Tag Archives: Instrumentation and Detectors

Proton radiation damage tolerance of wide dynamic range SOI pixel detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03636


We have been developing the SOI pixel detector “INTPIX” for space use and general purpose applications such as the residual stress measurement of a rail and high energy physics experiments. INTPIX is a monolithic pixel detector composed of a high-resistivity Si sensor, a SiO2 insulator, and CMOS pixel circuits utilizing Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology. We have considered the possibility of using INTPIX to observe X-ray polarization in space. When the semiconductor detector is used in space, it is subject to radiation damage resulting from high-energy protons. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate whether INTPIX has high radiation tolerance for use in space. The INTPIX8 was irradiated with 6 MeV protons up to a total dose of 2 krad at HIMAC, National Institute of Quantum Science in Japan, and evaluated the degradation of the performance, such as energy resolution and non-uniformity of gain and readout noise between pixels. After 500 rad irradiation, which is the typical lifetime of an X-ray astronomy satellite, the degradation of energy resolution at 14.4 keV is less than 10%, and the non-uniformity of readout noise and gain between pixels is constant within 0.1%.

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S. Tsunomachi, T. Kohmura, K. Hagino, et. al.
Fri, 9 Sep 22
66/76

Comments: 7 pages, 8 figures, published in proceedings for SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation in 2022

Wideband Direct Detection Constraints on Hidden Photon Dark Matter with the QUALIPHIDE Experiment [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03419


We report direction detection constraints on the presence of hidden photon dark matter with masses between 20-30 ueV using a cryogenic emitter-receiver-amplifier spectroscopy setup designed as the first iteration of QUALIPHIDE (QUantum LImited PHotons In the Dark Experiment). A metallic dish sources conversion photons from hidden photon kinetic mixing onto a horn antenna which is coupled to a C-band kinetic inductance traveling wave parametric amplifier, providing for near quantum-limited noise performance. We demonstrate a first probing of the kinetic mixing parameter “chi” to just above 10^-12 for the majority of hidden photon masses in this region. These results not only represent stringent constraints on new dark matter parameter space but are also the first demonstrated use of wideband quantum-limited amplification for astroparticle applications

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K. Ramanathan, N. Klimovich, R. Thakur, et. al.
Fri, 9 Sep 22
72/76

Comments: 6 Pages, 5 figures,

Graph Neural Networks for Low-Energy Event Classification & Reconstruction in IceCube [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03042


IceCube, a cubic-kilometer array of optical sensors built to detect atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos between 1 GeV and 1 PeV, is deployed 1.45 km to 2.45 km below the surface of the ice sheet at the South Pole. The classification and reconstruction of events from the in-ice detectors play a central role in the analysis of data from IceCube. Reconstructing and classifying events is a challenge due to the irregular detector geometry, inhomogeneous scattering and absorption of light in the ice and, below 100 GeV, the relatively low number of signal photons produced per event. To address this challenge, it is possible to represent IceCube events as point cloud graphs and use a Graph Neural Network (GNN) as the classification and reconstruction method. The GNN is capable of distinguishing neutrino events from cosmic-ray backgrounds, classifying different neutrino event types, and reconstructing the deposited energy, direction and interaction vertex. Based on simulation, we provide a comparison in the 1-100 GeV energy range to the current state-of-the-art maximum likelihood techniques used in current IceCube analyses, including the effects of known systematic uncertainties. For neutrino event classification, the GNN increases the signal efficiency by 18% at a fixed false positive rate (FPR), compared to current IceCube methods. Alternatively, the GNN offers a reduction of the FPR by over a factor 8 (to below half a percent) at a fixed signal efficiency. For the reconstruction of energy, direction, and interaction vertex, the resolution improves by an average of 13%-20% compared to current maximum likelihood techniques in the energy range of 1-30 GeV. The GNN, when run on a GPU, is capable of processing IceCube events at a rate nearly double of the median IceCube trigger rate of 2.7 kHz, which opens the possibility of using low energy neutrinos in online searches for transient events.

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R. Abbasi, M. Ackermann, J. Adams, et. al.
Thu, 8 Sep 22
49/77

Comments: Prepared for submission to JINST

Comparing Instrument Spectral Sensitivity of Dissimilar Electromagnetic Haloscopes to Axion Dark Matter and High Frequency Gravitational Waves [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03004


It is known that axion haloscopes that operate to search for dark matter axions via the 2-photon anomaly are also sensitive to gravitational waves (GWs) through the inverse Gertsenshtein effect. Recently this way of searching for high frequency GWs has gained momentum as it has been shown that the strain sensitivity of such detectors, h_g, are of the same order of sensitivity as the axion-photon theta angle, \theta_a, which is related to the axion 2-photon coupling, g_{a\gamma\gamma}, by, \theta_a = g_{a\gamma\gamma}a, where, a, is the axion scalar field. This means after calculating the sensitivity of a haloscope to an axion signal, we also have calculated the order of magnitude sensitivity to a GW signal of the same spectral and temporal form. However, it is unlikely that a GW and an axion signal will be of the same form since physically the way the signals are generated are completely different. For GW detection, the spectral strain sensitivity in units strain per square root Hz, and is the natural way to compare the sensitivity of GW detectors due to its independence on the GW signal. Likewise, one can define a spectral axion-photon theta angle sensitivity in units of theta angle per square root Hz for axion detectors, which is independent of the axion signal. In this work we introduce a systematic way to calculate the spectral sensitivity of an axion haloscope so instrument comparison may be achieved independent of signal assumptions and only depends on the axion to signal transduction sensitivity and noise in the instrument. Thus, the calculation of the spectral sensitivity not only allows the comparison of dissimilar axion detectors independent of signal, but also allows comparison of the GW sensitivity in terms of spectral strain sensitivity, allowing comparisons to standard GW detectors based on optical interferometers and resonant-mass technology.

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M. Tobar, C. Thomson, W. Campbell, et. al.
Thu, 8 Sep 22
56/77

Comments: N/A

A horn-coupled millimeter-wave on-chip spectrometer based on Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.02484


Context. Millimetre-wave astronomy is an important tool for both general astrophysics studies and cosmology. A large number of unidentified sources are being detected by the large field-of-view continuum instruments operating on large telescopes.
Aims. New smart focal planes are needed to bridge the gap between large bandwidth continuum instruments operating on single dish telescopes and the high spectral and angular resolution interferometers (e.g. ALMA in Chile, NOEMA in France). The aim is to perform low-medium spectral resolution observations and select a lower number of potentially interesting sources, i.e. high-redshift galaxies, for further follow-up.
Methods. We have designed, fabricated and tested an innovative on-chip spectrometer sensitive in the 85-110~GHz range. It contains sixteen channels selecting a frequency band of about 0.2 GHz each. A conical horn antenna coupled to a slot in the ground plane collects the radiation and guides it to a mm-wave microstrip transmission line placed on the other side of the mono-crystalline substrate. The mm-wave line is coupled to a filter-bank. Each filter is capacitively coupled to a Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detector (LEKID). The microstrip configuration allows to benefit from the high quality, i.e. low losses, mono-crystalline substrate, and at the same time prevents direct, i.e. un-filtered, LEKID illumination.
Results. The prototype spectrometer exhibit a spectral resolution R = lambda / Delta_lambda = 300. The optical noise equivalent power is in the low 1E-16W/sqrt(Hz) range for an incoming power of about 0.2pW per channel. The device is polarisation-sensitive, with a cross-polarisation lower than 1% for the best channels.

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U. Chowdhury, F. Levy-Bertrand, M. Calvo, et. al.
Wed, 7 Sep 22
146/146

Comments: Submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics

Radon variation measurements at the Yangyang underground laboratory [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00737


From October 2004 to May 2022, the concentration of radon in the air was measured at a depth of 700 m in the Yangyang underground laboratory. The average rates in the two experimental areas, called A6 and A5, were measured as 53.4\pm0.2 Bq/m^3 and 33.5\pm0.1 Bq/m^3, respectively. The lower rate in the A5 area was caused by the improved temperature control and ventilation. In particular, these radon rates are correlated to the local temperature of the area, with a correlation coefficient r = 0.22. Therefore, the radon rates displayed a seasonal variation, because the local temperature driven by the overground season influences air ventilation in the experimental areas. A cosine fit on the annual residual rates exhibited the maximum amplitude on August 31 \pm 6 d every year.

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C. Ha, W. Kang, J. Kim, et. al.
Mon, 5 Sep 22
22/53

Comments: 6 pages, 6 figures

Dark Matter: DAMA/LIBRA and its perspectives [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00882


The long-standing model-independent annual modulation effect measured by DAMA deep underground at Gran Sasso Laboratory with different experimental configurations is summarized and perspectives will be highlighted. DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 set-up, $\simeq$ 250 kg highly radio-pure NaI(Tl) confirms the evidence of a signal that meets all the requirements of the model independent Dark Matter annual modulation signature at high C.L.; the full exposure is 2.86 ton $\times$ yr over 22 annual cycles. The experiment is currently collecting data in the DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 empowered configuration with an even lower software energy threshold. Other recent claims are shortly commented.

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R. Bernabei, P. Belli, F. Cappella, et. al.
Mon, 5 Sep 22
25/53

Comments: Proceedings of IDM 2022, July 18-22, 2022. A Section is dedicated to rebut the arguments of arXiv:2208.05158

Dark Matter: DAMA/LIBRA and its perspectives [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00882


The long-standing model-independent annual modulation effect measured by DAMA deep underground at Gran Sasso Laboratory with different experimental configurations is summarized and perspectives will be highlighted. DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 set-up, $\simeq$ 250 kg highly radio-pure NaI(Tl) confirms the evidence of a signal that meets all the requirements of the model independent Dark Matter annual modulation signature at high C.L.; the full exposure is 2.86 ton $\times$ yr over 22 annual cycles. The experiment is currently collecting data in the DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 empowered configuration with an even lower software energy threshold. Other recent claims are shortly commented.

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R. Bernabei, P. Belli, F. Cappella, et. al.
Mon, 5 Sep 22
11/53

Comments: Proceedings of IDM 2022, July 18-22, 2022. A Section is dedicated to rebut the arguments of arXiv:2208.05158

Radon variation measurements at the Yangyang underground laboratory [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00737


From October 2004 to May 2022, the concentration of radon in the air was measured at a depth of 700 m in the Yangyang underground laboratory. The average rates in the two experimental areas, called A6 and A5, were measured as 53.4\pm0.2 Bq/m^3 and 33.5\pm0.1 Bq/m^3, respectively. The lower rate in the A5 area was caused by the improved temperature control and ventilation. In particular, these radon rates are correlated to the local temperature of the area, with a correlation coefficient r = 0.22. Therefore, the radon rates displayed a seasonal variation, because the local temperature driven by the overground season influences air ventilation in the experimental areas. A cosine fit on the annual residual rates exhibited the maximum amplitude on August 31 \pm 6 d every year.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Ha, W. Kang, J. Kim, et. al.
Mon, 5 Sep 22
25/53

Comments: 6 pages, 6 figures

Secular Equilibrium Assessment in a $\mathrm{CaWO}_4$ Target Crystal from the Dark Matter Experiment CRESST using Bayesian Likelihood Normalisation [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00461


CRESST is a leading direct detection sub-$\mathrm{GeVc}^{-2}$ dark matter experiment. During its second phase, cryogenic bolometers were used to detect nuclear recoils off the $\mathrm{CaWO}_4$ target crystal nuclei. The previously established electromagnetic background model relies on secular equilibrium (SE) assumptions. In this work, a validation of SE is attempted by comparing two likelihood-based normalisation results using a recently developed spectral template normalisation method based on Bayesian likelihood. We find deviations from SE; further investigations are necessary to determine their origin.

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G. Angloher, S. Banik, G. Benato, et. al.
Fri, 2 Sep 22
14/62

Comments: Submitted as Proceedings of ICRM-LLRMT to the journal “Applied Radiation and Isotopes”, 5 pages, 3 figures

Reduction of $^{222}$Rn-induced Backgrounds in a Hermetic Dual-Phase Xenon Time Projection Chamber [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2209.00362


The continuous emanation of $^{222}$Rn from detector surfaces causes the dominant background in current liquid xenon time projection chambers (TPCs) searching for dark matter. A significant reduction is required for the next generation of detectors which are aiming to reach the neutrino floor, such as DARWIN. $^{222}$Rn-induced back-grounds can be reduced using a hermetic TPC, in which the sensitive target volume is mechanically separated from the rest of the detector containing the majority of Rn-emanating surfaces. We present a hermetic TPC that mainly follows the well-established design of leading xenon TPCs and has been operated successfully over a period of several weeks. By scaling up the results achieved to the DARWIN-scale, we show that the hermetic TPC concept can reduce the $^{222}$Rn concentration to the required level, even with imperfect separation of the volumes.

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J. Dierle, A. Brown, H. Fischer, et. al.
Fri, 2 Sep 22
24/62

Comments: 9 pages, 6 figures

Calculating the precision of tilt-to-length coupling estimation and noise subtraction in LISA using Fisher information [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.14890


Tilt-to-length (TTL) noise from angular jitter in LISA is projected to be the dominant noise source in the milli-Hertz band unless corrected in post-processing. The correction is only possible after removing the overwhelming laser phase noise using time-delay interferometry (TDI). We present here a frequency domain model that describes the effect of angular motion of all three spacecraft on the interferometric signals after propagating through TDI. We then apply a Fisher information matrix analysis to this model to calculate the minimum uncertainty with which TTL coupling coefficients may be estimated. Furthermore, we show the impact of these uncertainties on the residual TTL noise in the gravitational wave readout channel, and compare it to the impact of the angular witness sensors’ readout noise. We show that the residual TTL noise post-subtraction in the TDI variables for a case using the LISA angular jitter requirement and integration time of one day is limited to the 8\,pm/$\sqrt{\rm Hz}$ level by angular sensing noise. However, using a more realistic model for the angular jitter we find that the TTL coupling uncertainties are 70 times larger, and the noise subtraction is limited by these uncertainties to the 14\,pm/$\sqrt{\rm Hz}$ level.

