Search

A search has been performed for neutrinos from two sources, the $hep$ reaction in the solar $pp$ fusion chain and the $��_e$ component of the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB), using the full dataset of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with a total exposure of 2.47 kton-years after fiducialization. The $hep$ search is performed using both a single-bin counting analysis and a likelihood fit. We find a best-fit flux that is compatible with solar model predictions while remaining consistent with zero flux, and set a one-sided upper limit of $��_{hep} < 30\times10^{3}~\mathrm{cm}^{-2}~\mathrm{s}^{-1}$ [90% credible interval (CI)]. No events are observed in the DSNB search region, and we set an improved upper bound on the $��_e$ component of the DSNB flux of $��^\mathrm{DSNB}_{��_e} < 19~\textrm{cm}^{-2}~\textrm{s}^{-1}$ (90% CI) in the energy range $22.9 < E_��< 36.9$~MeV., 11 pages, 6 figures

With the advent of electronic interaction, dominance (or the assertion of control over others) has acquired new dimensions. This study investigates the dynamics and characteristics of dominance in virtual interaction by analyzing electronic chat transcripts of groups solving a hidden profile task. We investigate computer-mediated communication behavior patterns that demonstrate dominance and identify a number of relevant variables. These indicators are calculated with automatic and manual coding of text transcripts. A comparison of both sets of variables indicates that automatic text analysis methods yield similar conclusions than manual coding. These findings are encouraging to advance research in text analysis methods in general, and in the study of virtual team dominance in particular.

The PICASSO dark matter search experiment operated an array of 32 superheated droplet detectors containing 3.0 kg of C$_{4}$F$_{10}$ and collected an exposure of 231.4 kgd at SNOLAB between March 2012 and January 2014. We report on the final results of this experiment which includes for the first time the complete data set and improved analysis techniques including \mbox{acoustic} localization to allow fiducialization and removal of higher activity regions within the detectors. No signal consistent with dark matter was observed. We set limits for spin-dependent interactions on protons of $\sigma_p^{SD}$~=~1.32~$\times$~10$^{-2}$~pb (90\%~C.L.) at a WIMP mass of 20 GeV/c$^{2}$. In the spin-independent sector we exclude cross sections larger than $\sigma_p^{SI}$~=~4.86~$\times$~10$^{-5 }$~pb~(90\% C.L.) in the region around 7 GeV/c$^{2}$. The pioneering efforts of the PICASSO experiment have paved the way forward for a next generation detector incorporating much of this technology and experience into larger mass bubble chambers., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures

The PICO Collaboration wishes to thank SNOLAB and its staff for support through underground space, logistical and technical services. SNOLAB operations are supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Province of Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, with underground access provided by Vale at the Creighton mine site. We wish to acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for funding. We acknowledge the support from National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grants No. 0919526, No. 1506337, No. 1242637, No. 1205987, and No. 1806722). We acknowledge that this work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics (under Award No. DE-SC-0012161), by DGAPA-UNAM (PAPIIT No. IA100118) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT, M?exico, Grants No. 252167 and No. A1-S-8960), by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, under the Centre for AstroParticle Physics II project (CAPP-II) at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), European Regional Development Fund?Project ?Engineering Applications of Microworld Physics? (Project No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/ 16_019/0000766), and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (Red Consolider MultiDark, Grant No. FPA2017-90566-REDC). This work is partially supported by the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago through NSF Grant No. 1125897, and an endowment from the Kavli Foundation and its founder Fred Kavli. We also wish to acknowledge the support from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05- 76RL01830. We also thank Compute Canada [75] and the Center for Advanced Computing, ACENET, Calcul Qu?ebec, Compute Ontario, and WestGrid for computational support.

