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Register a new userA C-13(alpha,n)O-16 calibration source for KamLAND
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We report on the construction and performance of a calibration source for KamLAND using the reaction C-13(alpha,n)O-16 with Po-210 as the alpha progenitor. The source provides a direct measurement of this background reaction in our detector, high energy calibration points for the detector energy scale, and data on quenching of the neutron visible energy in KamLAND scintillator. We also discuss the possibility of using the reaction C-13(alpha,n)O-16 as a source of tagged slow neutrons.
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The decay of 16-N is used to cross check the absolute energy scale calibration for solar neutrinos established by the electron linear accelerator (LINAC). A deuterium-tritium neutron generator was employed to create 16-N via the (n,p) reaction on 16-O in the water of the detector. This technique is isotropic and has different systematic uncertainties than the LINAC. The results from this high statistics data sample agree with the absolute energy scale of the LINAC to better than 1%. A natural source of 16-N from the capture of mu^- on 16-O, which is collected as a background to the solar neutrino analysis, is also discussed.
As suggested in a Comment by Peters, Phys. Rev. C {bf 96}, 029801 (2017), a correction is applied to the $^{13}$C($alpha$,n)$^{16}$O data of Harissopulos {it et al.}, Phys. Rev. C {bf 72}, 062801(R) (2005). The correction refers to the energy-dependent efficiency of the neutron detector and appears only above the ($alpha$,n$_1$) threshold of the $^{13}$C($alpha$,n)$^{16}$O reaction at about $E_alpha approx 5$ MeV. The corrected data are lower than the original data by almost a factor of two. The correction method is verified using recent neutron spectroscopy data and data from the reverse $^{16}$O(n,$alpha$)$^{13}$C reaction.
The $^{12}text{C}(alpha,gamma){}^{16}text{O}$ reaction plays a central role in astrophysics, but its cross section at energies relevant for astrophysical applications is only poorly constrained by laboratory data. The reduced $alpha$ width, $gamma_{11}$, of the bound $1^-$ level in $^{16}$O is particularly important to determine the cross section. The magnitude of $gamma_{11}$ is determined via sub-Coulomb $alpha$-transfer reactions or the $beta$-delayed $alpha$ decay of $^{16}$N, but the latter approach is presently hampered by the lack of sufficiently precise data on the $beta$-decay branching ratios. Here we report improved branching ratios for the bound $1^-$ level [$b_{beta,11} = (5.02pm 0.10)times 10^{-2}$] and for $beta$-delayed $alpha$ emission [$b_{betaalpha} = (1.59pm 0.06)times 10^{-5}$]. Our value for $b_{betaalpha}$ is 33% larger than previously held, leading to a substantial increase in $gamma_{11}$. Our revised value for $gamma_{11}$ is in good agreement with the value obtained in $alpha$-transfer studies and the weighted average of the two gives a robust and precise determination of $gamma_{11}$, which provides significantly improved constraints on the $^{12}$C$(alpha,gamma)$ cross section in the energy range relevant to hydrostatic He burning.
We characterize two 40 kBq sources of electrodeposited Th-228 for use in low-background experiments. The sources efficiently emanate Rn-220, a noble gas that can diffuse in a detector volume. Rn-220 and its daughter isotopes produce alpha, beta, and gamma-radiation, which may used to calibrate a variety of detector responses and features, before decaying completely in only a few days. We perform various tests to place limits on the release of other long-lived isotopes. In particular, we find an emanation of <0.008 atoms/min/kBq (90% CL) for Th-228 and 1.53 atoms/min/kBq for Ra-224. The sources lend themselves in particular to the calibration of detectors employing liquid noble elements such as argon and xenon. With the source mounted in a noble gas system, we demonstrate that filters are highly efficient in reducing the activity of these longer-lived isotopes further. We thus confirm the suitability of these sources even for use in next-generation experiments, such as XENON1T/XENONnT, LZ, and nEXO.
A prototype device capable of moving a radioactive calibration source to multiple positions was operated at millikelvin temperatures using a modified commercial stepper motor. It was developed as an in-situ calibration strategy for cryogenic dark matter detectors. Data taken by scanning a calibration source across multiple radial positions of a prototype dark matter detector demonstrated its functionality. Construction, heat load, and operation of the device are discussed, as is the effect of the motor on the detector operation. A sample dataset taken over multiple positions of a SuperCDMS detector is presented as an example of the utility of such a device.
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