Search

Abstract The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) collaboration searched for neutrinoless double- $$\beta $$ β decay in $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge with an array of about 40 high-purity isotopically-enriched germanium detectors. The experimental signature of the decay is a monoenergetic signal at $$Q_{\beta \beta }$$ Q β β $$=2039.061(7)$$ = 2039.061 ( 7 ) keV in the measured summed energy spectrum of the two emitted electrons. Both the energy reconstruction and resolution of the germanium detectors are crucial to separate a potential signal from various backgrounds, such as neutrino-accompanied double- $$\beta $$ β decays allowed by the Standard Model. The energy resolution and stability were determined and monitored as a function of time using data from regular $$^{228}$$ 228 Th calibrations. In this work, we describe the calibration process and associated data analysis of the full Gerda dataset, tailored to preserve the excellent resolution of the individual germanium detectors when combining data over several years.

Abstract Neutrinoless double- $$\beta $$ β decay of $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge is searched for with germanium detectors where source and detector of the decay are identical. For the success of future experiments it is important to increase the mass of the detectors. We report here on the characterization and testing of five prototype detectors manufactured in inverted coaxial (IC) geometry from material enriched to 88% in $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge. IC detectors combine the large mass of the traditional semi-coaxial Ge detectors with the superior resolution and pulse shape discrimination power of point contact detectors which exhibited so far much lower mass. Their performance has been found to be satisfactory both when operated in vacuum cryostat and bare in liquid argon within the Gerda setup. The measured resolutions at the Q-value for double- $$\beta $$ β decay of $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge ( $$Q_{\beta \beta }$$ Q β β = 2039 keV) are about 2.1 keV full width at half maximum in vacuum cryostat. After 18 months of operation within the ultra-low background environment of the GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment and an accumulated exposure of 8.5 kg $$\cdot $$ · year, the background index after analysis cuts is measured to be $$4.9^{+7.3}_{-3.4}\times 10^{-4} \ \text {counts}/(\text {keV} \cdot \text {kg} \cdot \text {year})$$ 4 . 9 - 3.4 + 7.3 × 10 - 4 counts / ( keV · kg · year ) around $$Q_{\beta \beta }$$ Q β β . This work confirms the feasibility of IC detectors for the next-generation experiment Legend.

Abstract The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge. The technological challenge of Gerda is to operate in a “background-free” regime in the region of interest (ROI) after analysis cuts for the full 100 kg·yr target exposure of the experiment. A careful modeling and decomposition of the full-range energy spectrum is essential to predict the shape and composition of events in the ROI around Q ββ for the 0νββ search, to extract a precise measurement of the half-life of the double-beta decay mode with neutrinos (2νββ) and in order to identify the location of residual impurities. The latter will permit future experiments to build strategies in order to further lower the background and achieve even better sensitivities. In this article the background decomposition prior to analysis cuts is presented for Gerda Phase II. The background model fit yields a flat spectrum in the ROI with a background index (BI) of 16.04 − 0.85 + 0.78 · 10 − 3 $$ {16.04}_{-0.85}^{+0.78}\cdotp {10}^{-3} $$ cts/(keV·kg·yr) for the enriched BEGe data set and 14.68 − 0.52 + 0.47 · 10 − 3 $$ {14.68}_{-0.52}^{+0.47}\cdotp {10}^{-3} $$ cts/(keV·kg·yr) for the enriched coaxial data set. These values are similar to the one of Phase I despite a much larger number of detectors and hence radioactive hardware components.

Abstract The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) is a low background experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, which searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge into $$^{76}$$ 76 Se+2e$$^-$$ - . Gerda has been conceived in two phases. Phase II, which started in December 2015, features several novelties including 30 new 76Ge enriched detectors. These were manufactured according to the Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector design that has a better background discrimination capability and energy resolution compared to formerly widely-used types. Prior to their installation, the new BEGe detectors were mounted in vacuum cryostats and characterized in detail in the Hades underground laboratory in Belgium. This paper describes the properties and the overall performance of these detectors during operation in vacuum. The characterization campaign provided not only direct input for Gerda Phase II data collection and analyses, but also allowed to study detector phenomena, detector correlations as well as to test the accuracy of pulse shape simulation codes.

