Search

The emergent phenomenon of collective neutrino oscillations arises from neutrino-neutrino interactions in environments with very large number of neutrinos. Since such environments are likely sites of the heavy-element synthesis, understanding all aspects of collective neutrino oscillations seems to be necessary for a complete accounting of nucleosynthesis. I briefly summarize some of the salient features along with recent work on the properties and astrophysical applications of the collective neutrino oscillations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are developing experimental programs related to particle astrophysics at the Center for Underground Physics (CUP); searching for neutrino-less double beta decay (0vββ) of 100Mo nuclei and sterile neutrinos in the mass range of eV using reactor neutrinos. Expected sensitivities of AMoRE double beta decay experiment and the results from recent NEOS experiment are described. Utilizing the facilities for ultra-low radioactivity measurement at the center, we are planning to measure the decay of 180mTa which is important to the nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study effects of the sterile neutrino in the five-dimensional universe on the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Since the five-dimensional universe model leads to an additional term in the Friedmann equation and the energy density of the sterile neutrino increases the total energy density, this model can affect the primordial abundance via changing the cosmic expansion rate. The energy density of the sterile neutrino can be determined by a rate equation for production of the sterile neutrino. We show that not only the mixing angle and the mass of the sterile neutrino, but also a resonant effect in the oscillation between sterile and active neutrinos is important to determine a relic abundance of the sterile neutrino. In this study, we also investigate how the sterile neutrino in extra-dimensional model can affect the BBN, and constrain the parameters related to the above properties of the sterile neutrino by using the observational primordial abundances of light elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the v...-pair and axion production from electron and proton, which occurs only under the strong magnetic field. We perform the exact relativistic quantum calculation including the Landau levels and the anomalous magnetic moment. Cooling by v...-pair and axion emission are shown to be much larger than neutrino cooling by the Urca processes. Thus, these processes by the strong magnetic field is expected to contribute very largely to the cooling process of the magnetar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We summarize some recent results on residual symmetries in renormalizable SO(10) GUT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a review of recent work on constructions of effective theories derived from heterotic string compactifications with the exact charged matter spectrum of the Standard Model. Talk given at the 2016 CETUP* Neutrino Physics/Unification Workshop in Lead, South Dakota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located in the deep clear ice below the surface of the geographic South Pole, has recently reported the discovery of an astrophysical neutrino flux. In order to do neutrino astronomy, it is essential to have a large sample of well-reconstructed, astrophysical neutrinos, with as little contamination from atmospheric backgrounds as possible. The ability to veto air showers at ~ 100 TeV could efficiently enhance the sample of astrophysical neutrinos. This contribution describes the feasibility of using an array of small scale, wide field-of-view and cost effective Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes to veto air showers for neutrino astronomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SuperScaling model (SuSA) predictions to neutrino-induced charged-current π+ production in the Δ-resonance region are explored under MiniBooNE experimental conditions. The SuSA charged-current π+ results are in good agreement with data on neutrino flux-averaged double-di erential cross sections. The SuSA model for quasielastic scattering and its extension to the pion production region are used for predictions of charged-current inclusive neutrino-nucleus cross sections. Results are also compared with the T2K experimental data for inclusive scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We briefly review the history of the NEUTRINO conferences that began in 1972, with preludes taking place starting in 1965. We touch upon highlights, some un-highlights, various individuals, and the topics of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrinos take part in the dance of the evolving Universe influencing its history from leptogenesis, to Big Bang nucleosynthesis, until late time structure formation. This makes cosmology, and in particular one of its primary observables the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), an unusual but valuable tool for testing Neutrino Physics. The best measurement to date of full-sky CMB anisotropies comes from the Planck satellite launched in 2009 by the European Space Agency (ESA) and successful follower of COBE and WMAP. Testing Planck data against precise theoretical predictions allow us to shed light on various interesting open questions such as the value of the absolute scale of neutrino masses or their energy density. We revise here the results concerning neutrinos obtained by the Planck Collaboration in the 2013 data release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the summer of 2013 the International Committee on Future Accelerators (ICFA) established a Neutrino Panel with the mandate: To promote international cooperation in the development of the accelerator-based neutrino-oscillation program and to promote international collaboration in the development of a neutrino factory as a future intense source of neutrinos for particle physics experiments. In its first year the Panel organised a series of regional Town Meetings to