The PICO Collaboration wishes to thank SNOLAB and its staff for support through underground space, logistical and technical services. SNOLAB operations are supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Province of Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, with underground access provided by Vale at the Creighton mine site. We are grateful to Genevieve Belanger and Alexander Pukhov of the Universit e de Savoie for their useful correspondence regarding the interpretation of PICO results. We wish to acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for funding. We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grants No. 0919526, No. 1506337, No. 1242637, No. 1205987, and No. 1806722). We acknowledge that this work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics (under Award No. DE-SC-0012161), by the DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award, by DGAPA-UNAM (PAPIIT No. IA100118) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT, Mexico, Grants No. 252167 and No. A1-S-8960), by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, under the Centre for AstroParticle Physics II project (CAPP-II) at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), European Regional Development FundProject "Engineering applications of microworld physics" (No. CZ. 02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000766), and the Spanish (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (Red Consolider MultiDark, FPA2017-90566-REDC). This work is partially supported by the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago through NSF Grant No. 1125897, and an endowment from the Kavli Foundation and its founder Fred Kavli. We also wish to acknowledge the support from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359, and from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-76RL01830. We also thank Compute Canada (www.computecanada.ca) and the Centre for Advanced Computing, ACENET, Calcul Quebec, Compute Ontario and WestGrid for computational support.

The PICO Collaboration wishes to thank SNOLAB and its staff for support through underground space, logistical, and technical services. SNOLAB operations are supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Province of Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, with underground access provided by Vale at the Creighton mine site. We are grateful to Kristian Hahn and Stanislava Sevova of Northwestern University and Bjorn Penning of the University of Bristol for their assistance and useful discussion. We wish to acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for funding. We acknowledge the support from National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grants No. 0919526, No. 1506337, No. 1242637, and No. 1205987). We acknowledge that this work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics (under Award No. DE-SC-0012161), by a DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award, by Direccion General Asuntos del Personal Academico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (DGAPA-UNAM) through the grant Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigacion e Innovacion Tecnologica (PAPIIT) No. IA100316 and by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) (Mexico) through Grant No. 252167, by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Government of India, under the Center of AstroParticle Physics II project (CAPP-II) at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (Grant No. LM2015072), and by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Consolider MultiDark (Grant No. CSD2009-00064). This work is partially supported by the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago through NSF Grant No. 1125897, and an endowment from the Kavli Foundation and its founder Fred Kavli. We also wish to acknowledge the support from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory under Contract No. De-AC02-07CH11359, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-76RL01830. We also thank Compute Canada and the Center for Advanced Computing, ACENET, Calcul Quebec, Compute Ontario, and WestGrid for the computational support.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is a 1000 T D 2 O Cerenkov detector that is sensitive to 8 B solar neutrinos. The energy, radius, and direction with respect to the sun is measured for each neutrino event; these distributions are used to separately determine the rates of the charged current, neutral current and electron scattering reactions of neutrinos on deuterium. Assuming an undistorted 8 B spectrum, the ν e component of the 8 B solar flux is φ e = 1.76 +0.05 −0.05 (stat.) +0.09 −0.09 (syst.) × 10 6 cm −2 s −1 based on events with a measured kinetic enegy above 5 MeV. The non- ν e component is φ μτ = 3.41 +0.45 −0.45 (stat.) +0.48 −0.45 (syst.) × 10 6 cm −2 s −1 , 5.3 σ greater than zero, providing strong evidence for solar ν e flavor transformation. The total flux measured with the NC reaction is φ NC = 5.09 +0.044 −0.43 (stat.) +0.46 −0.43 (syst.) × 10 6 cm −2 s −1 , consistent with solar models. The night minus day rate is 14.0% ± 6.3% +1.5 −1.4 % of the average rate. If the total flux of active neutrinos is additionally constrained to have no asymmetry, the ν e asymmetry is found to be 7.0% ± 4.9% +1.3 −1.2 %. A global solar neutrino analysis is terms of matter-enhanced oscillations of two active flavors strongly favors the Large Mixing Angle (LMA) solution.

The PICASSO experiment investigates the presence and nature of dark matter in the Universe. The experiment is based on the detection of acoustic signals generated in explosive phase transitions induced by dark matter particles. This technique is an alternative more traditional detection technique like scintillation and ionisation, which are largely employed for dark matter search. One of the main advantages of this technique, besides its sensitivity to very low nuclear recoil energies (few keV), is its excellent background suppression features. A pilot experiment consisting of six superheated droplet detectors (40 g of active mass) is presently taking data at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) at a depth of 2000 m. We discuss the operation, calibration and data acquisition of the experiment and also the ongoing work to increase the sensitivity and the active mass of the detectors.