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D. George, J. Sanjuan, P. Fulda, et. al.
Thu, 1 Sep 22
45/68

Comments: N/A

Environmental sub-MeV neutron measurement at the Gran Sasso surface laboratory with a super-fine-grained nuclear emulsion detector [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.13366


The measurement of environmental neutrons is particularly important in the search for new physics, such as dark matter particles, because neutrons constitute an often-irreducible background source. The measurement of the neutron energy spectra in the sub-MeV scale is technically difficult because it requires a very good energy resolution and a very high $\gamma$-ray rejection power. In this study, we used a super-fine-grained nuclear emulsion, called Nano Imaging Tracker (NIT), as a neutron detector. The main target of neutrons is the hydrogen (proton) content of emulsion films. Through a topological analysis, proton recoils induced by neutron scattering can be detected as tracks with sub-micrometric accuracy. This method shows an extremely high $\gamma$-ray rejection power, at the level of $3 \times 10^7 ~ \gamma ~ \rm{cm}^{-2}$, which is equivalent to 3 years accumulation of environmental $\gamma$-rays, and a very good energy and direction resolution even in the sub-MeV energy region. In order to carry out this measurement with sufficient statistics, we upgraded the automated scanning system to achieve a speed of 250 g/year/machine. We calibrated the detector performance of this system with 880 keV monochromatic neutrons: a very good agreement with the expectation was found for all the relevant kinematic variables. The application of the developed method to a sample exposed at the INFN Gran Sasso surface laboratory provided the first measurement of sub-MeV environmental neutrons with a flux of $(5.9 \pm 1.2) \times 10^{-3} \rm{cm}^{-2} \rm{s}^{-1}$ in the proton energy range between 0.25 and 1 MeV (corresponds to neutron energy range between 0.25 and 10 MeV), consistent with the prediction. The neutron energy and direction distributions also show a good agreement.

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T. Shiraishi, S. Akamatsu, T. Naka, et. al.
Tue, 30 Aug 22
21/76

Comments: 11 pages, 14 figures

Frequency domain multiplexing readout for large arrays of transition-edge sensors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.12604


We report our most recent progress and demonstration of a frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) readout technology for transition-edge sensor (TES) arrays, both of which we have been developing, in the framework of the X-IFU instrument on board the future Athena X-ray telescope. Using Ti/Au TES micro-calorimeters, high-Q LC filters and analog/digital electronics developed at SRON and low-noise two-stage SQUID amplifiers from VTT Finland, we demonstrated feasibility of our FDM readout technology, with the simultaneous readout of 37 pixels with an energy resolution at of 2.23 eV at an energy of 6 keV. We finally outline our plans for further scaling up and improving our technology.

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D. Vaccaro, H. Akamatsu, L. Gottardi, et. al.
Mon, 29 Aug 22
15/49

Comments: Version submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods A for the proceedings of the Pisa Meeting 2021 conference

Super-resolution wavefront reconstruction [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.12052


Super-Resolution (SR) is a technique that seeks to upscale the resolution of a set of measured signals. SR retrieves higher-frequency signal content by combining multiple lower resolution sampled data sets. SR is well known both in the temporal and spatial domains. It is widely used in imaging to reduce aliasing and enhance the resolution of coarsely sampled images.This paper applies the SR technique to the bi-dimensional wavefront reconstruction. In particular, we show how SR is intrinsically suited for tomographic multi WaveFront Sensor (WFS) AO systems revealing many of its advantages with minimal design effort. This paper provides a direct space and Fourier-optics description of the wavefront sensing operation and demonstrate how SR can be exploited through signal reconstruction, especially in the framework of Periodic Nonuniform Sampling. Both meta uniform and nonuniform sampling schemes are investigated. Then, the SR bi-dimensional model for a Shack Hartmann (SH) WFS is provided and the characteristics of the sensitivity function are analyzed. The SR concept is finally validated with numerical simulations of representative multi WFS SH AO systems. Our results show that combining several WFS samples in a SR framework grants access to a larger number of modes than the native one offered by a single WFS and that despite the fixed sub-aperture size across samples. Furthermore, we show that the associated noise propagation is not degraded under SR. Finally, the concept is extended to the signal produced by single Pyramid WFS. In conclusion, SR applied to wavefront reconstruction offers a new parameter space to explore as it decouples the size of the subaperture from the desired wavefront sampling resolution. By cutting short with old assumptions, new, more flexible and better performing AO designs become now possible.

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S. Oberti, C. Correia, T. Fusco, et. al.
Fri, 26 Aug 22
43/49

Comments: Astronomy & Astrophysics Section: 13. Astronomical instrumentation AA/2022/43954

First tests of a 1 megapixel near-infrared avalanche photodiode array for ultra-low background space astronomy [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.11834


Spectroscopy of Earth-like exoplanets and ultra-faint galaxies are priority science cases for the coming decades. Here, broadband source flux rates are measured in photons per square meter per hour, imposing extreme demands on detector performance, including dark currents lower than 1 e-/pixel/kilosecond, read noise less than 1 e-/pixel/frame, and large formats. There are currently no infrared detectors that meet these requirements. The University of Hawaii and industrial partners are developing one promising technology, linear mode avalanche photodiodes (LmAPDs), using fine control over the HgCdTe bandgap structure to enable noise-free charge amplification and minimal glow.
Here we report first results of a prototype megapixel format LmAPD operated in our cryogenic testbed. At 50 Kelvin, we measure a dark current of about 3 e-/pixel/kilosecond, which is due to an intrinsic dark current consistent with zero (best estimate of 0.1 e-/pixel/kilosecond) and a ROIC glow of 0.08 e-/pixel/frame. The read noise of these devices is about 10 e-/pixel/frame at 3 volts, and decreases by 30% with each additional volt of bias, reaching 2 e- at 8 volts. Upcoming science-grade devices are expected to substantially improve upon these figures, and address other issues uncovered during testing.

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C. Claveau, M. Bottom, S. Jacobson, et. al.
Fri, 26 Aug 22
49/49

Comments: To be published in Proc. SPIE 12191, X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy X, 12191-34 (July 18, 2022)

CCAT-prime: The 850 GHz camera for Prime-Cam on FYST [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.10634


The Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) at the Cerro-Chajnantor Atacama Telescope prime (CCAT- prime) Facility will host Prime-Cam as a powerful, first generation camera with imaging polarimeters working at several wavelengths and spectroscopic instruments aimed at intensity mapping during the Epoch of Reionization. Here we introduce the 850 GHz (350 micron) instrument module. This will be the highest frequency module in Prime-Cam and the most novel for astronomical and cosmological surveys, taking full advantage of the atmospheric transparency at the high 5600 meter CCAT-prime siting on Cerro Chajnantor. With a 1.1 deg diameter field, the 850 GHz module will deploy ~40,000 Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) with Silicon platelet feedhorn coupling (both fabricated at NIST), and will provide unprecedented broadband intensity and polarization measurement capabilities. The 850 GHz module will be key to addressing pressing astrophysical questions regarding galaxy formation, Big Bang cosmology, and star formation within our own Galaxy. We present the motivation and overall design for the module, and initial laboratory characterization.

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S. Chapman, A. Huber, A. Sinclair, et. al.
Wed, 24 Aug 22
3/67

Comments: 15 pages, accepted for publication in SPIE

Reconstructing the lost eclipse events of the Saros spiral applying the Draconic gearing on the Antikythera Mechanism. The impact of the gearing errors on the pointers position [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.10997


We present new observations concerning the procedure for the reconstruction of the lost eclipse events engraved in the Saros spiral cells of the Antikythera Mechanism. For the reconstructed eclipse events we applied the assumed, albeit missing, Draconic gearing of the Antikythera Mechanism, which was probably a part of the Mechanism gearing, representing the fourth lunar motion, the Draconic cycle. The Draconic gearing is very critical for the eclipse prediction and defines whether an eclipse will occur. For our research we created a program which presents the phase of the four lunar cycles and the position of the Draconic pointer relative to the ecliptic limits. After calibrating the software according to the preserved eclipse events, the lost eclipse events of the Saros spiral were calculated and discussed. The procedure for the calculation of the events times by using solely the Mechanism is also presented. The eccentricity error of a gear which is preserved on the ancient prototype is discussed. An experimental setup facilitated the analysis of the mechanical characteristics of gears with triangular teeth and the errors. The experimental study of the gears errors revealed the strong impact the Antikythera Mechanism pointers have on the results.

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A. Voulgaris, C. Mouratidis and A. Vossinakis
Wed, 24 Aug 22
45/67

Comments: Manuscript (26 pages and 13 figures) and Supplementary material (36 pages and 92 figures)

Mitigation of the Magnetic Field Susceptibility of Transition Edge Sensors using a Superconducting Groundplane [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.10775


Transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters and bolometers are used for a variety of applications. The sensors are based on the steep temperature-dependent resistance of the normal-to-superconducting transition, and are thus intrinsically sensitive to magnetic fields. Conventionally the detectors are shielded from stray magnetic fields using external magnetic shields. However, in particular for applications with strict limits on the available space and mass of an instrument, external magnetic shields might not be enough to obtain the required shielding factors or field homogeneity. Additionally, these shields are only effective for magnetic fields generated external to the TES array, and are ineffective to mitigate the impact of internally generated magnetic fields. Here we present an alternative shielding method based on a superconducting groundplane deposited directly on the backside of the silicon nitride membrane on which the TESs are located. We demonstrate that this local shielding for external magnetic fields has a shielding factor of at the least ~ 75, and is also effective at reducing internal self-induced magnetic fields, as demonstrated by measurements and simulation of the eddy current losses in our AC biased detectors. Measurements of 5.9 keV X-ray photons show that our shielded detectors have a high resilience to external magnetic fields, showing no degradation of the energy resolution or shifts of the energy scale calibration for fields of several microTesla, values higher than expected in typical real-world applications.

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M. Wit, L. Gottardi, M. Ridder, et. al.
Wed, 24 Aug 22
47/67

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures

SLAC Microresonator RF (SMuRF) Electronics: A tone-tracking readout system for superconducting microwave resonator arrays [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.10523


We describe the newest generation of the SLAC Microresonator RF (SMuRF) electronics, a warm digital control and readout system for microwave-frequency resonator-based cryogenic detector and multiplexer systems such as microwave SQUID multiplexers ($\mu$mux) or microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs). Ultra-sensitive measurements in particle physics and astronomy increasingly rely on large arrays of cryogenic sensors, which in turn necessitate highly multiplexed readout and accompanying room-temperature electronics. Microwave-frequency resonators are a popular tool for cryogenic multiplexing, with the potential to multiplex thousands of detector channels on one readout line. The SMuRF system provides the capability for reading out up to 3328 channels across a 4-8 GHz bandwidth. Notably, the SMuRF system is unique in its implementation of a closed-loop tone-tracking algorithm that minimizes RF power transmitted to the cold amplifier, substantially relaxing system linearity requirements and effective noise from intermodulation products. Here we present a description of the hardware, firmware, and software systems of the SMuRF electronics, comparing achieved performance with science-driven design requirements. We focus in particular on the case of large channel count, low bandwidth applications, but the system has been easily reconfigured for high bandwidth applications. The system described here has been successfully deployed in lab settings and field sites around the world and is baselined for use on upcoming large-scale observatories.

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C. Yu, Z. Ahmed, J. Frisch, et. al.
Wed, 24 Aug 22
50/67

Comments: 28 pages, 25 figures, + references. Comments welcome!

Swarm of lightsail nanosatellites for Solar System exploration [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.10980


This paper presents a study for the realization of a space mission which employs nanosatellites driven by an external laser source impinging on an optimized lightsail, as a valuable technology to launch swarms of spacecrafts into the Solar System. Nanosatellites propelled by laser can be useful for the heliosphere exploration and for planetary observation, if suitably equipped with sensors, or be adopted for the establishment of network systems when placed into specific orbits. By varying the area-to-mass ratio (i.e., the ratio between the sail area and the payload weight) and the laser power, it is possible to insert the spacecraft into different hyperbolic orbits with respect to Earth, thus reaching the target by means of controlled trajectories in a relatively short amount of time. A mission involving nanosatellites of the order of 1 kg of mass is envisioned, by describing all the on-board subsystems and satisfying all the requirements in term of power and mass budget. Particular attention is paid to the telecommunication subsystem, which must offer all the necessary functionalities. To fabricate the lightsail, the thin films technology has been considered, by verifying the sail thermal stability during the thrust phase. Moreover, the problem of mechanical stability of the lightsail has been tackled, showing that the distance between the ligthsail structure and the payload plays a pivotal role. Some potential applications of the proposed technology are discussed, such as the mapping of the heliospheric environment.

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G. Santi, A. Corso, D. Garoli, et. al.
Wed, 24 Aug 22
62/67

Comments: N/A

CCAT-prime: Optical and cryogenic design of the 850 GHz module for Prime-Cam [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.09560


Prime-Cam is a first-generation instrument for the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope-prime (CCAT-prime) Facility. The 850$~$GHz module for Prime-Cam will probe the highest frequency of all the instrument modules. We describe the parameter space of the 850$~$GHz optical system between the F$\lambda$ spacing, beam size, pixel sensitivity, and detector count. We present the optimization of an optical design for the 850$~$GHz instrument module for CCAT-prime. We further describe the development of the cryogenic RF chain design to accommodate $>$30 readout lines to read 41,400 kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) within the cryogenic testbed.

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A. Huber, S. Chapman, A. Sinclair, et. al.
Tue, 23 Aug 22
31/79

Comments: 12 pages, 7 figures

Overcoming 1 part in $10^9$ of Earth angular rotation rate measurement with the G Wettzell data [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.09134


The absolute measurement of the Earth angular rotation rate with ground-based instruments becomes challenging if the 1 part in $10^9$ of precision has to be obtained. This threshold is important for fundamental physics and for geodesy, to investigate effects of General Relativity and Lorentz violation in the gravity sector and to provide the fast variation of the Earth rotation rate.
High sensitivity Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG) are currently the only promising technique to achieve this task in the near future, but their precision has been so far limited by systematics related to the laser operation.
In this paper we analyze two different sets of observations, each of them three days long. They were obtained from the G ring laser at the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell. The applied method has been developed for the GINGERINO ring laser in order to identify and extract the laser systematics. For the available data sets the residuals show mostly white noise behavior and the Allan deviation drops below 1 part in $10^9$ after an integration time of about $10^4$~s.