collect input from the community and to receive reports from the regional planning exercises. The Panel distilled its findings and presented them in a report to ICFA [1]. In this contribution the formation and composition of the Panel are presented together with a summary of the Panel's findings from the three Regional Town Meetings. The Panel's initial conclusions are then articulated and the steps that the Panel seeks to take are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since about a decade the european physics community interested in neutrino and neutrino-astrophysics develops a plan to conceive the next generation large underground neutrino observatory. Recently, the LAGUNA-LBNO collaboration made the outcome of the FP7 design study public which shows a clear path for the realization of such experiment. In this paper the LAGUNA and LAGUNA-LBNO Design studies, resulting in a proposal for the LBNO experiment, will be discussed. The author will focus on the long baseline neutrino oscillation search, especially on the potential to discover the neutrino mass ordering and the search for CP violation in the lepton sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrino astronomy constitutes a new window of observation onto the UHE universe. The detection and characterization of astrophysical neutrinos at the highest energies (E> 1018 eV) would reveal the sources of high-energy cosmic rays, the highest energy particles ever seen, and would constrain the evolution of such sources over time. UHE neutrino astrophysics also allows us to probe weak interaction couplings at energies much greater than those available at particle colliders. One promising way of detecting the highest energy neutrinos is through the radio emission created when they interact in a large volume of dielectric, such as ice. Here I discuss current results and future efforts to instrument large volumes of detector material with radio antennas to detect, point back, and characterize the energy of UHE astrophysical neutrinos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube detector at the South Pole is the world's largest neutrino telescope, instrumenting a cubic kilometre of deep clear ice. Completed in late 2010, the detector has recorded the arrival directions and energies of tens of thousands of neutrinos - mostly those produced when cosmic rays collide with the Earth's atmosphere. Here, we report on the first observation of high-energy neutrinos from beyond the Earth's atmosphere, identified using a novel method to strongly suppress atmospheric neutrinos coming downward into the detector from the southern sky, leaving a sample of neutrinos highly likely to be of astrophysical origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NOnA experiment is a long baseline neutrino experiment designed to make precision measurements of the oscillation probabilities for vμ → ve and vμ → vμ for both neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. These measurements will provide new information on the neutrino mass hierarchy, improve our knowledge of whether Θ23 is non-maximal and possibility provide information on the CP violating phase δCP of the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix. We present the observations of the first neutrino event in the NOnA far and near detectors along with data obtained during the first year of detector commissioning and operations. We use the data to demonstrate the detector's ability to identify electron and muon neutrino events and to reject cosmic ray induced backgrounds at a level of 4╳107:1. New estimates for the signal and background sensitivities of the NOnA experiment during the first year of full detector running are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of neutrino-nucleus scattering at low energies with cross sections obtained within a continuum random phase approximation (CRPA) formalism. We highlight potential applications of beta-beam neutrino experiments for neutrino astrophysics. Our calculations are compared with MiniBooNe data at intermediate energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PINGU, the Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade, aims at lowering the neutrino detection threshold of the IceCube neutrino telescope to a few GeV by adding new in-fill strings to the existing IceCube/DeepCore array. The main goal of the upgrade is to provide sensitivity to the neutrino mass hierarchy utilizing atmospheric neutrinos. Precision reconstruction of the neutrino direction and energy, which is a prerequisite for the determination of the mass hierarchy, requires accurate in-situ calibration and monitoring of the PINGU digital optical modules (PDOMs) and high-level control of systematic effects like those caused by uncertainties in the optical ice properties and sensitivity of the PDOM in ice. These proceedings present an early status of calibration studies for PINGU performed at DESY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The KM3NeT collaboration aims at the construction of a multi-km3 high-energy neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea consisting of a matrix of pressure resistant glass spheres holding each one a set (31) of small area photomultipliers. The main goal of the telescope is to observe cosmic neutrinos through the Cherenkov light induced in sea water by charged particles produced in neutrino interactions with the surrounding medium. A relative time calibration between photomultipliers of the order of 1 ns is required to achieve an optimal performance. Due to the high volume to be covered by KM3NeT, a cost reduction of the different systems is a priority. To this end a very low price calibration device, the so called Nanobeacon, has been designed and developed. At present one of such devices has already been integrated successfully at the KM3NeT telescope and eight of them in the Nemo Tower Phase II. In this article the main properties and operation of this device are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical module designed for the KM3NeT project consists of 31 photomultipliers of 3-inch diameter housed into a 17-inch diameter glass sphere. A proposed photomultiplier was the R12199-02 Hamamatsu 80-mm diameter. 