The PICASSO and COUPP collaborations use superheated liquid detectors to search for cold dark matter through the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). These experiments, located in the underground laboratory of SNOLAB, Canada, detect phase transitions triggered by nuclear recoils in the keV range induced by interactions with WIMPs. We present details of the construction and operation of these detectors as well as the results, obtained by several years of observations. We also introduce PICO, a joint effort of the two collaborations to build a second generation ton-scale bubble chamber with 250 liters of active liquid.

Here, we measured the energy threshold and efficiency for bubble nucleation from iodine recoils in a CF3I bubble chamber in the energy range of interest for a dark matter search. These interactions cannot be probed by standard neutron calibration methods, so we develop a new technique by observing the elastic scattering of 12 GeV/c negative pions. The pions are tracked with a silicon pixel telescope and the reconstructed scattering angle provides a measure of the nuclear recoil kinetic energy. The bubble chamber was operated with a nominal threshold of (13.6±0.6) keV. Interpretation of the results depends on the response to fluorine and carbon recoils, but in general we find agreement with the predictions of the classical bubble-nucleation theory. Moreover, this measurement confirms the applicability of CF3I as a target for spin-independent dark matter interactions and represents a novel technique for calibration of superheated fluid detectors.

Data from the operation of a bubble chamber filled with 3.5 kg of CF{sub 3}I in a shallow underground site are reported. An analysis of ultrasound signals accompanying bubble nucleations confirms that alpha decays generate a significantly louder acoustic emission than single nuclear recoils, leading to an efficient background discrimination. Three dark matter candidate events were observed during an effective exposure of 28.1 kg-day, consistent with a neutron background. This observation provides the strongest direct detection constraint to date on WIMP-proton spin-dependent scattering for WIMP masses > 20 GeV/c{sup 2}.

The nature of non-baryonic dark matter is one of the most intriguing questions for particle physics at the start of the 21st century. There is ample evidence for its existence, but almost nothing is known of its properties. WIMPs are a very appealing candidate particle and several experimental campaigns are underway around the world to search for these particles via the nuclear recoils that they should induce. The COUPP series of bubble chambers has played a significant role in the WIMP search. Through a sequence of detectors of increasing size, a number of R&D issues have arisen and been solved, and the technology has now been advanced to the point where the construction of large chambers requires a modest research effort, some development, but mostly just engineering. It is within this context that we propose to build the next COUPP detector - COUPP-500, a ton scale device to be built over the next three years at Fermilab and then deployed deep underground at SNOLAB. The primary advantages of the COUPP approach over other technologies are: (1) The ability to reject electron and gamma backgrounds by arranging the chamber thermodynamics such that these particles do not even trigger the detector. (2)more » The ability to suppress neutron backgrounds by having the radioactively impure detection elements far from the active volume and by using the self-shielding of a large device and the high granularity to identify multiple bubbles. (3) The ability to build large chambers cheaply and with a choice of target fluids. (4) The ability to increase the size of the chambers without changing the size or complexity of the data acquisition. (5) Sensitivity to spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP couplings. These key advantages should enable the goal of one background event in a ton-year of exposure to be achieved. The conceptual design of COUPP-500 is scaled from the preceding devices. In many cases all that is needed is a simple scaling up of components previously used. Calibration and R&D are still needed on some aspects of the system. We know we have the ability to distinguish alpha-induced events from nuclear recoils, but we do not yet know whether the combination of material purity and rejection are good enough to run for a year with no alpha background. We also need to have more detailed measurements of the detector threshold and a better understanding of its high gamma rejection. In addition, there are important checks to make on the longevity of the detector components in the hydraulic fluid and on the chemistry of the active fluid. The 2009 PASAG report explicitly supported the construction of the COUPP-500 device in all funding scenarios. The NSF has shown similar enthusiasm. It awarded one of its DUSEL S4 grants to assist in the engineering needed to build COUPP-500. The currently estimated cost of COUPP-500 is $8M, about half the $15M-$20M price tag expected by the PASAG report for a next generation dark matter search experiment. The COUPP-500 device will have a spin independent WIMP-nucleus cross-section sensitivity of 6 x 10{sup -47} cm{sup 2} after a background-free year of running. This device should then provide the benchmark against which all other WIMP searches are measured.« less