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A. Virgilio, G. Terreni, A. Basti, et. al.
Mon, 22 Aug 22
38/53

Comments: 10 pages, 6 figures

CONCERTO: Readout and control electronics [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.07629


The CONCERTO spectral-imaging instrument was installed at the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) 12-meter telescope in April 2021. It has been designed to look at radiation emitted by ionised carbon atoms, [CII], and use the “intensity Mapping” technique to set the first constraints on the power spectrum of dusty star-forming galaxies. The instrument features two arrays of 2152 pixels constituted of Lumped Element KID Detectors (LEKID) operated at cryogenic temperatures, cold optics and a fast Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS). To readout and operate the instrument, a newly designed electronic system hosted in five microTCA crates and composed of twelve readout boards and two control boards was designed and commissioned. The architecture and the performances are presented in this paper.

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O. Bourrion, C. Hoarau, J. Bounmy, et. al.
Wed, 17 Aug 22
7/58

Comments: N/A

CCAT-prime: RFSoC Based Readout for Frequency Multiplexed Kinetic Inductance Detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.07465


The Prime-Cam instrument on the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) is expected to be the largest deployment of millimeter and submillimeter sensitive kinetic inductance detectors to date. To read out these arrays efficiently, a microwave frequency multiplexed readout has been designed to run on the Xilinx Radio Frequency System on a Chip (RFSoC). The RFSoC has dramatically improved every category of size, weight, power, cost, and bandwidth over the previous generation readout systems. We describe a baseline firmware design which can read out four independent RF networks each with 500 MHz of bandwidth and 1000 detectors for ~30 W. The overall readout architecture is a combination of hardware, gateware/firmware, software, and network design. The requirements of the readout are driven by the 850 GHz instrument module of the 7-module Prime-Cam instrument. These requirements along with other constraints which have led to critical design choices are highlighted. Preliminary measurements of the system phase noise and dynamic range are presented.

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A. Sinclair, R. Stephenson, C. Roberson, et. al.
Wed, 17 Aug 22
30/58

Comments: Submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2022

The KM3NeT infrastructure: status and first results [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.07370


KM3NeT is a research infrastructure in construction under the Mediterranean Sea. It hosts two large volume neutrino Cherenkov telescopes: ARCA at a depth of 3500 m, located offshore Sicily, and ORCA, 2500 m under the sea level, offshore the southern French coast. The two detectors share the same detection principle and technology and the same data acquisition design, the only difference being the geometrical arrangement of the optical sensors. This allows to span a wide range of neutrino energy and cover a large scientific program: the study of neutrino properties, first of all neutrino mass ordering, the identification and study of high energy neutrino astrophysical sources, indirect dark matter searches and core collapse supernovae detection.

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A. Margiotta
Wed, 17 Aug 22
52/58

Comments: Contribution to the ISVHECRI 2022 – Submission to SciPost Phys. Proc

Gaussian phase autocorrelation as an accurate compensator for FFT-based atmospheric phase screen simulations [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.06060


Accurately simulating the atmospheric turbulence behaviour is always challenging. The well-known FFT based method falls short in correctly predicting both the low and high frequency behaviours. Sub-harmonic compensation aids in low-frequency correction but does not solve the problem for all screen size to outer scale parameter ratios (G/$L_0$). FFT-based simulation gives accurate result only for relatively large screen size to outer scale parameter ratio (G/$L_0$). In this work, we have introduced a Gaussian phase autocorrelation matrix to compensate for any sort of residual errors after applying for a modified subharmonics compensation. With this, we have solved problems such as under sampling at the high-frequency range, unequal sampling/weights for subharmonics addition at low-frequency range and the patch normalization factor. Our approach reduces the maximum error in phase structure-function in the simulation with respect to theoretical prediction to within 1.8\%, G/$L_0$ = 1/1000.

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S. Chhabra, J. Paul, A. Ramaprakash, et. al.
Mon, 15 Aug 22
26/54

Comments: SPIE conference proceedings 2020. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2106.01002

Skipper-CCDs: current applications and future [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2208.05434


This work briefly discusses the potential applications of the Skipper-CCD technology in astronomy and reviews its current use in dark matter and neutrino experiments. An overview of the ongoing efforts to build multi-kilogram experiments with these sensors is given, in the context of the Oscura experiment. First results from the characterization of Oscura sensors from the first 200 mm wafer-fabrication run with a new vendor are presented. The overall yield of the electron counting capability of these sensors is 71%. A noise of 0.087 e$^-$ RMS, with 1225 samples/pix, and a dark current of (0.031$\pm$0.013) e$^-$/pix/day at 140 K were measured.

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B. Cervantes-Vergara, S. Perez, J. D’Olivo, et. al.
Thu, 11 Aug 22
54/68

Comments: N/A

Design of a Space-based Near-Solar Neutrino Detector for the $ν$SOL Experiment [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2206.00703


The concept of putting a neutrino detector in close orbit of the sun has been unexplored until very recently. The primary scientific return is to vastly enhance our understanding of the solar interior, which is a major NASA goal. Preliminary calculations show that such a spacecraft, if properly shielded, can operate in space environments while taking data from neutrino interactions. These interactions can be distinguished from random background rates of solar electromagnetic emissions, galactic charged cosmic-rays, and gamma-rays by using a double pulsed signature. Early simulations of this project have shown this veto schema to be successful in eliminating background and identifying the neutrino interaction signal in upwards of 75% of gamma ray interactions and nearly 100% of other interactions. Hence, we propose a new instrument to explore and study our sun. Due to inverse square scaling, this instrument has the potential to outperform earth-based experiments in several domains such as making measurements not accessible from the earth’s orbit.

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N. Solomey, J. Folkerts, H. Meyer, et. al.
Fri, 3 Jun 22
5/57

Comments: N/A

Puzzling time properties of proportional electroluminescence in two-phase argon detectors for dark matter searches [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2206.00296


Proportional electroluminescence (EL) in noble gases is the physical effect routinely used in two-phase (liquid-gas) detectors for dark matter searches to record the primary ionization signal in the gas phase induced by particle scattering in the liquid phase. In this work, the time properties of visible-light EL in two-phase argon detectors have for the first time been systematically studied. In particular, two unusual slow components in the EL signal, with time constants of about 4-5 $\mu$s and 50 $\mu$s, were observed. Their puzzling property is that their contributions and time constants increase with electric field, which is not expected in any of the known mechanisms of photon and electron emission in two-phase media. In addition, a specific threshold behavior of the slow components was revealed: they emerged at a threshold in reduced electric field of about 5 Td regardless of the gas phase density, which is 1 Td above the onset of standard (excimer) EL. It is shown that this threshold is related to higher atomic excited states Ar$^{*}(3p^{5}4p)$. An unexpected temperature dependence of slow components was also observed: their contribution decreased with temperature, practically disappearing at room temperature. We show that the puzzling properties of slow components can be explained in the framework of hypothesis that these are produced in the charge signal itself due to trapping of drifting electrons on metastable negative argon ions.

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A. Buzulutskov, E. Frolov, E. Borisova, et. al.
Thu, 2 Jun 22
30/57

Comments: 12 pages, 17 figures

Simulation of dielectric axion haloscopes with deep neural networks: a proof-of-principle [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2206.00370


Dielectric axion haloscopes, such as the \mbox{{\sc Madmax}} experiment, are promising concepts for the direct search for dark matter axions. A reliable simulation is a fundamental requirement for the successful realisation of the experiments. Due to the complexity of the simulations, the demands on computing resources can quickly become prohibitive. In this paper, we show for the first time that modern deep learning techniques can be applied to aid the simulation and optimisation of dielectric haloscopes.

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P. Jung, B. Santos, D. Graulich, et. al.
Thu, 2 Jun 22
53/57

Comments: 7 pages, 6 figures

X-ray Radiation Damage Effects on Double-SOI Pixel Detectors for the Future Astronomical Satellite "FORCE" [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.13244


We have been developing the monolithic active pixel detector “XRPIX” onboard the future X-ray astronomical satellite “FORCE”. XRPIX is composed of CMOS pixel circuits, SiO2 insulator, and Si sensor by utilizing the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. When the semiconductor detector is operated in orbit, it suffers from radiation damage due to X-rays emitted from the celestial objects as well as cosmic rays. From previous studies, positive charges trapped in the SiO2 insulator are known to cause the degradation of the detector performance. To improve the radiation hardness, we developed XRPIX equipped with Double-SOI (D-SOI) structure, introducing an additional silicon layer in the SiO2 insulator. This structure is aimed at compensating for the effect of the trapped positive charges. Although the radiation hardness to cosmic rays of the D-SOI detectors has been evaluated, the radiation effect due to the X-ray irradiation has not been evaluated. Then, we conduct an X-ray irradiation experiment using an X-ray generator with a total dose of 10 krad at the SiO2 insulator, equivalent to 7 years in orbit. As a result of this experiment, the energy resolution in full-width half maximum for the 5.9 keV X-ray degrades by 17.8 $\pm$ 2.8% and the dark current increases by 89 $\pm$ 13%. We also investigate the physical mechanism of the increase in the dark current due to X-ray irradiation using TCAD simulation. It is found that the increase in the dark current can be explained by the increase in the interface state density at the Si/SiO2 interface.

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M. Kitajima, K. Hagino, T. Kohmura, et. al.
Fri, 27 May 22
39/61

Comments: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems

Pre-Supernova Alert System for Super-Kamiokande [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.09881


In 2020, the Super-Kamiokande (SK) experiment moved to a new stage (SK-Gd) in which gadolinium (Gd) sulfate octahydrate was added to the water in the detector, enhancing the efficiency to detect thermal neutrons and consequently improving the sensitivity to low energy electron anti-neutrinos from inverse beta decay (IBD) interactions. SK-Gd has the potential to provide early alerts of incipient core-collapse supernovae through detection of electron anti-neutrinos from thermal and nuclear processes responsible for the cooling of massive stars before the gravitational collapse of their cores. These pre-supernova neutrinos emitted during the silicon burning phase can exceed the energy threshold for IBD reactions. We present the sensitivity of SK-Gd to pre-supernova stars and the techniques used for the development of a pre-supernova alarm based on the detection of these neutrinos in SK, as well as prospects for future SK-Gd phases with higher concentrations of Gd. For the current SK-Gd phase, high-confidence alerts for Betelgeuse could be issued up to nine hours in advance of the core-collapse itself.

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S. Collaboration, L. Machado, K. Abe, et. al.
Wed, 25 May 22
6/56

Comments: 20 pages

Gamma/Hadron Separation with the HAWC Observatory [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.12188


The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) gamma-ray observatory observes atmospheric showers produced by incident gamma rays and cosmic rays with energy from 300 GeV to more than 100 TeV. A crucial phase in analyzing gamma-ray sources using ground-based gamma-ray detectors like HAWC is to identify the showers produced by gamma rays or hadrons. The HAWC observatory records roughly 25,000 events per second, with hadrons representing the vast majority ($>99.9\%$) of these events. The standard gamma/hadron separation technique in HAWC uses a simple rectangular cut involving only two parameters. This work describes the implementation of more sophisticated gamma/hadron separation techniques, via machine learning methods (boosted decision trees and neural networks), and summarizes the resulting improvements in gamma/hadron separation obtained in HAWC.

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R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, J. Álvarez, et. al.
Wed, 25 May 22
36/56

Comments: 35 pages, 9 figures, published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A

In-orbit radiation damage characterization of SiPMs in GRID-02 CubeSat detector [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.10506


Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) has recently been used in several space-borne missions for scintillator readout, thanks to its solid state, compact size, low operating voltage and insensitivity to magnetic fields. However, a known issue of operating SiPM in space environment is the radiation damage and thus the performance degradation. In-orbit quantitative study of these effects is still very limited. In this work we present in-orbit SiPM characterization results obtained by the second detector of Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID-02), which was launched on Nov. 6, 2020. An increase in dark current of $\sim$100 $\mu$A/year per SiPM chip (model MicroFJ-60035-TSV) at 28.5 V and 5$^{\circ}$C is observed, and consequently the overall noise level (sigma) of GRID-02 detector increases $\sim$7.5 keV/year. The estimate of this increase is $\sim$50 $\mu$A/year per SiPM chip at -20$^{\circ}$C, which indicates good effect of using a cooling system.

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X. Zheng, H. Gao, J. Wen, et. al.
Tue, 24 May 22
6/92

Comments: 19 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, submitted to NIM-A

Validation of high voltage power supplies for the 1-inch photomultipliers of AugerPrime, the Pierre Auger Observatory upgrade [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.11329


In the framework of the upgrade of the Pierre Auger Observatory, a new high voltage module is being employed for the power supply of the 1-inch photomultiplier added to each water-Cherenkov detector of the surface array with the aim of increasing the dynamic range of the measurements. This module is located in a dedicated box near the electronics and comprises a low consumption DC-DC converter hosted inside an aluminum box. All the modules have undergone specific tests to verify their reliability in the extreme environmental conditions of the Argentinian pampa. In this paper, we describe the validation procedure and the facility developed to this aim. The successful results of the tests on the HVPS modules are presented and discussed.

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G. Anastasi, M. Buscemi, M. Aglietta, et. al.
Tue, 24 May 22
43/92

Comments: 11 pages, 9 figures, published on JINST as technical report

Prospects for Detecting the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with JUNO [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.08830


We present the detection potential for the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), using the inverse-beta-decay (IBD) detection channel on free protons. We employ the latest information on the DSNB flux predictions, and investigate in detail the background and its reduction for the DSNB search at JUNO. The atmospheric neutrino induced neutral current (NC) background turns out to be the most critical background, whose uncertainty is carefully evaluated from both the spread of model predictions and an envisaged \textit{in situ} measurement. We also make a careful study on the background suppression with the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) and triple coincidence (TC) cuts. With latest DSNB signal predictions, more realistic background evaluation and PSD efficiency optimization, and additional TC cut, JUNO can reach the significance of 3$\sigma$ for 3 years of data taking, and achieve better than 5$\sigma$ after 10 years for a reference DSNB model. In the pessimistic scenario of non-observation, JUNO would strongly improve the limits and exclude a significant region of the model parameter space.

