We present measurements of radioactive contamination in the high-resistivity silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs) used by the DAMIC experiment to search for dark matter particles. Novel analysis methods, which exploit the unique spatial resolution o
f CCDs, were developed to identify $alpha$ and $beta$ particles. Uranium and thorium contamination in the CCD bulk was measured through $alpha$ spectroscopy, with an upper limit on the $^{238}$U ($^{232}$Th) decay rate of 5 (15) kg$^{-1}$ d$^{-1}$ at 95% CL. We also searched for pairs of spatially correlated electron tracks separated in time by up to tens of days, as expected from $^{32}$Si-$^{32}$P or $^{210}$Pb-$^{210}$Bi sequences of $beta$ decays. The decay rate of $^{32}$Si was found to be $80^{+110}_{-65}$ kg$^{-1}$ d$^{-1}$ (95% CI). An upper limit of $sim$35 kg$^{-1}$ d$^{-1}$ (95% CL) on the $^{210}$Pb decay rate was obtained independently by $alpha$ spectroscopy and the $beta$ decay sequence search. These levels of radioactive contamination are sufficiently low for the successful operation of CCDs in the forthcoming 100 g DAMIC detector.
The PIENU experiment at TRIUMF is aimed at a measurement of the branching ratio $R^{e/mu}$ = ${Gammabig((pi^{+} rightarrow e^{+} u_{e}) + (pi^{+} rightarrow e^{+} u_{e}gamma)big)}/{Gammabig((pi^{+} rightarrow mu^{+} u_{mu})+(pi^{+} rightarrow mu^{
+} u_{mu}gamma)big)}$ with precision $<$0.1%. Incident pions, delivered at the rate of 60 kHz with momentum 75 MeV/c, were degraded and stopped in a plastic scintillator target. Pions and their decay product positrons were detected with plastic scintillators and tracked with multiwire proportional chambers and silicon strip detectors. The energies of the positrons were measured in a spectrometer consisting of a large NaI(T$ell$) crystal surrounded by an array of pure CsI crystals. This paper provides a description of the PIENU experimental apparatus and its performance in pursuit of $R^{e/mu}$.
This paper explores the use of $L/E$ oscillation probability distributions to compare experimental measurements and to evaluate oscillation models. In this case, $L$ is the distance of neutrino travel and $E$ is a measure of the interacting neutrinos
energy. While comparisons using allowed and excluded regions for oscillation model parameters are likely the only rigorous method for these comparisons, the $L/E$ distributions are shown to give qualitative information on the agreement of an experiments data with a simple two-neutrino oscillation model. In more detail, this paper also outlines how the $L/E$ distributions can be best calculated and used for model comparisons. Specifically, the paper presents the $L/E$ data points for the final MiniBooNE data samples and, in the Appendix, explains and corrects the mistaken analysis published by the ICARUS collaboration.
DAMIC (Dark Matter in CCDs) is a novel dark matter experiment that has unique sensitivity to dark matter particles with masses below 10 GeV. Due to its low electronic readout noise (R.M.S. ~3 e-) this instrument is able to reach a detection threshold
below 0.5 keV nuclear recoil energy, making the search for dark matter particles with low masses possible. We report on early results and experience gained from a detector that has been running at SNOLAB from Dec 2012. We also discuss the measured and expected backgrounds and present the plan for future detectors to be installed in 2014.
We report the measurement of the flux-averaged antineutrino neutral current elastic scattering cross section ($dsigma_{bar u N rightarrow bar u N}/dQ^{2}$) on CH$_{2}$ by the MiniBooNE experiment using the largest sample of antineutrino neutral cur
rent elastic candidate events ever collected. The ratio of the antineutrino to neutrino neutral current elastic scattering cross sections and a ratio of antineutrino neutral current elastic to antineutrino charged current quasi elastic cross section is also presented.
The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab reports results from an analysis of $bar u_e$ appearance data from $11.27 times 10^{20}$ protons on target in antineutrino mode, an increase of approximately a factor of two over the previously reported results.