We report new results obtained in calibrations of superheated liquid droplet detectors used in dark matter searches with different radiation sources (n,$\alpha$,$\gamma$). In particular, detectors were spiked with alpha-emitters located inside and outside the droplets. It is shown that the responses are different, depending on whether alpha particles or recoil nuclei create the signals. The energy thresholds for $\alpha$-emitters are compared with test beam measurements using mono-energetic neutrons, as well as with theoretical predictions. Finally a model is presented which describes how the observed intensities of particle induced acoustic signals can be related to the dynamics of bubble growth in superheated liquids. An improved understanding of the bubble dynamics is an important first step in obtaining better discrimination between particle types interacting in detectors of this kind.

Bubble chambers are promising devices for the detection of WIMP dark matter, due to their easy scalability to large target masses and insensitivity to background {gamma} and {beta} radiation. The COUPP collaboration has constructed small chambers which have achieved competitive sensitivity for spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon scattering. A new chamber, COUPP-60, containing 60-kg of CF{sub 3}I target liquid, has been built and is being commissioned at Fermilab. We propose to move this detector to SNOLAB after completing tests in a shallow underground site at Fermilab. At SNOLAB, we expect the sensitivity of the experiment to be determined by the level of {alpha}emitting contamination in the target liquid. If we achieve state-of-the-art levels of {alpha} emitting contamination, we will improve current sensitivity by approximately four orders of magnitude beyond our published limits, to the region of 10{sup -4} pb for a 30 GeV WIMP interacting by spin-dependent couplings to the proton. This will allow a first exploration of the phase space favored by supersymmetric models in this regime.

Bubble chambers were the dominant technology used for particle detection in accelerator experiments for several decades, eventually falling into disuse with the advent of other techniques. We report here on a new application for these devices. We operated an ultraclean, room-temperature bubble chamber containing 1.5 kilograms of superheated CF 3 I, a target maximally sensitive to spin-dependent and -independent weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) couplings. An extreme intrinsic insensitivity to the backgrounds that commonly limit direct searches for dark matter was measured in this device under operating conditions leading to the detection of low-energy nuclear recoils like those expected from WIMPs. Improved limits on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton scattering cross section were extracted during our experiments, excluding this type of coupling as a possible explanation for a recent claim of particle dark-matter detection.

The PICASSO collaboration observed for the first time a significant difference between the acoustic signals induced by neutrons and alpha particles in a detector based on superheated liquids. This new discovery offers the possibility of improved background suppression and could be especially useful for dark matter experiments. This new effect may be attributed to the formation of multiple bubbles on alpha tracks, compared to single nucleations created by neutron induced recoils., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. accepted for publication in New Journal of Physics