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J. Collaboration, A. Abusleme, T. Adam, et. al.
Thu, 19 May 22
10/61

Comments: N/A

Cryogenic optical shadow sensors for future gravitational wave detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.08881


Displacement sensors have a variety of applications within gravitational wave detectors. The seismic isolation chain of the LIGO core optics utilises optical shadow sensors for their stabilisation. Future upgrades, such as LIGO Voyager, plan to operate at cryogenic temperatures to reduce their thermal noise and will require cryogenic displacement sensors. We present the results of simulations and experimental tests of the shadow sensors embedded in the Birmingham Optical Sensors and Electromagnetic Motors (BOSEMs). We determine that the devices can reliably viability operate at 100 K. We also show that the performance of the BOSEM sensors improves at cryogenic temperatures.

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A. Ubhi, J. Bryant, D. Hoyland, et. al.
Thu, 19 May 22
19/61

Comments: N/A

Determining the bubble nucleation efficiency of low-energy nuclear recoils in superheated C$_3$F$_8$ dark matter detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.05771


The bubble nucleation efficiency of low-energy nuclear recoils in superheated liquids plays a crucial role in interpreting results from direct searches for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. The PICO Collaboration presents the results of the efficiencies for bubble nucleation from carbon and fluorine recoils in superheated C$_3$F$_8$ from calibration data taken with 5 distinct neutron spectra at various thermodynamic thresholds ranging from 2.1 keV to 3.9 keV. Instead of assuming any particular functional forms for the nuclear recoil efficiency, a generalized piecewise linear model is proposed with systematic errors included as nuisance parameters to minimize model-introduced uncertainties. A Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) routine is applied to sample the nuclear recoil efficiency for fluorine and carbon at 2.45 keV and 3.29 keV thermodynamic thresholds simultaneously. The nucleation efficiency for fluorine was found to be $\geq 50\, \%$ for nuclear recoils of 3.3 keV (3.7 keV) at a thermodynamic Seitz threshold of 2.45 keV (3.29 keV), and for carbon the efficiency was found to be $\geq 50\, \%$ for recoils of 10.6 keV (11.1 keV) at a threshold of 2.45 keV (3.29 keV). Simulated data sets are used to calculate a p-value for the fit, confirming that the model used is compatible with the data. The fit paradigm is also assessed for potential systematic biases, which although small, are corrected for. Additional steps are performed to calculate the expected interaction rates of WIMPs in the PICO-60 detector, a requirement for calculating WIMP exclusion limits.

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B. Ali, I. Arnquist, D. Baxter, et. al.
Fri, 13 May 22
19/64

Comments: 18 pages, 25 figures, 5 tables

Online triggers for supernova and pre-supernova neutrino detection with cryogenic detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.03350


Supernovae (SNe) are among the most energetic events in the universe still far from being fully understood. An early and prompt detection of neutrinos is a one-time opportunity for the realization of the first multi-messenger observation of these events. In this work, we present the prospects of detecting neutrinos produced before (pre-SN) and during a SN while running an advanced cryogenic detector. The recent advancements of the cryogenic detector technique and the discovery of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering offer a wealth of opportunities in neutrino detection. The combination of the excellent energy resolution of this experimental technique, with the high cross section of this detection channel and its equal sensitivity to all neutrino flavors enables the realization of highly sensitive cm-scale neutrino telescopes, as the newly proposed RES-NOVA experiment. We present a detailed study on the detection promptness of pre-SN and SN neutrino signals, with direct comparisons among different classes of test statistics. While the well-established Poisson test offers in general best performance under optimal conditions, the non-parametric Recursive Product of Spacing statistical test (RPS) is more robust and ideal for triggering astrophysical neutrino signals with no specific prior knowledge. Based on our statistical tests the RES-NOVA experiment is able to identify SN neutrino signals at a 15 kpc distance with 95% of success rate, and pre-SN signal as far as 480 pc with a pre-warn time of the order of 10 s. These results demonstrate the potential of RPS for the identification of neutrino signals and the physics reach of the RES-NOVA experiment.

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P. Eller, N. Iachellini, L. Pattavina, et. al.
Mon, 9 May 22
35/63

Comments: 19 pages, 10 figures

Stochastic effects on observation of ultralight bosonic dark matter [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.02960


Ultralight bosonic particles are fascinating candidates of dark matter (DM). It behaves as classical waves in our Galaxy due to its large number density. There have been various methods proposed to search for the wave-like DM, such as methods utilizing interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Understanding the characteristics of DM signals is crucial to extract the properties of DM from data. While the DM signal is nearly monochromatic with the angular frequency of its mass, the amplitude and phase are gradually changing due to the velocity dispersion of DMs in our Galaxy halo. The stochastic amplitude and phase should be properly taken into account to accurately constrain the coupling constant of DM from data. Previous works formulated a method to obtain the upper bound on the coupling constant incorporating the stochastic effects. One of these works compared the upper bound with and without the stochastic effect in a measurement time that is much shorter than the variation time scale of the amplitude and phase. In this paper, we extend their formulation to arbitrary measurement time and evaluate the stochastic effects. Moreover, we investigate the velocity-dependent signal for dark photon DM including an uncertainly of the velocity. We demonstrate that our method accurately estimates the upper bound on the coupling constant with numerical simulations. We also estimate the expected upper bound of the coupling constant of axion DM and dark photon DM from future experiments in a semi-analytic way. The stochasticity especially affects constraints on a small mass region. Our formulation offers a generic treatment of the ultralight bosonic DM signal with the stochastic effect.

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H. Nakatsuka, S. Morisaki, T. Fujita, et. al.
Mon, 9 May 22
59/63

Comments: 23 pages, 13 figures

Study of water Cherenkov detector design for ground-based gamma-ray experiments [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.02148


In the framework of the development of the SWGO experiment we have performed a detailed study of the single unit of an extensive air shower observatory based on an array of water Cherenkov detectors. Indeed, one of the possible water Cherenkov detector unit configurations for SWGO consists of tanks, and to reach a high detection efficiency and discrimination capability between gamma-ray and hadronic air showers, different tank designs are under investigation. In this study, we considered double-layer tanks with several sizes, shapes and number of photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs). Muons, electrons, and gamma-rays with energies typical of secondary particles in extensive air showers have been simulated entering the tanks with zenith angles from 0 to 60 degrees. The tank response was evaluated considering the number of photoelectrons produced by the PMTs, the detection efficiency, and the time resolution of the measurement of the first photon. This analysis allowed to compare the performance of tanks with different size, configuration of PMTs, and with circular, hexagonal and square geometry. The method used and the results will be discussed in this paper.

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F. Bisconti and A. Chiavassa
Thu, 5 May 22
10/51

Comments: Prepared for submission to JINST, 16 pages

First results from the ENTOTO neutron monitor: Quantifying the waiting time distribution [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.02154


We discuss a newly established neutron monitor station installed at the ENTOTO Observatory Research Center outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is a version of a mini-neutron monitor, recently upgraded to detect individual neutrons and able to calculate the waiting time distribution between neutron pulses down to $\sim 1 $ $\mu$s. From the waiting time distribution we define and calculate a new quantity, the correlation ratio, as the ratio of correlated to uncorrelated neutrons measured inside the monitor. We propose that this quantity can, in future, be used as a proxy for spectral index of atmospheric particles incident on the monitor and show that this quantity has a weak pressure dependence. We believe that future measurements from the ENTOTO mini-neutron monitor will contribute towards the understanding of cosmic ray acceleration and transport in the heliosphere.

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R. Strauss, N. Giday, E. Seba, et. al.
Thu, 5 May 22
23/51

Comments: Submitted to Advances in Space Research spacial issue: Space and Geophysical Observations and Recent Results related to the African Continent

In-situ calibration system for the measurement of the snow accumulation and the index-of-refraction profile for radio neutrino detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2205.00726


High-energy neutrinos ($E>10^{17}$eV) are detected cost-efficiently via the Askaryan effect in ice, where a particle cascade induced by the neutrino interaction produces coherent radio emission that can be picked up by antennas. As the near-surface ice properties change rapidly within the upper 40m, a good understanding of the ice properties is required to reconstruct the neutrino properties. In particular, continuous monitoring of the snow accumulation (which changes the depth of the antennas) and the index-of-refraction $n(z)$ profile are crucial for an accurate determination of the neutrino’s direction and energy. We present an in-situ calibration system that extends the radio detector station with two radio emitters to continuously monitor the firn properties within the upper 40m by measuring the time differences between direct and reflected (off the surface) signals (D’n’R). We determine the optimal positions of two transmitters at all three sites of current and future radio detectors: Greenland, Moore’s Bay, and the South Pole. We find that the snow accumulation $\Delta h$ can be measured with a resolution of 5mm and the parameters of an exponential $n(z)$ profile $\Delta n$ and $z_0$ with 0.03% and 0.2% precision respectively, which constitutes an improvement of more than a factor of 10 as compared to the inference of the $n(z)$ profile from density measurements. Additionally, as this technique is based on the measurement of the signal propagation times we are not bound to the conversion of density to index-of-refraction. We quantify the impact of these ice uncertainties on the reconstruction of the neutrino vertex, direction, and energy and find that the calibration device measures the ice properties to sufficient precision to have negligible influence.

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J. Beise and C. Glaser
Tue, 3 May 22
73/82

Comments: N/A

Membrane-less phonon trapping and resolution enhancement in optical microwave kinetic inductance detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13669


Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) sensitive to light in the ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths are superconducting micro-resonators that are capable of measuring photon arrival times to microsecond precision and estimating each photon’s energy. The resolving power of non-membrane MKIDs has remained stubbornly around 10 at 1 $\mu$m despite significant improvements in the system noise. Here we show that the resolving power can be roughly doubled with a simple bilayer design without needing to place the device on a membrane, avoiding a significant increase in fabrication complexity. Based on modeling of the phonon propagation, we find that the majority of the improvement comes from the inability of high energy phonons to enter the additional layer due to the lack of available phonon states.

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N. Zobrist, W. Clay, G. Coiffard, et. al.
Fri, 29 Apr 22
25/57

Comments: N/A

DEPFET Active Pixel Sensors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13099


An array of DEPFET pixels is one of several concepts to implement an active pixel sensor. Similar to PNCCD and SDD detectors, the typically $450~\mu\text{m}$ thick silicon sensor is fully depleted by the principle of sideward depletion. They have furthermore in common to be back-illuminated detectors, which allows for ultra-thin and homogeneous photon entrance windows. This enables relatively high quantum efficiencies at low energies and close to $100\%$ for photon energies between $1~\text{keV}$ and $10~\text{keV}$. Steering of the DEPFET sensor is enabled by a so-called Switcher ASIC and readout is performed by e.g. a VERITAS ASIC. The configuration enables a readout time of a few microseconds per row. This results in full frame readout times of a few milliseconds for a $512 \times 512$ pixel array in a rolling shutter mode. The read noise is then typically three electrons equivalent noise charge RMS. DEPFET detectors can be applied in particular for spectroscopy in the energy band from $0.2~\text{keV}$ to $20~\text{keV}$. For example, an energy resolution of about $130~\text{eV}~\text{FWHM}$ is achieved at an energy of $6~\text{keV}$ which is close to the theoretical limit given by Fano noise. Pixel sizes of a few tens of microns up to a centimetre are feasible by the DEPFET concept.

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N. Meidinger and J. Müller-Seidlitz
Thu, 28 Apr 22
16/70

Comments: Invited chapter for the “Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics” (Eds. C. Bambi and A. Santangelo, Springer Singapore, 2022)

Application of deep learning to the evaluation of goodness in the waveform processing of transition-edge sensor calorimeters [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.11474


Optimal filtering is the crucial technique for the data analysis of transition-edge-sensor (TES) calorimeters to achieve their state-of-the-art energy resolutions. Filtering out the `bad’ data from the dataset is important because it otherwise leads to the degradation of energy resolutions, while it is not a trivial task. We propose a neural network-based technique for the automatic goodness tagging of TES pulses, which is fast and automatic and does not require bad data for training.

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Y. Ichinohe, S. Yamada, R. Hayakawa, et. al.
Tue, 26 Apr 22
62/74

Comments: Proceedings of the LTD19 conference

Investigating the sources of low-energy events in a SuperCDMS-HVeV detector [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.08038


Recent experiments searching for sub-GeV/$c^2$ dark matter have observed event excesses close to their respective energy thresholds. Although specific to the individual technologies, the measured excess event rates have been consistently reported at or below event energies of a few-hundred eV, or with charges of a few electron-hole pairs. In the present work, we operated a 1-gram silicon SuperCDMS-HVeV detector at three voltages across the crystal (0 V, 60 V and 100 V). The 0 V data show an excess of events in the tens of eV region. Despite this event excess, we demonstrate the ability to set a competitive exclusion limit on the spin-independent dark matter–nucleon elastic scattering cross section for dark matter masses of $\mathcal{O}(100)$ MeV/$c^2$, enabled by operation of the detector at 0 V potential and achievement of a very low $\mathcal{O}(10)$ eV threshold for nuclear recoils. Comparing the data acquired at 0 V, 60 V and 100 V potentials across the crystal, we investigated possible sources of the unexpected events observed at low energy. The data indicate that the dominant contribution to the excess is consistent with a hypothesized luminescence from the printed circuit boards used in the detector holder.

