Baikal Neutrino Experiment and the present results of a search for upward going atmospheric neutrinos, WIMPs, and magnetic monopoles obtained with the NT-200 detector are reviewed. The results of a search for very high-energy neutrinos are presented as well. An upper limit on the ν _e +ν _e +ν _τ neutrino diffuse flux of E ²Φ(E)<1.3×10⁻⁶ cm⁻² s⁻¹ sr⁻¹ GeV within a neutrino energy range of 10⁴–10⁷ GeV is obtained, assumingan E ⁻² behavior of the neutrino spectrum and a flavor ratio ν _e :ν _π :ν _τ =1:1:1. We also describe the moderate upgrade of the NT-200 planned for the next few years and present a possible detector on the Gigaton scale. From Yadernaya Fizika, Vol. 67, No. 6, 2004, pp. 1186–1194. Original English Text Copyright ? 2004 by Aynutdinov, Balkanov, Belolaptikov, Bezrukov, Budnev, Chensky, Chernov, Danilchenko, Dzhilkibaev, Domogatsky, Dyachok, Gaponenko, O. Gress, T. Gress, Klabukov, Klimov, Klimushin, Konischev, Koshechkin, Kulepov, Kuzmichev, Kuznetzov, Lubsandorzhiev, Mikheyev, Milenin, Mirgazov, Moiseiko, Osipova, Panfilov, G. Pan'kov, L. Pan'kov, Parfenov, Pavlov, Pliskovsky, Pokhil, Polecshuk, Popova, Prosin, Rosanov, Rubtzov, Semeney, Shaibonov, Spiering, Streicher, Tarashansky, Vasiliev, Vyatchin, Wischnewski, Yashin, Zhukov. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Proposal of a laser radiochemical Ga detector of solar neutrinos

The technique of laser discrimination of ⁷¹Ge β-decay events in a radiochemical detector of low energy solar neutrinos is proposed and considered. This technique is based on laser selective photoionization of single Ga atom. Preliminary experiments are presented.     

Limits on the neutrino magnetic moment from solar neutrino experiments

If neutrinos have non-vanishing mass and non-vanishing magnetic moments, then electron neutrinos emitted in nuclear reactions in the solar interior may undergo flavour oscillations, spin precession or resonant spin-flavour precession. Assuming equal values for the magnetic moments of all neutrino flavours and using the data from Homestake and SuperKamiokande we obtain an upper limit on the neutrino magnetic moment and find μ_νe ≤ (2.2 − 2.3) × 10⁻¹⁰μ_B, within four standard solar models. We also point out that this limit may be further reduced if the detector threshold energy for the ν_e,χe⁻ scattering is decreased.     

Isobaric analogue resonances in71As through proton elastic scattering on70Ge

The analogues of the low-lying levels in⁷¹Ge have been observed as resonances in the compound nucleus⁷¹As through proton elastic scattering on⁷⁰Ge in the energy rangeE _p=3.5 to 5.3 MeV. The excitation functions cover the analogue resonances corresponding to states upto 2.3 MeV excitation in⁷¹Ge. The sub-structures in the 5.06 MeV resonance, first observed by Temmer and co-workers have been confirmed in the present experiment. The present investigation reveals similar sub-structures in the 4.13 MeV resonance lending further support to the existence of intermediate structure near an isobaric analogue resonance. The resonance parameters and the spectroscopic factors (for the corresponding parent states) have been extracted. The results are compared with the information available from the⁷⁰Ge(d, p)⁷¹Ge reaction.     

The status of XMASS experiment

The XMASS project utilizes ultrapure liquid xenon and aims to detect pp and ⁷Be solar neutrinos by means of ν _e e scattering. It requires low background and a low threshold, which will also enable us to search for dark matter in the Galactic halo. By using a prototype detector, we have confirmed its feasibility to realize low background and low threshold. We have estimated the sensitivity of an 800-kg liquid-xenon detector for a dark matter search experiment based on the experimental results. for the XMASS Collaboration The text was submitted by the author in English.     