203 of such PMTs have been delivered from Hamamatsu and tested by the KM3NeT groups of NIKHEFAmsterdam, ECAP-Erlangen and INFN-Catania. Tests have been performed to measure the main parameters, such as gain, transit time spread, dark pulses rate, fraction of spurious pulses, quantum efficiency and effective photocathode size. The main results matched with the requirements of the project. Methods and results are presented in this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2013, the Nemo Phase-2 tower has been successfully installed at 100 km off-shore Capo Passero (Italy) and 3500 m depth. This 8-floor tower hosts 32 10-inch PMT's. Results from optical background measurements are presented. In particular, the analyzed rates show stable and low baseline values, compatible with the contribution of 40K light emission, with a small percentage of light bursts due to bioluminescence. All these features are a confirmation of the stability and good optical nature of the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cubic-kilometer sized IceCube neutrino observatory, constructed in the glacial ice at the South Pole, offers new opportunities for neutrino physics to reach lower neutrino energies with its in-fill array "DeepCore". A set of analysis techniques where the outer layers of IceCube are used as a veto makes it possible to reject atmospheric muons and thereby allows low-energy neutrino searches to be performed above the horizon. With these techniques the Galactic Center, an important target in searches for self-annihilating dark matter, becomes accessible for IceCube. In this contribution, we present the status of the Galactic Center dark matter analysis, using more than 10 months of data taken with the 79-string configuration of IceCube-DeepCore, as well as the new veto techniques used in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have long been held as one of the most promising sources of ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos. The internal shock model of GRB emission posits the joint production of UHE cosmic rays (UHECRs, above 108 GeV), photons, and neutrinos, through photohadronic interactions between source photons and magnetically-confined energetic protons, that occur when relativistically-expanding matter shells loaded with baryons collide with one another. While neutrino observations by IceCube have now ruled out the simplest version of the internal shock model, we show that a revised calculation of the emission, together with the consideration of the full photohadronic cross section and other particle physics effects, results in a prediction of the prompt GRB neutrino flux that still lies one order of magnitude below the current upper bounds, as recently exemplified by the results from ANTARES. In addition, we show that by allowing protons to directly escape their magnetic confinement without interacting at the source, we are able to partially decouple the cosmic ray and prompt neutrino emission, which grants the freedom to fit the UHECR observations while respecting the neutrino upper bounds. Finally, we briefly present advances towards pinning down the precise relation between UHECRs and UHE neutrinos, including the baryonic loading required to fit UHECR observations, and we will assess the role that very large volume neutrino telescopes play in this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube neutrino observatory built in the antarctic ice offers unique opportunities in studying high energy neutrino emission from Galactic and extragalactic sources. Detecting such neutrino emission could give valuable information about the origin of cosmic rays. Recently, first evidence for a diffuse astrophysical neutrino signal in the PeV range was found with IceCube. There is no clear point source signal yet, and advanced analysis methods are being developed in order to improve the sensitivity to point sources and resolve the diffuse signal into point sources. Other searches like a energy-dependent likelihood scan were already performed on IceCube data. In this paper, we report a complementary search for multiple neutrino point sources from three years of IceCube data, performing an autocorrelation test on the full sky. This analysis is aiming for various faint sources at unknown positions and energy spectra in the sky. The result obtained from this search is consistant with a background-only case and shows an underfluctuation. Here, we present limits using the ansatz of the small-scale anisotropy search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrinos are unique probes to study the high energy Universe, since they are neutral, only interact weakly and are stable. Furthermore, they can provide key information about several fundamental questions in Physics like the origin of cosmic rays and the nature of dark matter. The ANTARES neutrino telescope, installed in the Mediterranean Sea, has been taking data since 2007. In this paper we review the results concerning the search for point sources of cosmic neutrinos, using data of 2007-2012. Two main strategies have been followed: to look towards the direction of sources candidate to emmit neutrinos and to make an all-sky scan. Although no significant cluster has been found above the background, flux limits have been set at the level of E²φv90CL ~1-2x10-8 GeV cm-2s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ANTARES is the largest high-energy neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. A search for neutrinos in coincidence with gamma-ray bursts using ANTARES data from late 2007 to 2011 is presented here. An extended maximum likelihood ratio search was employed to optimise the discovery potential for a neutrino signal as predicted by a secondgeneration numerical model. No significant excess was found, so 90% confidence upper limits on the fluences as expected from analytically approximated neutrino-emission models as well as on up-to-date numerical predictions were placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fermi Large Area Telescope data has provided evidence for a high-intensity emission of high-energy gamma rays with a E-2 spectrum from two large bubbles above and below the Galactic Center. Hadronic mechanisms were proposed for this gamma-ray emission making the Fermi bubbles promising source candidates of high-energy neutrino emission. In this work preliminary simulation results regarding the detectability of high-energy neutrinos from the Fermi bubbles with the future multi-km³ neutrino telescope KM3NeT are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we investigate the discovery capability of a Very Large Volume Neutrino Telescope to Galactic extended sources. We focus on the brightest HESS gamma rays sources which are considered also as very high energy neutrino emitters. We use the unbinned method taking into account both the spatial and the energy distribution of high energy neutrinos and we investigate parts of the Galactic plane where nearby potential neutrino emitters form neutrino source clusters. Neutrino source clusters as well as isolated neutrino sources are combined to estimate the observation period for 5 sigma discovery of neutrino signals from these objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IceCube, the world's largest high-energy neutrino observatory, built at the South Pole, recently reported evidence of an astrophysical neutrino flux extending to PeV energies in the Southern Hemisphere. This observation raises the question of how the sensitivity in this energy range could be further increased. In the down-going sector, in IceCube's case the Southern Hemisphere, backgrounds from atmospheric muons and neutrinos pose a challenge to the identification of an astrophysical neutrino flux. The IceCube analysis, that led to the evidence for astrophysical neutrinos, is based on an in-ice veto strategy for background rejection. One possibility available to IceCube is the concept of an extended surface detector, IceVeto, which could allow the rejection of a large fraction of atmospheric backgrounds, primarily for muons from cosmic ray (CR) air showers as well as from neutrinos in the same air showers. Building on the experience of IceTop/IceCube, possibly the most cost-effective and sensitive way to build IceVeto is as an extension of the IceTop detector, with simple photomultiplier based detector modules for CR air shower detection. Initial simulations and estimates indicate that such a veto detector will significantly increase the sensitivity to an astrophysical flux of vμ induced muon tracks in the Southern Hemisphere compared to current analyses. Here we present the motivation and capabilities based on initial simulations. Conceptual ideas for a simplified surface array will be discussed briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced in interactions of cosmic rays with Earth's atmosphere. At very high energy, the contribution from semi-leptonic decays of charmed hadrons, known as the prompt neutrino flux, dominates over the conventional flux from pion and kaon decays. This is due to the very short lifetime of the charmed hadrons, which therefore do not lose energy before they decay. The calculation of this process is difficult because the Bjorken-x at which the parton distribution functions are evaluated is very small. This is a region where QCD is not well understood, and large logarithms must be resummed. Available parton distribution functions are not known at such small x and extrapolations must be made. Theoretically, the fast rise of the structure functions for small x ultimately leads to parton saturation. This contribution describes the "ERS" [1] calculation of the prompt neutrino flux, which includes parton saturation effects in the QCD production cross section of charm quarks. The ERS flux calculation is used by e.g. the IceCube collaboration as a standard benchmark background. We are now updating this calculation to take into account the recent LHC data on the charm cross section, as well as recent theoretical developments in QCD. Some of the issues involved in this calculation are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube neutrino telescope was augmented with the DeepCore infill array, completed in the 2010/11 austral summer, to enhance its response to neutrinos below 100 GeV. At these energies, neutrino oscillation effects are visible in the flux of atmospheric neutrinos traversing path lengths comparable to the Earth's diameter. Initial measurements of muon neutrino disappearance parameters using data from DeepCore are presented, as well as an estimate of potential future precision. In addition, plans for a Precision IceCube Next Generation Upgrade (PINGU), which could permit determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy within the coming decade, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KM3NeT is a future research infrastructure in the Mediterranean Sea, hosting a multi-cubic-kilometre neutrino telescope and nodes for Earth and Sea sciences. In this report we shortly summarise the genesis of the KM3NeT project and present key elements of its technical design. The physics objectives of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope and some selected sensitivity estimates are discussed. Finally, some first results from prototype operations and the next steps towards implementation -- in particular the first construction phase in 2014/15 -- are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the measurement of a non zero value of the θ13 neutrino mixing parameter, interest in neutrinos as source of the baryon asymmetry of the universe has increased. Among the measurements of a rich and varied program in near future neutrino physics is the determination of the mass hierarchy. We present the status of a study of the feasibility of using a densely instrumented undersea neutrino detector to determine the mass hierarchy, utilizing the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect on atmospheric neutrino oscillations. The detector will use technology