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S. Collaboration, M. Albakry, I. Alkhatib, et. al.
Tue, 19 Apr 22
37/52

Comments: N/A

Multiplexable frequency retuning of MKID arrays using their non-linear kinetic inductance [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.05715


Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) arrays are currently being developed and deployed for astronomical applications in the visible and near infrared and for sub-millimetre astronomy. One of the main drawbacks of MKIDs is that large arrays would exhibit a pixel yield, the percentage of individually distinguishable pixels to the total number of pixels, of 75 – 80 %. Imperfections arising during the fabrication can induce an uncontrolled shift in the resonance frequency of individual resonators which can end up resonating at the same frequency of a different resonator. This makes a number of resonators indistinguishable and therefore unusable for imaging. This paper proposes an approach to individually re-tune the colliding resonators in order to remove the degeneracy and increase the number of MKIDs with unique resonant frequencies. The frequency re-tuning is achieved through a DC bias of the resonator, the kinetic inductance of a superconducting thin film is current dependent and its dependence is non linear. Even though this approach has been already proposed, an innovative pixel design, described in this paper, may solve two issues previously described in literature such as increased electromagnetic losses to the DC-bias line, and the multiplexibility of multiple resonators on a single feedline.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Lucia, E. Baldwin, G. Ulbricht, et. al.
Wed, 13 Apr 22
64/73

Comments: 8 pages, 7 figures, SPIE Proceedings

Tunnel configurations and seismic isolation optimization in underground gravitational wave detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.04131


Gravitational wave detectors like the Einstein Telescope will be built a few hundred meters under Earth’s surface to reduce both direct seismic and Newtonian noise. Underground facilities must be designed to take full advantage of the shielding properties of the rock mass to maximize the detector’s performance. A major issue with the Einstein Telescope design are the corner points, where caverns need to be excavated in stable, low permeability rock to host the sensitive measurement infrastructure. This paper proposes a new topology that moves the top stages of the seismic attenuation chains and Michelson beam re-combination in separate excavations far from the beam-line and equipment induced noise while the test mass mirrors remain in the main tunnels. Distributing the seismic attenuation chain components over multiple tunnel levels allows the use of arbitrarily long seismic attenuation chains that relegate the seismic noise at frequencies completely outside the low-frequency noise budget, thus keeping the door open for future Newtonian noise suppression methods. Separating the input-output and recombination optics of different detectors into separate caverns drastically improves the observatory detection efficiency and allows staged commissioning. The proposed scheme eliminates structural and instrumentation crowding while the reduced sizes of excavations require fewer support measures.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Amann, F. Badaracco, R. DeSalvo, et. al.
Mon, 11 Apr 22
21/61

Comments: N/A

A cryogenic and superconducting inertial sensor for the Lunar Gravitational–Wave Antenna, the Einstein Telescope and Selene-physics [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.04150


The Lunar Gravitational–Wave Antenna is a proposed low-frequency gravitational-wave detector on the Moon surface. It will be composed of an array of high-end cryogenic superconducting inertial sensors (CSISs). A cryogenic environment will be used in combination with superconducting materials to open up pathways to low-loss actuators and sensor mechanics. CSIS revolutionizes the (cryogenic) inertial sensor field with a modelled displacement sensitivity at 0.5 Hz of 3 orders of magnitude better than the current state-of-the-art. It will allow the Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna to be sensitive below 1 Hz, down to 1 mHz and it will also be employed in the forthcoming Einstein Telescope –a third-generation gravitational-wave detector which will make use of cryogenic technologies and that will have an enhanced sensitivity below 10 Hz. Moreover, CSIS seismic data could also be employed to obtain new insights about the Moon interior and what we can call the Selene-physics.

Read this paper on arXiv…

F. Badaracco, J. Heijningen, E. Ferreira, et. al.
Mon, 11 Apr 22
41/61

Comments: N/A

Multi-messenger observations of thunderstorm-related bursts of cosmic rays [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.01835


We present the facilities of the Aragats Space Environmental Center in Armenia used during multi-year observations of the thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs) and corresponding environmental parameters. We analyze the characteristics of the scintillation detectors, operated on Aragats, and describe the coordinated detection of TGEs by the network of scintillation detectors, field meters, and environmental parameters. By using a fast synchronized data acquisition system we reveal correlations of the multivariate data on time scales from second to nanosecond which allow us to gain insight into the TGE and lightning origin and their interrelations.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. A.Chilingarian, G. Hovsepyan, T. Karapetyan, et. al.
Wed, 6 Apr 22
21/68

Comments: N/A

Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors and effect of accumulation and unsteady releases of excess energy in materials [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.01919


Universal fault-tolerant quantum computers, which promise to revolutionize computing, are currently limited by excessive noise in their constituent superconducting qubits. Determining the dominant sources of this excess noise will lead to a clearer understanding of how to mitigate it in future superconducting systems. Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are devices that do not appear to suffer from such effects and have extremely low dark-count backgrounds. We propose to use SNSPDs as low-background laboratories to study noise accumulation processes in superconducting systems with the purpose of explaining and mitigating noise in related quantum information systems. Through these studies we also aim to increase the sensitive wavelengths of SNSPDs above the current limits of 10 microns, which would open new regimes for dark matter detection, biology, space sciences, and quantum sensing.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Pereverzev, G. Carosi and V. Li
Wed, 6 Apr 22
31/68

Comments: contribution to Snowmass 2021

Testing Station for Fast Screening of Through Silicon Via (TSV)-enabled Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) for Hard X-ray Imaging Detectors [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.01864


Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are used in space-borne instruments for signal processing and detector readout. The electrical interface of these ASICs to frontend printed circuit boards (PCBs) is commonly accomplished with wire bonds. Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology has been proposed as an alternative interconnect technique that will reduce assembly complexity of ASIC packaging by replacing wire bonding with flip-chip bonding. TSV technology is advantageous in large detector arrays where TSVs enable close detector tiling on all sides. Wafer-level probe card testing of TSV ASICs is frustrated by solder balls introduced onto the ASIC surface for flip-chip bonding that hamper alignment. Therefore, we developed the ASIC Test Stand (ATS) to enable rapid screening and characterization of individual ASIC die. We successfully demonstrated ATS operation on ASICs originally developed for CdZnTe detectors on the Nuclear Spectroscopic and Telescope Array (\textit{NuSTAR}) mission that were later modified with TSVs in a via-last process. We tested both back-side blind-TSVs and front-side through-TSVs, with results from internal test pulser measurements that demonstrate performance equal to or exceeding the probe card wafer-level testing data. The ATS can easily be expanded or duplicated in order to parallelize ASIC screening for large area imaging detectors of future space programs.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Violette, B. Allen, J. Hong, et. al.
Wed, 6 Apr 22
46/68

Comments: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to SPIE Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (February 2022)

Transition edge sensor based detector: from X-ray to $γ$-ray [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2204.00010


The Transition Edge Sensor is extremely sensitive to the change of temperature, combined with the high-Z metal of a certain thickness, it can realize the high energy resolution measurement of particles such as X-rays. X-rays with energies below 10 keV have very weak penetrating ability, so only a few microns thick of gold or bismuth can obtain quantum efficiency higher than 70\%. Therefore, the entire structure of the TES X-ray detector in this energy range can be realized in the microfabrication process. However, for X-rays or gamma rays from 10 keV to 200 keV, sub-millimeter absorber layers are required, which cannot be realized by microfabrication process. This paper first briefly introduces a set of TES X-ray detectors and their auxiliary systems built by ShanghaiTech University, then focus on the introduction of the TES $\gamma$-ray detector, with absorber based on an sub-millimeter lead-tin alloy sphere. The detector has a quantum efficiency above 70\% near 100 keV, and an energy resolution of about 161.5eV@59.5keV.

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S. Zhang, J. Xia, T. Sun, et. al.
Mon, 4 Apr 22
48/50

Comments: 13 pages, 12 figures

New Horizons: Scalar and Vector Ultralight Dark Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.14915


The last decade has seen unprecedented effort in dark matter model building at all mass scales coupled with the design of numerous new detection strategies. Transformative advances in quantum technologies have led to a plethora of new high-precision quantum sensors and dark matter detection strategies for ultralight ($<10\,$eV) bosonic dark matter that can be described by an oscillating classical, largely coherent field. This white paper focuses on searches for wavelike scalar and vector dark matter candidates.

Read this paper on arXiv…

D. Antypas, A. Banerjee, C. Bartram, et. al.
Tue, 29 Mar 22
28/73

Comments: Snowmass 2021 White Paper

Long term measurement of the $^{222}$Rn concentration in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.13978


We report the results of six years (2013-2018) of measurements of $^{222}$Rn air concentration, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and temperature in the halls A, B and C of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). We have calculated all the Pearson correlation coefficients among these parameters and we have found a positive correlation between the $^{222}$Rn concentration and the relative humidity. Both correlated variables show a seasonal periodicity. The joint analysis of laboratory data and four years (2015-2018) of the meteorological variables outside the laboratory shows the correlation between the $^{222}$Rn concentration and the outside temperature. The collected information stresses the relevance of designing good Rn-mitigation strategies in current and future experiments at LSC; in particular, we have checked for two years (2017-2018) the good performance of the mitigation procedure of the ANAIS–112 experiment. Finally, in another measurement (2019-2021) for two years of live time, we report an upper limit to the residual $^{222}$Rn content of the radon-free air provided by the radon abatement system installed in the laboratory.

Read this paper on arXiv…

J. Amaré, I. Bandac, A. Blancas, et. al.
Tue, 29 Mar 22
29/73

Comments: N/A

Axion Dark Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.14923


Axions are well-motivated dark matter candidates with simple cosmological production mechanisms. They were originally introduced to solve the strong CP problem, but also arise in a wide range of extensions to the Standard Model. This Snowmass white paper summarizes axion phenomenology and outlines next-generation laboratory experiments proposed to detect axion dark matter. There are vibrant synergies with astrophysical searches and advances in instrumentation including quantum-enabled readout, high-Q resonators and cavities and large high-field magnets. This white paper outlines a clear roadmap to discovery, and shows that the US is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the search for axion dark matter in the coming decade.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Adams, A. Agrawal, R. Balafendiev, et. al.
Tue, 29 Mar 22
33/73

Comments: N/A

GPU-based optical simulation of the DARWIN detector [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.14354


Understanding propagation of scintillation light is critical for maximizing the discovery potential of next-generation liquid xenon detectors that use dual-phase time projection chamber technology. This work describes a detailed optical simulation of the DARWIN detector implemented using Chroma, a GPU-based photon tracking framework. To evaluate the framework and to explore ways of maximizing efficiency and minimizing the time of light collection, we simulate several variations of the conventional detector design. Results of these selected studies are presented. More generally, we conclude that the approach used in this work allows one to investigate alternative designs faster and in more detail than using conventional Geant4 optical simulations, making it an attractive tool to guide the development of the ultimate liquid xenon observatory.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Althueser, B. Antunović, E. Aprile, et. al.
Tue, 29 Mar 22
65/73

Comments: 14 figures, 9 tables

Direct Search for Dark Matter Axions Excluding ALP Cogenesis in the 63-67 micro-eV Range, with The ORGAN Experiment [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.12152


The standard model axion seesaw Higgs portal inflation (SMASH) model is a well motivated, self-contained description of particle physics over a range of energy scales that predicts axion dark matter particles to exist within the mass range of $50-200\,\mu$eV. To scan these masses an axion haloscope under a strong constant magnetic field must operate between 12 to 48 GHz. The ORGAN experiment (situated in Perth, Australia) is a microwave cavity axion haloscope that aims to search the majority of the mass range predicted by the SMASH model. Here we present results of Phase 1a, the first experiment to scan and search for axions in the microwave Ku Band. Our initial scan sets a new limit on the coupling of axions to two photons of $g_{a\gamma\gamma}\geq 3\times 10^{-12}\, \textrm{GeV}^{-1}$ over the mass range $63.2$ to $67.1~\mu$eV with $95\%$ confidence. This result is the most sensitive to date in this mass range, sufficient to exclude the well motivated ALP (Axion Like Particle) cogenesis model for dark matter, which adds ALPs to the standard model in the early universe to simultaneously explain the observed baryon and dark matter densities. To attain this level of sensitivity we utilised a TM$_{010}$ cylindrical cavity resonator, scanned between 15.28 to 16.23 GHz through the utilisation of a tuning rod. Measurements were performed over a duration of 3.5 weeks with a $74\%$ duty cycle, with the resonator coupled to a low noise HEMT amplifier and placed inside a superconducting solenoidal electromagnet of 11.5 Tesla in magnetic field strength.

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A. Quiskamp, B. McAllister, P. Altin, et. al.
Fri, 25 Mar 22
6/46

Comments: N/A

G-CoReCCD: a GPU-based simulator of the charge transport in fully-depleted CCDs [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.11043


We introduce a simulator of charge transport in fully-depleted, thick CCDs that include Coulomb repulsion between carriers. The calculation of this long-range interaction is highly intensive computationally, and only a few thousands of carriers can be simulated in reasonable times using regular CPUs. G-CoReCCD takes advantage of the high number of multiprocessors available in a graphical processing unit (GPU) to parallelize the operations and thus achieve a massive speedup. We can simulate the path inside the CCD bulk for up to hundreds of thousands of carriers in only a few hours using modern GPUs.