Bistability of quantum magnetotransport in a multilayer Ge/p-Ge1−x Six heterostructure with wide potential wells

Two metastable states of a multilayer Ge/p-Ge_1−x Si_x heterosystem with wide (∼ 35 nm) potential wells (Ge) are observed in strong magnetic fields B at low temperatures. In the first state, the Hall resistivity exhibits an inflection near the value ρ_xy=h/e ² scaled to one Ge layer. The longitudinal magnetoresistivity ρ_xx(B) possesses a minimum in the range of fields where this inflection occurs. The temperature evolution of the inflection in ρ_xy(B), the minimum of ρ _xx(B), and the value of ρ_xy at the inflection indicates a weakly expressed state of the quantum Hall effect with a uniform current distribution over the layers. In the second metastable state, an unusually wide plateau near h/2e ² with a very weak field dependence is observed in ρ_xy(B). Estimates show that in these samples the Fermi level lies below but close to the top of the inflection in the bottom of the well. For this reason, the second state can be explained by separation of a hole gas in the Ge layers into two sublayers, and the saturation of ρ_xy(B) near h/2e ² can be explained by the formation of a quantum Hall insulator state. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 4, 290–297 (25 August 1999)     

Muon channeling in Ge: Evidence for pionium formation

In a recent experiment observing muon channeling from the decay of positive pions implanted in high-purity Ge single crystals, the pion decay site is found to be sensitive to the concentration of excess charge carriers produced by photon absorption. Distinctly different channeling profiles are observed in Ge at 100 K for illuminated samples (high carrier concentration) as compared to unilluminated samples (low carrier concentration). From these data we conclude that different electronic states of the pion in a semiconductor host lattice must account for the observed changes in the pion location. Furthermore we suggest that the pion exists in the solid both as the bare entity π⁺ and as pionium (π⁺ e⁻), i.e., a hydrogen-like atom with a mesonic nucleus.     

The LVD experiment at Gran Sasso

Summary The Large-Volume Detector (LVD) in the Gran Sasso underground Laboratory is a multipurpose detector consisting of a large volume of liquid scintillator (at present 562 tons are in data taking) interleaved with limited-streamer tubes. Several physical problems are investigated with LVD, the major being the search for neutrino bursts from gravitational stellar collapses in our Galaxy. In this paper we discuss some results on cosmic neutrinos and cosmic-ray muons obtained with the first of the five towers of LVD (operational since June 1992) and part of the second tower (operational since June 1994). The results of the search for supernovae neutrinos show that LVD is a neutrino observatory able to detect neutrinos of different flavours from gravitational stellar collapses in all our Galaxy, over a wide range of burst durations. Indeed, the carbon-based liquid-scintillator target gives a unique possibility to directly detect neutral- and charged-currents neutrino interactions with a very good signature. This characteristic of LVD allows us to make an indirect estimate of the neutrino rest mass and of neutrino oscillations from supernovae in our Galaxy. No evidence for burst candidates has been found in the data recorded from June 1992 to March 1995, for a total live time of 682 days and a total exposure of 613 tons per year. We present the results of a time coincidence analysis between low-energy signals, eventually due to neutrinos of different flavours, and γ-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the BATSE experiment. This search covers the period from June 1993 to March 1995, during which 41 GRBs have been selected from the BATSE data. Since no excess of events in LVD has been found, upper limits on the neutrino fluxes are reported for (ν_e, p), and for neutral- and charged-currents neutrino interactions of different flavours with the C-nuclei of the scintillator. The muon intensity as a function of slant depth is presented. These measurements, obtained during a live time period of 11.556 hours, cover a slant depths range from about 3000 to about 20 000 hg/cm² of standard rock and extend over five decades of intensity. An interesting result is that the muon flux is independent of slant depth beyond a depth of about 14 000 hg/cm² of standard rock, and corresponds to near horizontal muons. This is direct evidence that this flux is due to atmospheric neutrinos interacting in the rock surrounding LVD.