developed for KM3NeT. We present the systematic studies of the optimization of a detector in the required 5-10 GeV energy regime. These studies include new tracking and interaction identification algorithms as well as geometrical optimizations of the detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ANTARES detector, located in the deep sea 40 km off the French coast, is the largest neutrino telescope in the northern hemisphere. It consists of an array of 885 photomultipliers detecting the Cherenkov light induced by charged leptons created in neutrino interactions in and around the detector. The main goal of ANTARES is to search for astrophysical neutrinos in the TeV-PeV range. This comprises searches for a diffuse cosmic neutrino flux and for fluxes from possible galactic and extragalactic sources of neutrinos. The search program also includes multi-messenger analyses based on time and/or space coincidences with other cosmic probes. The ANTARES detector is sensitive to a wide range of other phenomena, from atmospheric neutrino oscillations to dark matter annihilation or potential exotics such as nuclearites and magnetic monopoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube Collaboration has recently found evidence for an excess of high energy neutrinos above atmospheric backgrounds. The origin of this "IceCube excess" is unknown, but multi-messenger relations with cosmic rays (CRs) and γ-rays can help to pinpoint possible candidate sources. The primary CRs associated with the signal are expected to reach energies of about 40 PeV per nucleon which can be satisfied by (extreme) Galactic or extragalactic sources. I discuss possible relations of the IceCube excess with the sources of ultra-high energy CRs and implications of γ-ray observations for various Galactic or extragalactic candidate sources. The contribution of Galactic sources can be tested via primary TeV-PeV γ-rays from the decay of neutral pions produced by the same CRs responsible for the neutrino emission. Hadronuclear interactions of CRs in extragalactic sources can be constrained by the GeV-TeV diffuse extragalactic γ-ray background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, completed in December 2010, is located at the geographic South Pole and incorporates a one cubic kilometer neutrino detector buried in the deep ice and a one square kilometer air shower array, IceTop, sitting atop the glacial ice. This unique combination of neutrino and cosmic-ray detectors allows to investigate a wide variety of physics topics both in astrophysics and particle physics. Here, we discuss latest results from IceCube concentrating on astrophysical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ANTARES experiment is currently the largest underwater neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. It is taking high quality data since 2007. Its main scientific goal is to search for high energy neutrinos that are expected from the acceleration of cosmic rays from astrophysical sources. This contribution reviews the status of the detector and presents several analyses carried out on atmospheric muons and neutrinos. For example it shows the results from the measurement of atmospheric muon neutrino spectrum and of atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters as well as searches for neutrinos from steady cosmic point-like sources, for neutrinos from gamma ray bursts and for relativistic magnetic monopoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using γ -ray beams for experimental nucleosynthesis study forms a new branch of nuclear astrophysics. I introduce typical experimental investigations and give a future prospect of this branch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the next years the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research FAIR will be constructed at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. This new accelerator complex will allow for unprecedented and pathbreaking research in hadronic, nuclear, and atomic physics as well as in applied sciences. This manuscript will discuss some of these research opportunities, with a focus on supernova dynamics and nucleosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core-collapse supernovae eject huge amount of flux of energetic neutrinos. We studied the explosive nucleosynthesis in supernovae and found that several isotopes 7Li, 11B, 92Nb, 138La and 180Ta as well as r-process nuclei are affected by the neutrino interactions. The abundance of these isotopes therefore depends strongly on the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effect. We discuss first how to determine the neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the effects of neutrino oscillation on their abundances, and propose a novel method to determine the still unknown neutrino oscillation parameters, mass hierarchy and θ13, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced light elements 11B and 7Li encapsulated in the presolar grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on θ13, we show that our method suggests at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. Finally, we discuss supernova relic neutrinos that may indicate the softness of the equation of state (EoS) of nuclear matter as well as adiabatic conditions of the neutrino oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The M1 strengths (or level density of 1+ states) are of importance for estimation of interaction strengths between neutrinos and nuclei for the study of the supernova neutrino-process. In 1957, Agodi predicted theoretically angular distribution of neutrons emitted from states excited via dipole transitions with linearly polarized gamma-ray beam at the polar angle of θ=90° should be followed by a simple function, a + b cos(2ɸ), where ɸ is azimuthal angel. However, this theoretical prediction has not been verified over the wide mass region except for light nuclei as deuteron. We have measured neutron angular distributions with (polarized gamma, n) reactions on Au, NaI, and Cu. We have verified the Agodi's prediction for the first time over the