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N. Avalos and M. Haro
Tue, 22 Mar 22
40/82

Comments: 6 pages, 6 figures, presented at SPIE Future Sensing Technologies 2020

Simulating the Study of Exoplanets Using Photonic Spectrographs [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.10153


Photonic spectrographs offer a highly miniaturized, flexible, and stable on-chip solution for astronomical spectroscopy and can be used for various science cases such as determining the atmospheric composition of exoplanets to understand their habitability, formation, and evolution. Arrayed Waveguide Gratings (AWGs) have shown the best promise to be used as an astrophotonic spectrograph. We developed a publically-available tool to conduct a preliminary examination of the capability of the AWGs in spectrally resolving exoplanet atmospheres. We derived the Line-Spread-Function (LSF) as a function of wavelength and the Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum (FWHM) of the LSF as a function of spectral line width to evaluate the response of a discretely- and continuously-sampled low-resolution AWG (R $\sim$ 1000). We observed that the LSF has minimal wavelength dependence ($\sim$5\%), irrespective of the offset with respect to the center-wavelengths of the AWG channels, contrary to the previous assumptions. We further confirmed that the observed FWHM scales linearly with the emission line width. Finally, we present simulated extraction of a sample molecular absorption spectrum with the discretely- and continuously-sampled low-resolution AWGs. From this, we show that while the discrete AWG matches its expected resolving power, the continuous AWG spectrograph can, in principle, achieve an effective resolution significantly greater ($\sim$ 2x) than the discrete AWG. This detailed examination of the AWGs will be foundational for future deployment of AWG spectrographs for astronomical science cases such as exoplanet atmospheres.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Perez, P. Gatkine, N. Jovanovic, et. al.
Tue, 22 Mar 22
46/82

Comments: 13 pages, 6 figures, Presented at and published in the proceedings of SPIE Photonics West 2022

Vibration Analysis of KAGRA Cryostat at Cryogenic Temperature [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.09685


KAGRA uses cryogenics to cool its sapphire test masses down to 20 K to reduce the thermal noise. However, cryocooler vibration and structural resonances of the cryostat couple to test mass and can contaminate the detector sensitivity. We performed vibration analysis of the cooling system at cryogenic temperature to study its impact on detector sensitivity. Our measurement show shield vibration below 1 Hz is not impacted by cryocooler operation or structural resonances and follows ground motion. The noise floor of the shield in 1-100 Hz was observed to be 2-3 order of magnitude larger than seismic motion even without cryocooler operation. The operation of cryocoolers does not change the noise floor, but 2.0 Hz peaks and their harmonics were observed over the entire spectrum (1-100 Hz). These results were used to calculate the coupling of cooling system vibration to the test mass. We conclude that vibration from the cooling system does not limit KAGRA design sensitivity.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Bajpai, T. Tomaru, N. Kimura, et. al.
Mon, 21 Mar 22
18/60

Comments: N/A

The KM3NeT multi-PMT optical module [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.10048


The optical module of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope is an innovative, multi-faceted large area photodetection module. It contains 31 three-inch photomultiplier tubes in a single 0.44 m diameter pressure-resistant glass sphere. The module is a sensory device also comprising calibration instruments and electronics for power, readout and data acquisition. It is capped with a breakout-box with electronics for connection to an electro-optical cable for power and long-distance communication to the onshore control station. The design of the module was qualified for the first time in the deep sea in 2013. Since then, the technology has been further improved to meet requirements of scalability, cost-effectiveness and high reliability. The module features a sub-nanosecond timing accuracy and a dynamic range allowing the measurement of a single photon up to a cascade of thousands of photons, suited for the measurement of the Cherenkov radiation induced in water by secondary particles from interactions of neutrinos with energies in the range of GeV to PeV. A distributed production model has been implemented for the delivery of more than 6000 modules in the coming few years with an average production rate of more than 100 modules per month. In this paper a review is presented of the design of the multi-PMT KM3NeT optical module with a proven effective background suppression and signal recognition and sensitivity to the incoming direction of photons.

Read this paper on arXiv…

K. Collaboration
Mon, 21 Mar 22
24/60

Comments: 25 pages, 11 figures

The Mercedes water Cherenkov detector [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.08782


The concept of a small, single-layer water Cherenkov detector, with three photomultiplier tubes (PMT), placed at its bottom in a $120^{\circ}$ star configuration (\emph{Mercedes} WCD) is presented. The PMTs are placed near the lateral walls of the stations with an adjustable inclination and may be installed inside or outside the water volume. To illustrate the technical viability of this concept and obtain a first-order estimation of its cost, an engineering design was elaborated. The sensitivity of these stations to low energy EAS electrons, photons and muons is discussed, both in compact and sparse array configurations. It is shown that the analysis of the intensity and time patterns of the PMT signals, using Machine Learning techniques, enables the tagging of muons, achieving an excellent gamma/hadron discrimination for TeV showers. This concept minimises the station production and maintenance costs, allowing for a highly flexible and fast installation. Mercedes WCDs are thus well-suited for use in high-altitude large gamma-ray observatories covering an extended energy range from the low energies, closing the gap between satellite and ground-based measurements, to very high energy regions, beyond the PeV scale.

Read this paper on arXiv…

P. Assis, A. Bakalová, U. Almeida, et. al.
Thu, 17 Mar 22
6/66

Comments: 8 pages, 12 figures

A Strategy for Low-Mass Dark Matter Searches with Cryogenic Detectors in the SuperCDMS SNOLAB Facility [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.08463


The SuperCDMS Collaboration is currently building SuperCDMS SNOLAB, a dark matter search focused on nucleon-coupled dark matter in the 1-5 GeV mass range. Looking to the future, the Collaboration has developed a set of experience-based upgrade scenarios, as well as novel directions, to extend the search for dark matter using the SuperCDMS technology in the SNOLAB facility. The experienced-based scenarios are forecasted to probe many square decades of unexplored dark matter parameter space below 5 GeV, covering over 6 decades in mass: 1-100 eV for dark photons and axion-like particles, 1-100 MeV for dark-photon-coupled light dark matter, and 0.05-5 GeV for nucleon-coupled dark matter. They will reach the neutrino fog in the 0.5-5 GeV mass range and test a variety of benchmark models and sharp targets. The novel directions involve greater departures from current SuperCDMS technology but promise even greater reach in the long run, and their development must begin now for them to be available in a timely fashion.
The experienced-based upgrade scenarios rely mainly on dramatic improvements in detector performance based on demonstrated scaling laws and reasonable extrapolations of current performance. Importantly, these improvements in detector performance obviate significant reductions in background levels beyond current expectations for the SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment. Given that the dominant limiting backgrounds for SuperCDMS SNOLAB are cosmogenically created radioisotopes in the detectors, likely amenable only to isotopic purification and an underground detector life-cycle from before crystal growth to detector testing, the potential cost and time savings are enormous and the necessary improvements much easier to prototype.

Read this paper on arXiv…

S. Collaboration, M. Albakry, I. Alkhatib, et. al.
Thu, 17 Mar 22
26/66

Comments: contribution to Snowmass 2021

Design and Performance of the Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope Camera [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.08169


The prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) is a candidate for a medium-sized telescope in the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The pSCT is based on a novel dual mirror optics design which reduces the plate scale and allows for the use of silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors.
The prototype pSCT camera currently has only the central sector instrumented with 25 camera modules (1600 pixels), providing a 2.68$^{\circ}$ field of view (FoV). The camera electronics are based on custom TARGET (TeV array readout with GSa/s sampling and event trigger) application specific integrated circuits. Field programmable gate arrays sample incoming signals at a gigasample per second. A single backplane provides camera-wide triggers. An upgrade of the pSCT camera is in progress, which will fully populate the focal plane. This will increase the number of pixels to 11,328, the number of backplanes to 9, and the FoV to 8.04$^{\circ}$. Here we give a detailed description of the pSCT camera, including the basic concept, mechanical design, detectors, electronics, current status and first light.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. Adams, G. Ambrosi, M. Ambrosio, et. al.
Thu, 17 Mar 22
47/66

Comments: N/A

White Paper on Light Sterile Neutrino Searches and Related Phenomenology [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07323


This white paper provides a comprehensive review of our present understanding of experimental neutrino anomalies that remain unresolved, charting the progress achieved over the last decade at the experimental and phenomenological level, and sets the stage for future programmatic prospects in addressing those anomalies. It is purposed to serve as a guiding and motivational “encyclopedic” reference, with emphasis on needs and options for future exploration that may lead to the ultimate resolution of the anomalies. We see the main experimental, analysis, and theory-driven thrusts that will be essential to achieving this goal being: 1) Cover all anomaly sectors — given the unresolved nature of all four canonical anomalies, it is imperative to support all pillars of a diverse experimental portfolio, source, reactor, decay-at-rest, decay-in-flight, and other methods/sources, to provide complementary probes of and increased precision for new physics explanations; 2) Pursue diverse signatures — it is imperative that experiments make design and analysis choices that maximize sensitivity to as broad an array of these potential new physics signatures as possible; 3) Deepen theoretical engagement — priority in the theory community should be placed on development of standard and beyond standard models relevant to all four short-baseline anomalies and the development of tools for efficient tests of these models with existing and future experimental datasets; 4) Openly share data — Fluid communication between the experimental and theory communities will be required, which implies that both experimental data releases and theoretical calculations should be publicly available; and 5) Apply robust analysis techniques — Appropriate statistical treatment is crucial to assess the compatibility of data sets within the context of any given model.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Acero, C. Argüelles, M. Hostert, et. al.
Tue, 15 Mar 22
45/108

Comments: Contribution to Snowmass 2021 by the NF02 Topical Group (Understanding Experimental Neutrino Anomalies)

Directional Detection of Dark Matter Using Solid-State Quantum Sensing [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.06037


Next-generation dark matter (DM) detectors searching for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) will be sensitive to coherent scattering from solar neutrinos, demanding an efficient background-signal discrimination tool. Directional detectors improve sensitivity to WIMP DM despite the irreducible neutrino background. Wide-bandgap semiconductors offer a path to directional detection in a high-density target material. A detector of this type operates in a hybrid mode. The WIMP or neutrino-induced nuclear recoil is detected using real-time charge, phonon, or photon collection. The directional signal, however, is imprinted as a durable sub-micron damage track in the lattice structure. This directional signal can be read out by a variety of atomic physics techniques, from point defect quantum sensing to x-ray microscopy. In this white paper, we present the detector principle and review the status of the experimental techniques required for directional readout of nuclear recoil tracks. Specifically, we focus on diamond as a target material; it is both a leading platform for emerging quantum technologies and a promising component of next-generation semiconductor electronics. Based on the development and demonstration of directional readout in diamond over the next decade, a future WIMP detector will leverage or motivate advances in multiple disciplines towards precision dark matter and neutrino physics.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Ebadi, M. Marshall, D. Phillips, et. al.
Mon, 14 Mar 22
2/67

Comments: contribution to Snowmass 2021, 28 pages + references, 14 figures

The Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05090


High energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce a large number of particles along the beam collision axis, outside of the acceptance of existing LHC experiments. The proposed Forward Physics Facility (FPF), to be located several hundred meters from the ATLAS interaction point and shielded by concrete and rock, will host a suite of experiments to probe Standard Model (SM) processes and search for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). In this report, we review the status of the civil engineering plans and the experiments to explore the diverse physics signals that can be uniquely probed in the forward region. FPF experiments will be sensitive to a broad range of BSM physics through searches for new particle scattering or decay signatures and deviations from SM expectations in high statistics analyses with TeV neutrinos in this low-background environment. High statistics neutrino detection will also provide valuable data for fundamental topics in perturbative and non-perturbative QCD and in weak interactions. Experiments at the FPF will enable synergies between forward particle production at the LHC and astroparticle physics to be exploited. We report here on these physics topics, on infrastructure, detector, and simulation studies, and on future directions to realize the FPF’s physics potential.

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J. Feng, F. Kling, M. Reno, et. al.
Mon, 14 Mar 22
4/67

Comments: 429 pages, contribution to Snowmass 2021

Recoil imaging for dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond the Standard Model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05914


Recoil imaging entails the detection of spatially resolved ionization tracks generated by particle interactions. This is a highly sought-after capability in many classes of detector, with broad applications across particle and astroparticle physics. However, at low energies, where ionization signatures are small in size, recoil imaging only seems to be a practical goal for micro-pattern gas detectors. This white paper outlines the physics case for recoil imaging, and puts forward a decadal plan to advance towards the directional detection of low-energy recoils with sensitivity and resolution close to fundamental performance limits. The science case covered includes: the discovery of dark matter into the neutrino fog, directional detection of sub-MeV solar neutrinos, the precision study of coherent-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, the detection of solar axions, the measurement of the Migdal effect, X-ray polarimetry, and several other applied physics goals. We also outline the R\&D programs necessary to test concepts that are crucial to advance detector performance towards their fundamental limit: single primary electron sensitivity with full 3D spatial resolution at the $\sim$100 micron-scale. These advancements include: the use of negative ion drift, electron counting with high-definition electronic readout, time projection chambers with optical readout, and the possibility for nuclear recoil tracking in high-density gases such as argon. We also discuss the readout and electronics systems needed to scale-up such detectors to the ton-scale and beyond.

Read this paper on arXiv…

C. O’Hare, D. Loomba, K. Altenmüller, et. al.
Mon, 14 Mar 22
29/67

Comments: 77 pages, 20 figures. Submitted to the Proceedings of the US Community Study on the Future of Particle Physics (Snowmass 2021)

Low Energy Event Reconstruction in IceCube DeepCore [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02303


The reconstruction of event-level information, such as the direction or energy of a neutrino interacting in IceCube DeepCore, is a crucial ingredient to many physics analyses. Algorithms to extract this high level information from the detector’s raw data have been successfully developed and used for high energy events. In this work, we address unique challenges associated with the reconstruction of lower energy events in the range of a few to hundreds of GeV and present two separate, state-of-the-art algorithms. One algorithm focuses on the fast directional reconstruction of events based on unscattered light. The second algorithm is a likelihood-based multipurpose reconstruction offering superior resolutions, at the expense of larger computational cost.

Read this paper on arXiv…

R. Abbasi, M. Ackermann, J. Adams, et. al.
Mon, 7 Mar 22
19/64

Comments: N/A

A Next-Generation Liquid Xenon Observatory for Dark Matter and Neutrino Physics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02309


The nature of dark matter and properties of neutrinos are among the most pressing issues in contemporary particle physics. The dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber is the leading technology to cover the available parameter space for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), while featuring extensive sensitivity to many alternative dark matter candidates. These detectors can also study neutrinos through neutrinoless double-beta decay and through a variety of astrophysical sources. A next-generation xenon-based detector will therefore be a true multi-purpose observatory to significantly advance particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, solar physics, and cosmology. This review article presents the science cases for such a detector.