An event excess of $78.4 pm 28.5$ events ($2.8 sigma$) is observed in the energy range $200<E_ u^{QE}<1250$ MeV. If interpreted in a two-neutrino oscillation model, $bar{ u}_{mu}rightarrowbar{ u}_e$, the best oscillation fit to the excess has a probability of 66% while the background-only fit has a $chi^2$-probability of 0.5% relative to the best fit. The data are consistent with antineutrino oscillations in the $0.01 < Delta m^2 < 1.0$ eV$^2$ range and have some overlap with the evidence for antineutrino oscillations from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND). All of the major backgrounds are constrained by in-situ event measurements so non-oscillation explanations would need to invoke new anomalous background processes. The neutrino mode running also shows an excess at low energy of $162.0 pm 47.8$ events ($3.4 sigma$) but the energy distribution of the excess is marginally compatible with a simple two neutrino oscillation formalism. Expanded models with several sterile neutrinos can reduce the incompatibility by allowing for CP violating effects between neutrino and antineutrino oscillations.
The largest sample ever recorded of $ umub$ charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE, $ umub + p to mup + n$) candidate events is used to produce the minimally model-dependent, flux-integrated double-differential cross section $frac{d^{2}sigma}{dT_mu duz}
$ for $ umub$ incident on mineral oil. This measurement exploits the unprecedented statistics of the MiniBooNE anti-neutrino mode sample and provides the most complete information of this process to date. Also given to facilitate historical comparisons are the flux-unfolded total cross section $sigma(E_ u)$ and single-differential cross section $frac{dsigma}{dqsq}$ on both mineral oil and on carbon by subtracting the $ umub$ CCQE events on hydrogen. The observed cross section is somewhat higher than the predicted cross section from a model assuming independently-acting nucleons in carbon with canonical form factor values. The shape of the data are also discrepant with this model. These results have implications for intra-nuclear processes and can help constrain signal and background processes for future neutrino oscillation measurements.
A proposal submitted to the FNAL PAC is described to search for light sub-GeV WIMP dark matter at MiniBooNE. The possibility to steer the beam past the target and into an absorber leads to a significant reduction in neutrino background, allowing for
a sensitive search for elastic scattering of WIMPs off nucleons or electrons in the detector. Dark matter models involving a vector mediator can be probed in a parameter region consistent with the required thermal relic density, and which overlaps the region in which these models can resolve the muon g-2 discrepancy. Estimates of signal significance are presented for various operational modes and parameter points. The experimental approach outlined for applying MiniBooNE to a light WIMP search may also be applicable to other neutrino facilities.
We propose adding 300 mg/l PPO to the existing MiniBooNE detector mineral oil to increase the scintillation response. This will allow the detection of associated neutrons and increase sensitivity to final-state nucleons in neutrino interactions. This
increased capability will enable an independent test of whether the current excess seen in the MiniBooNE oscillation search is signal or background. In addition it will enable other neutrino interaction measurements to be made including a search for the strange-quark contribution to the nucleon spin Delta s and a low-energy measurement of charged-current quasielastic scattering.
The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab reports results from an analysis of the combined $ u_e$ and $bar u_e$ appearance data from $6.46 times 10^{20}$ protons on target in neutrino mode and $11.27 times 10^{20}$ protons on target in antineutrino mode.
A total excess of $240.3 pm 34.5 pm 52.6$ events ($3.8 sigma$) is observed from combining the two data sets in the energy range $200<E_ u^{QE}<1250$ MeV. In a combined fit for CP-conserving $ u_mu rightarrow u_e$ and $bar{ u}_{mu}rightarrowbar{ u}_e$ oscillations via a two-neutrino model, the background-only fit has a $chi^2$-probability of 0.03% relative to the best oscillation fit. The data are consistent with neutrino oscillations in the $0.01 < Delta m^2 < 1.0$ eV$^2$ range and with the evidence for antineutrino oscillations from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND).