The traditional double-blind peer review process currently used to determine which articles are published in scientific journals is far from perfect. This article argues that the Internet can provide us with a better way to judge article quality using the opinion of every reader rather than that of only a couple of reviewers. The article offers a relatively simple business model that can provide funding for such a publishing system. The model contains three basic components, a reviewing component, a submission/cost component, and a distribution component, The reviewing component will be an electronic market through which quality feedback can be bought and sold. The submission/cost component will decide if an article should be published and distributed electronically on-line using volume forecasts by experienced forecasters who will be compensated according to the accuracy of their forecasts. Articles can be bought by anyone in the scientific or general community from the distribution component. Although not perfect, our proposal does possess many features that could be valuable to the scientific community. Problems with the current peer review system It is easy to see that a reviewer’s evaluation of an article’s quality will be biased due to conflict of interest if authors and reviewers know each other. To mitigate this conflict about 350 years ago scientists introduced the double-blind peer review process – neither the author(s) nor the reviewer(s) of an article have access to each other’s identity. However when the article reviewed supports the reviewer’s prior research its evaluation will be higher on average and vice versa, so the conflict of interest is still not completely eliminated. Moreover, Statistics tells us that the personal opinions of several randomly selected reviewers cannot be a very good predictor of the value of the article to the whole scientific community (see The Economist, 1996 and Starbuck, 2004). It becomes clear that to improve the review process we need to pick reviewers whose opinions are forwardlooking and highly representative of those held by the general community. We also need to compensate somehow quick, accurate and constructive reviewers. Currently the complex task of picking and rewarding reviewers is assigned to the journal editors. Since rewards are granted by the editor, reviewers have an incentive to provide a review that matches the editor’s expectations. This means that a good review requires that the editor be also forward-looking and highly representative of the general community. Reviewers, editors, and the scientific community as a whole face a challenging task in this regard. Scientific rigor requires time. The judgment of whether a certain theory is right or wrong is not easy. It often takes years to establish the validity of a newly proposed theory. To solve the problem of quality uncertainty most universities try to estimate the prestige of the journal in which an article appears as a rough measure of an article’s quality. The prestige of a

We propose to construct and operate a 60-kg room temperature CF{sub 3}I bubble chamber as a prototype dark matter (WIMP) detector. Operating in weakly-superheated mode, the chamber will be sensitive to WIMP induced nuclear recoils above 10 keV, while rejecting background electron recoils at a level approaching 10{sup 10}. We would first commission and operate this chamber in the MINOS near detector hall with the goal to demonstrate stable operation and measure internal contamination and any other backgrounds. This chamber, or an improved version, would then be relocated to an appropriate deep underground site such as the Soudan Mine. This detector will have unique sensitivity to spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon couplings, and even in this early stage of development will attain competitive sensitivity to spin-independent couplings.

The PICASSO experiment is searching for cold dark matter through the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), in particular neutralinos (χ) via their spin‐dependent interactions with nuclei. The experiment is installed in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Laboratory at a depth of 2070 m (6000 mwe). PICASSO makes use of the superheated droplet technique with C4F10 as the active material, and searches for χ interactions on 19F. The results of these measurements are presented in terms of limits on the spin‐dependent χ‐proton and χ‐neutron cross sections. Limits on the effective χ‐proton and χ‐neutron coupling strengths ap and an are also reported. The results exclude new regions of the spin‐dependent χ‐nucleon interaction parameter space. The next phase of PICASSO is briefly discussed.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is a 1,000 tonne heavy water Cerenkov‐based neutrino detector situated 2,000 meters underground in INCO’s Creighton Mine near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. For the neutrinos from 8B decay in the Sun SNO observes the Charged Current neutrino reaction sensitive only to electron neutrinos and others (Neutral Current and Elastic Scattering) sensitive to all active neutrino types and thereby can search for direct evidence of neutrino flavor change. Using these reactions and assuming the standard 8B shape, the ve component of the 8B solar flux is φe = 1.76−0.05+0.05(stat.)−0.09+0.09 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1 for a kinetic energy threshold of 5 MeV. The non‐ve component is φμτ = 3.41−0.45+0.45(stat.)−0.45+0.48 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1, 5.3σ greater than zero, providing strong evidence for solar ve flavor transformation. The total flux measured with the NC reaction is φNC = 5.09−0.43+0.44(stat.)−0.43+0.46 (syst.) × 106 cm−2s−1, consistent with solar models. For charged current events, ...

PICASSO at SNOLAB searches primarily for spin-dependent WIMP interactions on 19F using the superheated droplet technique. This technique is based on the bubble chamber principle, where phase transitions in superheated liquid droplets can be triggered by WIMP induced nuclear recoils. The physics of the detection process allows a highly efficient suppression of backgrounds from cosmic muons, γ- and β-rays. We will discuss qualitatively recent progress in PICASSO and its sensitivity reach for spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP searches.