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J. Aalbers, K. Abe, V. Aerne, et. al.
Mon, 7 Mar 22
37/64

Comments: 77 pages, 40 figures, 1262 references

Optimization study of the electrode design of a 5 mm thick orthogonal-strip CdZnTe detector system [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02332


The geometry of electrodes is one of the most important factors in determining the performance of orthogonal-strip detectors. The aim of this work is to study the performance of a 5 mm thick cross-strip CdZnTe detector with different electrode widths. Our study consists of two main parts, simulations and experiments. We utilized four different anode sizes ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.6 mm. The anodes were interspersed with steering electrodes with varying sizes from 0.3 mm to 0.85 mm. The maximum gap size between the anodes and steering electrode strips was set to 0.3 mm, while the minimum gap size was 0.125 mm. The performance of the detector was investigated in terms of the steering electrode bias voltage, the energy resolution, and the charge sharing effect. For simulations, we developed a C++ based simulation program for charge transport inside the CdZnTe detector and charge collection at the electrodes. For photon interactions we used GEANT4 toolkit and for electric field and weighting potential simulations we used COMSOL software. The results demonstrated that -50 V is the optimal steering electrode bias for our detector when -500 V was applied to the cathodes and that the energy resolution performance drops with increasing steering electrode width. Also, the charge sharing effect becomes more dominant for larger steering electrode sizes. The experimental result are further compared with the simulations. The results are in a good agreement and the comparison validates our simulation model. Although, our simulation framework has need of better estimation for the intrinsic noise of CdZnTe. These results suggest that an optimization study between electrode widths and steering electrode bias is required to obtain the best performance in orthogonal-strip CdZnTe detectors.

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A. Altingun and E. Kalemci
Mon, 7 Mar 22
39/64

Comments: N/A

Novel electron and photon recording concepts in noble-liquid detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2203.01774


We present several novel ionization-electron and scintillation-photon recording concepts in noble-liquid detectors, for future applications in particle and astroparticle physics and in other fields. These involve both single- and dual-phase detector configurations with combined electroluminescence and small charge multiplication in gas and liquid media.

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A. Breskin
Fri, 4 Mar 22
47/63

Comments: 32 pages, 15 figures, to be submitted to JINST

Nonlinear mechanisms in Al and Ti superconducting travelling-wave parametric amplifiers [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.11656


The underlying nonlinear mechanisms behind the operation of travelling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs) are important in determining their performance in terms of added noise, maximum gain, and bandwidth. We describe a method of characterising the underlying nonlinearity of a superconducting material in terms of its dissipative-reactive ratio and the response time of the underlying microscopic processes. We describe and calculate the different behaviour arising from the equilibrium supercurrent nonlinearity, which has low dissipation and fast response time, and the non-equilibrium heating nonlinearity, which has high dissipation and slow response time. We have fabricated TWPAs based on Al and Ti, and characterised their nonlinearities using our analysis. For both Al and Ti, the measured dissipative-reactive ratios and response times are quantitatively similar to predictions for the non-equilibrium heating nonlinearity. In line with this, we were able to obtain more than 20 dB of peak power gain, although only over a narrow bandwidth of a few kilohertz.

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S. Zhao, S. Withington and C. Thomas
Thu, 24 Feb 22
42/52

Comments: N/A

Tomographic Muon Imaging of the Great Pyramid of Giza [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.08184


The pyramids of the Giza plateau have fascinated visitors since ancient times and are the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. It has been half a century since Luiz Alvarez and his team used cosmic-ray muon imaging to look for hidden chambers in Khafres Pyramid. Advances in instrumentation for High-Energy Physics (HEP) allowed a new survey, ScanPyramids, to make important new discoveries at the Great Pyramid (Khufu) utilizing the same basic technique that the Alvarez team used, but now with modern instrumentation. The Exploring the Great Pyramid Mission plans to field a very-large muon telescope system that will be transformational with respect to the field of cosmic-ray muon imaging. We plan to field a telescope system that has upwards of 100 times the sensitivity of the equipment that has recently been used at the Great Pyramid, will image muons from nearly all angles and will, for the first time, produce a true tomographic image of such a large structure.

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A. Bross, E. Dukes, R. Ehrlich, et. al.
Thu, 17 Feb 22
44/60

Comments: N/A

EXCESS workshop: Descriptions of rising low-energy spectra [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.05097


Many low-threshold experiments observe sharply rising event rates of yet unknown origins below a few hundred eV, and larger than expected from known backgrounds. Due to the significant impact of this excess on the dark matter or neutrino sensitivity of these experiments, a collective effort has been started to share the knowledge about the individual observations. For this, the EXCESS Workshop was initiated. In its first iteration in June 2021, ten rare event search collaborations contributed to this initiative via talks and discussions. The contributing collaborations were CONNIE, CRESST, DAMIC, EDELWEISS, MINER, NEWS-G, NUCLEUS, RICOCHET, SENSEI and SuperCDMS. They presented data about their observed energy spectra and known backgrounds together with details about the respective measurements. In this paper, we summarize the presented information and give a comprehensive overview of the similarities and differences between the distinct measurements. The provided data is furthermore publicly available on the workshop’s data repository together with a plotting tool for visualization.

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P. Adari, A. Aguilar-Arevalo, D. Amidei, et. al.
Fri, 11 Feb 22
29/71

Comments: 44 pages, 20 figures; Editors: A. Fuss, M. Kaznacheeva, F. Reindl, F. Wagner

Constraints on the electron-hole pair creation energy and Fano factor below 150 eV from Compton scattering in a Skipper-CCD [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.03924


Fully-depleted thick silicon Skipper-charge-coupled devices (Skipper-CCDs) have achieved sub-electron read-out noise and are an important technology to probe neutrino and light dark matter interactions. However, the successful search for rare neutrino or dark-matter events requires the signal and all backgrounds to be fully characterized. In particular, a measurement of the electron-hole pair creation energy below 150\,eV and the Fano factor are necessary for characterizing the dark matter and neutrino signals. Moreover, photons from background radiation may Compton scatter in the silicon bulk, producing events that can mimic a dark matter or neutrino signal. We present a measurement of the Compton spectrum using a Skipper-CCD and a $^{241}$Am source. With these data, we measure the electron-hole pair-creation energy to be $\left(3.71 \pm 0.08\right)$\,eV at 130\,K in the energy range between 99.3 eV and 150 eV. By measuring the widths of the steps at 99.3 eV and 150 eV in the Compton spectrum, we introduce a novel technique to measure the Fano factor, setting an upper limit of 0.31 at 90\% C.L. These results prove the potential of Skipper-CCDs to characterize the Compton spectrum and to measure precisely the Fano factor and electron-hole pair creation energy below 150\,eV.

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A. Botti, S. Uemura, G. Moroni, et. al.
Wed, 9 Feb 22
30/48

Comments: N/A

Measuring Electric Dipole Moments of Trapped Sub-mm Particles [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.01979


We present a method for measurements of electric dipole moments on (sub)-mm size (basalt) particles levitated in an acoustic trap and centered within a plate capacitor. If an electric field is applied the particles oscillate with specific frequencies due to their permanent dipole moments. We observe dipole moments on the order of $D_P = 10^{-15} … 10^{-14} \rm \, C \, m $. The dipole moment increases in small aggregates with the number of grains and is larger for samples vibrated (tribocharged) before trapping. The basalt grains show no sign of change in their dipole moment during measurements, implying a timescale for charge mobility being at least larger than minutes.

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F. Onyeagusi, J. Teiser, N. Schneider, et. al.
Mon, 7 Feb 22
1/46

Comments: N/A

Measurement of atmospheric muon angular distribution using a portable setup of liquid scintillator bars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.01445


Measurements of cosmogenic particles at various locations and altitudes are becoming increasingly important in view of worldwide interests in rare signals for search of new physics. In this work, we report measurement of muon zenith angle distributions and integrated flux using a portable setup of four one-meter long liquid scintillator bars. Each scintillator bar is read out from both sides via photomultiplier tubes followed by an 8-channel Digitizer. We exploit energy deposition and excellent timing of scintillators to construct two dimensional tracks and hence angles of charged particles. We use liquid scintillators since they have an added advantage of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) which can be used for detecting muon induced particles. The energy deposition, time window of event and PSD cuts are used to reduce the random as well as correlated backgrounds. In addition, we propose three track quality parameters which are applied to obtain a clean muon spectrum. The zenith angle measurement is performed upto $60^\circ$. With our improved analysis, we demonstrate that a setup of 3 bars can also be used for quicker and precise measurements. The vertical muon flux measured is $66.70 \pm 0.36 \pm 1.50$ with $n=2.10 \pm 0.05 \pm 0.25 $ in $\cos^n \theta$ at the location of Mumbai, India ($19^{\circ}$N, $72.9^{\circ}$E) at Sea level with a muon momentum above $255$ GeV/$c$. The muon flux has dependence on various factors, the most prominents are latitudes, altitudes and momentum cut of muon so that portable setup like this can be a boon for such measurements at various locations.

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H. Sogarwal and P. Shukla
Fri, 4 Feb 22
6/65

Comments: 29 pages, 24 figures

Analysis of performance and robustness against jitter of various search methods for acquiring optical links in space [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.00784


We discuss various methods for acquiring optical links in space using a dedicated acquisition sensor. Statistical models are developed and simple analytical equations derived that compare the performance between a single and dual spiral scan approach as well as between sequential and parallel acquisition of link chains. Simple derived analytical equations allow relating essential search parameters such as track width, variance of the uncertainty distribution, capture radius and scan speed to the probabilities of acquiring the links within a specific time. We also assess the probability of failing to acquire a link due to beam jitter and derive a simple analytical model that allows determining the maximum tolerable jitter for a given beam overlap and required probability of success. All results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations and applied to the concrete example of the GRACE FO mission.

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G. Hechenblaikner
Thu, 3 Feb 22
16/56

Comments: 11 pages, two column format, 9pt font

Review of the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave observatories leading to observing run four [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2202.00847


Gravitational waves from binary black hole and neutron star mergers are being regularly detected. As of 2021, ninety confident gravitational wave detections have been made by the LIGO and Virgo detectors. Work is ongoing to further increase the sensitivity of the detectors for the fourth observing run, including installing some of the A+ upgrades designed to lower the fundamental noise that limits the sensitivity to gravitational waves. In this review, we will overview how the LIGO detectors work, including their optical configuration and lock acquisition procedure, discuss the detectors’ fundamental and technical noise limits and compare to the current measured sensitivity, and review the A+ upgrades currently being installed in the detectors.

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C. Cahillane and G. Mansell
Thu, 3 Feb 22
31/56

Comments: 33 pages, 7 figures, 181 references

Simulation of a Xe-based X-ray Polarimeter at 10-30 keV [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.11461


Polarization detection of X-ray is a non-negligible topic to astrophysical observation. Many polarization detection methods have been well developed for X-ray in the energy range below 10 keV, while the detection at 10-30 keV is rarely discussed. This paper presents a simulation study of a Xe-based Gas Pixel Detector, which can achieve the polarization detection of X-ray at 10-30 keV. To verify the emission angle distribution of photoelectrons, different electromagnetic models in Geant4 were investigated. After a necessary modification by considering the missing factor when sampling the emission angle, good agreement can be achieved. Moreover, the detection capability of 20 keV polarized photons was discussed and the modulation factor could be improved from 16.24% to 43.26% after the modification.

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J. Zhang, X. Cai, Y. Huang, et. al.
Fri, 28 Jan 22
28/64

Comments: N/A

Science-Driven Tunable Design of Cosmic Explorer Detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10668


Ground-based gravitational-wave detectors like Cosmic Explorer can be tuned to improve their sensitivity at high or low frequencies by tuning the response of the signal extraction cavity. Enhanced sensitivity above 2 kHz enables measurements of the post-merger gravitational-wave spectrum from binary neutron star mergers, which depends critically on the unknown equation of state of hot, ultra-dense matter. Improved sensitivity below 500 Hz favors precision tests of extreme gravity with black hole ringdown signals and improves the detection prospects while facilitating an improved measurement of source properties for compact binary inspirals at cosmological distances. At intermediate frequencies, a more sensitive detector can better measure the tidal properties of neutron stars. We present and characterize the performance of tuned Cosmic Explorer configurations that are designed to optimize detections across different astrophysical source populations. These tuning options give Cosmic Explorer the flexibility to target a diverse set of science goals with the same detector infrastructure. We find that a 40 km Cosmic Explorer detector outperforms a 20 km in all key science goals other than access to post-merger physics. This suggests that Cosmic Explorer should include at least one 40 km facility.

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V. Srivastava, D. Davis, K. Kuns, et. al.
Thu, 27 Jan 22
3/44

Comments: N/A

MICROSCOPE Mission scenario, ground segment and data processing [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10841


Testing the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to a precision of $10^{-15}$ requires a quantity of data that give enough confidence on the final result: ideally, the longer the measurement the better the rejection of thestatistical noise. The science sessions had a duration of 120 orbits maximum and were regularly repeated and spaced out to accommodate operational constraints but also in order to repeat the experiment in different conditions and to allow time to calibrate the instrument. Several science sessions were performed over the 2.5 year duration of the experiment. This paper aims to describe how the data have been produced on the basis of a mission scenario and a data flow process, driven by a tradeoff between the science objectives and the operational constraints. The mission was led by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) which provided the satellite, the launch and the ground operations. The ground segment was distributed between CNES and Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches A\’erospatiales (ONERA). CNES provided the raw data through the Centre d’Expertise de Compensation de Tra\^{i}n\'{e}e (CECT: Drag-free expertise centre). The science was led by the Observatoire de la C\^ote d{‘}Azur (OCA) and ONERA was in charge of the data process. The latter also provided the instrument and the Science Mission Centre of MICROSCOPE (CMSM).