wide mass region. This suggests that (polarized gamma, n) reactions may be useful tools to study M1 strengths in giant resonance regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays produce short radio flashes through the Askaryan effect when they impact on the Moon. Earthbound radio telescopes can search the Lunar surface for these signals. A new generation of lowfrequency, digital radio arrays, spearheaded by LOFAR, will allow for searches with unprecedented sensitivity. In the first stage of the NuMoon project, low-frequency observations were carried out with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, leading to the most stringent limit on the cosmic neutrino flux above 1023 eV. With LOFAR we will be able to reach a sensitivity of over an order of magnitude better and to decrease the threshold energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays (CRs) with energies up to 100 EeV is a strong motivation for neutrino astronomy at the EeV energy scale. It seems unavoidable that UHE CRs undergo hadronic interactions with radiation backgrounds and ambient matter prior to their arrival at Earth. These interactions result in a flux of secondary neutrinos and γ-rays with energies up to a few percent of the initial CR energy. So far, no high-energy neutrino source could be unambiguously identified. We will review the various indirect neutrino limits that arise from the cosmic connection of UHE CRs, γ-rays and neutrinos. At the EeV energy scale the diffuse flux of cosmogenic neutrinos associated with the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the cosmic radiation background seems to be the most promising candidate for a future detection. We will discuss its model dependence w.r.t. nuclear composition and evolution of the sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of this writing, there are three dedicated experiments based in Antarctica which seek first-ever measurement of the ultra-high-energy ('UHE', Eν >100 PeV) neutrino flux at Earth by exploiting the Askaryan effect. All three (ANITA, ARA and ARIANNA) target detection of the so-called 'cosmogenic neutrinos' which should result from interactions of ultra-high-energy baryons with the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR). Photoproduction of charged pions, via Nγ→Δ→Nπ±, with subsequent weak decays of those charged pions, results in neutrinos of typical energies two decades lower in energy than the primary progenitor. Subsequent in-ice weak and neutral scattering of those neutrinos off ice molecules can yield a detectable pulse of coherent, RF radiation. We will discuss the status of the latter of those three experiments (ARA and ARIANNA), which seek to measure ultra-high-energy neutrinos using antennas which are buried into Antarctic snow. Professor Dave Seckel of the University of Delaware will review the status of the balloon-borne ANITA experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) is a balloon-borne radio experiment designed to discover ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos. The ANITA detector has completed one prototype and two full-scale flights above the Antarctic continent. Two direct and fourteen reflected cosmic ray events of ultra-high energy were observed during the first full scale flight and several others in the second flight. We present a Monte Carlo technique and analysis developed to determine the energy of the primary cosmic ray particles from the ANITA data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the prospects for distinguishing dark matter annihilation channels using the neutrino flux from gravitationally captured dark matter particles annihilating inside the sun. We show that distinguishing primary neutrinos from the gauge boson/charged lepton final states and determining their flavor may be achieved using multi-year data from a detector with the same capability as the IceCube/DeepCore array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent experimental developments towards obtaining a very precise value of the third neutrino mixing angle, θ13, are summarized. Various implications of the measured value of this angle are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a brief historical review of the quest to find neutrinos of extraterrestrial origin. In the context of the Victor Hess centenary, it is interesting to consider how the development of detectors for neutrinos from space relates to developments in cosmic-ray and particle physics over the same time span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results on the radiative and neutrino signatures of the one-zone hadronic model. Assuming that protons are injected at a certain rate in a homogeneous spherical volume containing a magnetic field, the evolution of the system can be described by five coupled kinetic equations, for protons, electrons, photons, neutrons and neutrinos, respectively. Photopair and photopion interactions are modelled in detail using the results of Monte-Carlo simulations, and in particular the SOPHIA code for the latter. This self-consistent approach allows us to explore the temporal behaviour of hadronic systems and to simultaneously resolve the resulting photon and neutrino spectra. In the present treatment we focus on the case where protons are accelerated to power-law distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrinoless double beta decay is a unique process that could reveal physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics namely, if observed, it would prove that neutrinos are Majorana particles. In addition, it could provide information regarding the neutrino masses and their hierarchy, provided that reliable nuclear matrix elements can be obtained. The two neutrino double beta decay is an associate process that is allowed by the Standard Model, and it was observed for about ten nuclei. The present contribution gives a brief review of the theoretical challenges associated with these two process, emphasizing the reliable calculation of the associated nuclear matrix elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]