Search

Several samples of lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) were prepared in an attempt to achieve material, which can be applicable in optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry. Both undoped and carbon or copper doped lithium aluminate samples were investigated. The results of preliminary study of theirs reproducibility, sensitivity, dose response characteristic and fading are presented. Applications in mixed field (beta, alpha, neutrons) dosimetry are discussed.

In searches for rare phenomena such as elastic scattering of dark matter particles or neutrinoless double beta decay, alpha decays of Rn222 progenies attached to the surfaces of the detection material have been identified as a serious source of background. In measurements with CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals, we demonstrate that alpha decays of surface contaminants produce fast signals with a characteristic mean-time distribution that is distinct from those of neutron- and gamma-induced events., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures

Liquid xenon is a suitable material for a dark matter search. For future large scale experiments, single phase detectors are attractive due to their simple configuration and scalability. However, in order to reduce backgrounds, they need to fully rely on liquid xenon's self-shielding property. A prototype detector was developed at Kamioka Observatory to establish vertex and energy reconstruction methods and to demonstrate the self-shielding power against gamma rays from outside of the detector. Sufficient self-shielding power for future experiments was obtained., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures

A high performance distillation system to remove krypton from xenon was constructed, and a purity level of Kr/Xe = $\sim 3 \times 10^{-12}$ was achieved. This development is crucial in facilitating high sensitivity low background experiments such as the search for dark matter in the universe., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures

The intensity of scintillation light emission from liquid xenon at room temperature was measured. The scintillation light yield at 1 deg. was measured to be 0.64 +/- 0.02 (stat.) +/- 0.06 (sys.) of that at -100 deg. Using the reported light yield at -100 deg. (46 photons/keV), the measured light yield at 1 deg. corresponds to 29 photons/keV. This result shows that liquid xenon scintillator gives high light yield even at room temperature., Comment: 16pages,12figures

Energy resolution, alpha/beta ratio, pulse-shape discrimination for gamma rays and alpha particles, temperature dependence of scintillation properties, and radioactive contamination were studied with CaMoO4 crystal scintillators. A high sensitivity experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 100-Mo by using CaMoO4 scintillators is discussed., Comment: 24 pages

We have measured the thermal neutron capture cross section for w-180 nucleus. There is only one previous data on this cross section with a value of 30 $^{+300%}_{-100%}$ barn. To consider w-181 as a low energy neutrino source, the thermal neutron capture cross section should be measured more precisely to estimate the production rate of w-181 inside a nuclear reactor. We measured the cross section of w-180 with a natural tungsten foil and obtained a new value of 21.9 $\pm$ 2.5 barn, Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

The Korea Invisible Mass Search(KIMS) experiment presents new limits on WIMP-nucleon cross section using the data from an exposure of 3409 kgd taken with low background CsI(Tl) crystals at Yangyang underground laboratory. The most stringent limit on the spin dependent interaction for pure proton case is obtained. The DAMA signal region for both spin independent and spin dependent interactions for the WIMP mass higher than 20 GeV/c^2are excluded by the single experiment with crystal scintillators., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

The Korea Invisible Mass Search (KIMS) collaboration has been carrying out WIMP search experiment with CsI(T$\ell$)crystal detectors at the YanYang Underground Laboratory. A successful reduction of the internal background of the crystal is done and a good pulse shape discrimination is achieved. We report the first result on WIMP search obtained with 237 kg$\cdot$days data using one full-size CsI(T$\ell$)crystal of 6.6 kg mass., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physics Letters B

A group called as Martian meteorites is composed of shergottites, nakhlites, chassignites, and orthopyroxenite, and they are thought to be derived from Mars. Among the Martian meteorites nakhlites and chassignites show similar cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages of 11-12 million years, although petrologic characteristics are very different between them. Both nakhlites and chassignites indicate similar cooling rates, and would have cooled in identical scale of igneous bodies. However, the relationship between nakhlites and chassignites is still unclear, although they might have ejected at the same time, i.e., by accidentally coincidental impact events which occurred at different places on Mars or by a single impact which excavated both nakhlites and chassignites residing in a relatively small area. Here we propose that the chassignites show a genetically close relationship with nakhlites, i.e., both groups could be located within a relatively narrow area from where a single impact could have launched those meteorites, based on noble gas data obtained in our laboratory. If chassignites were really ejected with nakhlites by a single impact, both types of meteorites will provide us with geological/petrological profile in the area where both pyroxene-rich lava (nakhlites) and dunite-rich rocks (chassignites) are located close to the Martian surface. [i.e. discusses NWA 2737, etc. (Martian meteorites that fell in Northwest Africa)]