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M. Rodrigues, P. Touboul, G. Métris, et. al.
Thu, 27 Jan 22
17/44

Comments: To be released in special MICROSCOPE edition of CQG

Simulation of Nuclear Recoils due to Supernova Neutrino-induced Neutrons in Liquid Xenon Detectors [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10538


Neutrinos from supernova (SN) bursts can give rise to detectable number of nuclear recoil (NR) events through the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) process in large scale liquid xenon detectors designed for direct dark matter search, depending on the SN progenitor mass and distance. Here we show that in addition to the direct NR events due to CE$\nu$NS process, the SN neutrinos can give rise to additional nuclear recoils due to the elastic scattering of neutrons produced through inelastic interaction of the neutrinos with the xenon nuclei. We find that the contribution of the supernova neutrino-induced neutrons ($\nu$I$n$) can significantly modify the total xenon NR spectrum at large recoil energies compared to that expected from the CE$\nu$NS process alone. Moreover, for recoil energies $\gtrsim20$ keV, dominant contribution is obtained from the ($\nu$I$n$) events. We numerically calculate the observable S1 and S2 signals due to both CE$\nu$NS and $\nu$I$n$ processes for a typical liquid xenon based detector, accounting for the multiple scattering effects of the neutrons in the case of $\nu$I$n$, and find that sufficiently large signal events, those with S1$\gtrsim$50 photo-electrons (PE) and S2$\gtrsim$2300 PE, come mainly from the $\nu$I$n$ scatterings.

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S. Ghosh, A. Bandyopadhyay, P. Bhattacharjee, et. al.
Wed, 26 Jan 22
4/53

Comments: To be published in the Proceedings of TAUP2021. (Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS)) (5 pages, 4 figures)

Optimizing Gravitational-Wave Detector Design for Squeezed Light [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.09482


Squeezed light is critical in gravitational-wave detection for reaching sensitivities below the standard quantum limit. Achieving the quantum noise targets of third-generation detectors will require 10 dB of squeezing as well as megawatt laser power in the interferometer arms – both of which require unprecedented control of the internal optical losses. In this work, we present a novel optimization approach to gravitational-wave detector design aimed at maximizing the robustness to common, yet unavoidable, optical fabrication and installation errors, which have caused significant loss in Advanced LIGO. As a proof of concept, we employ these techniques to perform a two-part optimization of the LIGO A+ design. First, we optimize the arm cavities for reduced scattering loss in the presence of point absorbers, as currently limit the operating power of Advanced LIGO. Then, we optimize the signal recycling cavity for maximum squeezing performance, accounting for realistic errors in the positions and radii of curvature of the optics. Our findings suggest that these techniques can be leveraged to achieve substantially greater quantum noise performance in current and future gravitational-wave detectors.

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J. Richardson, S. Pandey, E. Bytyqi, et. al.
Tue, 25 Jan 22
73/78

Comments: Submitted to PRD

A feasibility study of extruded plastic scintillator embedding WLS fiber for AMoRE-II muon veto [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.08034


AMoRE-II is the second phase of the Advanced Molybdenum-based Rare process Experiment aiming to search for the neutrino-less double beta decay of 100Mo isotopes using ~ 200 kg of molybdenum-containing cryogenic detectors. The AMoRE-II needs to keep the background level below 10-5 counts/keV/kg/year with various methods to maximize the sensitivity. One of the methods is to have the experiment be carried out in a deep underground free from the cosmic ray backgrounds. The AMoRE-II will run at Yemilab with ~ 1,000 m depth. Even in such a deep underground environment, however, there are still survived cosmic muons which can affect the measurement and should be excluded as much as possible. A muon veto detector is necessary to reject muon-induced particles coming to the inner detector where the molybdate cryogenic detectors are located. We have studied the possibility of using an extruded plastic scintillator and wavelength shifting fiber together with SiPM as a muon veto system. We obtained a muon flux of 428.4 events/m2/day at Yangyang underground laboratory using a prototype muon detector, in agreement with a COSINE-100 measurement. The estimated event rate in the AMoRE-II muon veto system for a 135 m2 total veto area is 2.04 events/s.

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J. Seo, W. Kim, Y. Kim, et. al.
Fri, 21 Jan 22
45/60

Comments: 9 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables

Simulation of a first case study for magnetic field imaging with the Magic-$μ$ technique [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.07466


So far, most of the developments in muography (or cosmic-ray muon radiography) have been based on either the scattering or the absorption of cosmic-ray muons produced by the nuclear interactions between primary cosmic-rays and the nuclei of the Earth’s atmosphere. Applications of muography are increasing in various disciplines. A new use of this technique to measure a magnetic field has recently been proposed by our group. This new application takes advantage of the electric charge of cosmic-ray muons, which causes them to change their trajectory due to the Lorentz force generated by a magnetic field. In this study, we present a feasibility study of the proposed technique by simulating a simple dipole magnet using the three-dimensional finite element solution package AMaze, together with the PHITS Monte Carlo simulation tools. The distribution of magnetic field flux densities around the magnet was calculated in AMaze and entered into the PHITS code. Positive and negative cosmic-ray muons were generated based on the PHITS-based analytical radiation model (PARMA). A comparison of the count rate maps of the detected muons on two position-sensitive scintillator detectors for the magnetic field ON and OFF was studied using PHITS. The simulation results show the effect of the magnet on the count rate maps and are promising for the newly proposed application of cosmic-ray muons, the imaging of a magnetic field.

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H. Basiri, T. Kin, N. Okamoto, et. al.
Thu, 20 Jan 22
29/77

Comments: N/A

Operation and performance of a dual-phase crystalline/vapor xenon time projection chamber [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.05740


We have built and operated a crystalline/vapor xenon TPC, with the goal of improving searches for dark matter. The motivation for this instrument is the fact that beta decays from the radon decay chain to the ground state presently limit the state-of-the-art liquid/vapor xenon experiments. In contrast, a crystalline xenon target has the potential to tag and reject radon-chain backgrounds, due to the time and energy signature of their decays. The present article is the first demonstration of a crystalline/vapor xenon TPC with electroluminescence (gas gain) for the electron signal readout. It also shows that the scintillation yield in crystalline xenon appears to be identical to that in liquid xenon, in contrast to previous results.

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S. Kravitz, H. Chen, R. Gibbons, et. al.
Wed, 19 Jan 22
38/121

Comments: N/A

Geometric tilt-to-length coupling in precision interferometry: mechanisms and analytical descriptions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.06943


Tilt-to-length coupling is a technical term for the cross-coupling of angular or lateral jitter into an interferometric phase signal. It is an important noise source in precision interferometers and originates either from changes in the optical path lengths or from wavefront and clipping effects. Within this paper, we focus on geometric TTL coupling and categorize it into a number of different mechanisms for which we give analytic expressions. We then show that this geometric description is not always sufficient to predict the TTL coupling noise within an interferometer. We, therefore, discuss how understanding the geometric effects allows TTL noise reduction already by smart design choices. Additionally, they can be used to counteract the total measured TTL noise in a system. The presented content applies to a large variety of precision interferometers, including space gravitational wave detectors like LISA.

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M. Hartig, S. Schuster and G. Wanner
Wed, 19 Jan 22
48/121

Comments: N/A

Fast and Flexible Analysis of Direct Dark Matter Search Data with Machine Learning [CEA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.05734


We present the results from combining machine learning with the profile likelihood fit procedure, using data from the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment. This approach demonstrates reduction in computation time by a factor of 30 when compared with the previous approach, without loss of performance on real data. We establish its flexibility to capture non-linear correlations between variables (such as smearing in light and charge signals due to position variation) by achieving equal performance using pulse areas with and without position-corrections applied. Its efficiency and scalability furthermore enables searching for dark matter using additional variables without significant computational burden. We demonstrate this by including a light signal pulse shape variable alongside more traditional inputs such as light and charge signal strengths. This technique can be exploited by future dark matter experiments to make use of additional information, reduce computational resources needed for signal searches and simulations, and make inclusion of physical nuisance parameters in fits tractable.

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L. Collaboration, D. Akerib, S. Alsum, et. al.
Wed, 19 Jan 22
76/121

Comments: N/A

The Simons Observatory: Design and Measured Performance of a Carbon Fiber Strut for a Cryogenic Truss [IMA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.06094


We present the design and measured performance of a new carbon fiber strut design that is used in a cryogenically cooled truss for the Simons Observatory Small Aperture Telescope (SAT). The truss consists of two aluminum 6061 rings separated by 24 struts. Each strut consists of a central carbon fiber tube fitted with two aluminum end caps. We tested the performance of the strut and truss by (i) cryogenically cycling and destructively pull-testing strut samples, (ii) non-destructively pull-testing the final truss, and (iii) measuring the thermal conductivity of the carbon fiber tubes. We found that the strut strength is limited by the mounting fasteners and the strut end caps, not the epoxy adhesive or the carbon fiber tube. This result is consistent with our numerical predictions. Our thermal measurements suggest that the conductive heat load through the struts (from 4 K to 1 K) will be less than 1 mW. This strut design may be a promising candidate for use in other cryogenic support structures.

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K. Crowley, P. Dow, J. Shroyer, et. al.
Wed, 19 Jan 22
94/121

Comments: N/A

Observing the optical modes of parametric instability [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.05276


Parametric Instability (PI) is a phenomenon that results from resonant interactions between optical and acoustic modes of a laser cavity. This is problematic in gravitational wave interferometers where the high intra-cavity power and low mechanical loss mirror suspension systems create an environment where three mode PI will occur without intervention. We demonstrate a technique for real time imaging of the amplitude and phase of the optical modes of PI yielding the first ever images of this phenomenon which could form part of active control strategies for future detectors.

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M. Schiworski, V. Bossilkov, C. Blair, et. al.
Mon, 17 Jan 22
12/59

Comments: 4 pages, 4 figures. Pre-submission version

Observing the optical modes of parametric instability [CL]

Posted on by

http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.05276


Parametric Instability (PI) is a phenomenon that results from resonant interactions between optical and acoustic modes of a laser cavity. This is problematic in gravitational wave interferometers where the high intra-cavity power and low mechanical loss mirror suspension systems create an environment where three mode PI will occur without intervention. We demonstrate a technique for real time imaging of the amplitude and phase of the optical modes of PI yielding the first ever images of this phenomenon which could form part of active control strategies for future detectors.

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M. Schiworski, V. Bossilkov, C. Blair, et. al.
Mon, 17 Jan 22
3/59

Comments: 4 pages, 4 figures. Pre-submission version

Very large SiPM arrays with aggregated output [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.04615


In this work we will document the design and the performances of a SiPM-based photodetector with a surface area of 100 cm$^2$ conceived to operate as a replacement for PMTs. The signals from 94 SiPMs are summed up to produce an aggregated output that exhibits in liquid nitrogen a dark count rate (DCR) lower than 100 cps over the entire surface, a signal to noise ratio better than 13, and a timing resolution better than 5.5 ns. The module feeds about 360 mW at 5 V with a dynamic range in excess of 500 photo-electrons on a 100 $\Omega$ differential line. The unit is compatible with operations at room temperature, with a DCR increased by about 6 orders of magnitude.

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A. Razeto, V. Camillo, M. Carlini, et. al.
Thu, 13 Jan 22
8/63

Comments: 11 pages, 15 figures

Probing spin-dependent dark matter interactions with $^6$Li [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.03863


CRESST is one of the most prominent direct detection experiments for dark matter particles with sub-GeV/c$^2$ mass. One of the advantages of the CRESST experiment is the possibility to include a large variety of nuclides in the target material used to probe dark matter interactions. In this work, we discuss in particular the interactions of dark matter particles with protons and neutrons of $^{6}$Li. This is now possible thanks to new calculations on nuclear matrix elements of this specific isotope of Li. To show the potential of using this particular nuclide for probing dark matter interactions, we used the data collected previously by a CRESST prototype based on LiAlO$_2$ and operated in an above ground test-facility at Max-Planck-Institut f\”ur Physik in Munich, Germany. In particular, the inclusion of $^{6}$Li in the limit calculation drastically improves the result obtained for spin-dependent interactions with neutrons in the whole mass range. The improvement is significant, greater than two order of magnitude for dark matter masses below 1 GeV/c$^2$, compared to the limit previously published with the same data.

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G. Angloher, G. Benato, A. Bento, et. al.
Wed, 12 Jan 22
52/89

Comments: N/A

Fieldable Muon Momentum Measurement using Coupled Pressurized Gaseous Cherenkov Detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02591


Cosmic ray muons present a large part of the radiation background and depending on the application of interest muons can be seen as background noise, e.g., radiation mapping, radiation protection, dosimetry, or as a useful interrogation probe such as cosmic ray muon tomography. It is worth noting recent developments on muon scattering tomography which has emerged as a prospective noninvasive monitoring method for many applications including spent nuclear fuel cask monitoring and geotomography. However, it is still very challenging to measure muon momentum in the field, despite the apparent benefits, without resorting to large and expensive calorimeters, ring imagers, or time of flight detectors. Recent efforts at CNL and INFN have developed large prototypes based on multiple Coulomb scattering coupled with the muon momentum reconstruction algorithms. While these efforts show promise, no portable detectors exist that can measure muon momentum in the field. In this work, we present a new concept for measuring muon momentum using coupled pressurized gaseous Cherenkov radiators. By carefully selecting the gas pressure at each radiator we can optimize the muon momentum threshold for which a muon signal will be detected. This way, a muon passing through the radiators will only trigger those radiators with momentum threshold less than the actual muon momentum. By measuring the presence of Cherenkov signals in each radiator, our system can then estimate the muon momentum. The primary benefit of such a concept is that it can be compact and portable enough so that it can be deployed in the field separately or in combination with existing tomography systems.

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J. Bae and S. Chatzidakis
Mon, 10 Jan 22
16/49

Comments: Transactions of American Nuclear Society Winter meeting, 125 (1), 400-403, 2021

SiPM cross-talk in liquid argon detectors [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2201.01632


SiPM-based readout is becoming the standard for light detection in particle detectors given their superior resolution and simplicity of use respect to vacuum tube photo-multipliers. However, the presence of detection noises such as the dark rate, the cross-talk and after-pulsing may impact significantly the performance. In this work, we document the development of highly reflective single-phase argon chambers capable of displaying light yields up to 32 photo-electrons per keV, out of which only about 12 are primary photo-electrons generated by the argon scintillation and the rest is accounted for by optical cross-talk. Furthermore, the presence of compound processes yields a generalized Fano factor that reaches a value of 9 at higher over-voltages. As a bonus, we have the complete parametrization of the optical cross-talk for the FBK NUV-HD-Cryo SiPMs at 87 K.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Boulay, V. Camillo, N. Canci, et. al.
Thu, 6 Jan 22
11/56

Comments: 8 pages, 8 figures