Abstract The Gerda collaboration is performing a sensitive search for neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{76}\hbox {Ge}$$ 76Ge at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The upgrade of the Gerda experiment from Phase I to Phase II has been concluded in December 2015. The first Phase II data release shows that the goal to suppress the background by one order of magnitude compared to Phase I has been achieved. Gerda is thus the first experiment that will remain “background-free” up to its design exposure ($$\hbox {100 kg}~\hbox {year}$$ 100 kgyear ). It will reach thereby a half-life sensitivity of more than $$10^{26}$$ 1026 year within 3 years of data collection. This paper describes in detail the modifications and improvements of the experimental setup for Phase II and discusses the performance of individual detector components.

The paper deals with the influence of the strategy for using separated plutonium from spent fuel of thermal and fast reactors, as well as homogeneous burning of americium in the BN reactor core on the balance of americium in the Russian nuclear fuel cycle throughout the 21st century. The assessment is carried out with the use of mathematical modeling of nuclear materials movement including nuclide transformations throughout the nuclear energy system based on the CYCLE code. Scenario modeling of the americium and Pu-241 accumulation was carried out in Russia’s two-component nuclear energy system model with thermal (VVER) and fast (BN) reactors. In so doing, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing was simulated in 2 options: as priority reprocessing of SNF of VVER reactors (1) or SNF of BN reactors (2). In addition to americium accumulation in the system without burning, the accumulation of this actinide was studied taking into account its homogeneous burning in the MOX-fuel of fast reactors at the level of its equilibrium content of ~1%. It has been shown that the priority reprocessing of VVER spent fuel makes it possible to reduce the americium accumulation by the end of the century by ~8 tons, and the effect is achieved by using freshly separated plutonium with short-term cooling, thus, by priority the americium source is eliminated, without directly handling it. Homogeneous addition of americium to the fuel of fast reactors of the BN-1200 type at a level of ~1% makes it possible to stop accumulation of americium in a two-component energy system by 2070, stabilizing it at a level of ~40 tons in the scenario with priority reprocessing of VVER SNF and ~50 tons in the scenario with priority reprocessing of BN SNF.

The stepwise conversion of Russian nuclear power industry to a two-component nuclear energy system (NES) with thermal and fast reactors in a single closed NFC allows a number of deferred system problems of modern power industry to be solved, such as accumulation of spent fuel from thermal reactors and spent fuel repatriated from foreign Russian-designed NPPs; inefficient use of highly limited raw uranium inventories; recycling of minor actinides and other long-lived high-level waste accumulated in the course of thermal reactors’ operation. The paper examines the fundamental capabilities of two-component NES, which appear due to the availability of commercial fast neutron sodium reactors. Due to the synergistic development of thermal and fast reactors, it is expected to achieve an economic effect associated with introduction of new fuel services in the nuclear energy system, such as production of plutonium and improvement of its isotopic composition for thermal reactors, transmutation of “external” minor actinides, production of isotopes for various purposes, production of hydrogen, etc. The expansion of Russia’s export opportunities is also being considered, it can be done through fuel supply for both power units built in compliance with Russian technologies and foreign power units with MOX fuel. In this approach, it is important to analyze the economy of the whole system, where fast reactors, due to their inherent surplus of neutrons, perform the functions required to the entire NES, rather than to analyze the technical and economic indicators of individual reactors. The article makes a preliminary technical and economic assessment of such system functions provided by fast sodium reactors. It is shown that fast and thermal reactors operating together in a two-component nuclear energy system, with the same electrical power and similar technical and economic indicators, can significantly reduce the necessary infrastructure costs and/or generate additional income, thereby reducing the specific levelized cost of electricity production.

The article analyzes the economic aspects of reducing the production of americium during the transition from a single-component nuclear energy system (NES) based on thermal reactors in an open fuel cycle to a two-component system with thermal and fast reactors in a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Scenarios for the development of these systems in Russia up to the end of the century are modeled. Two methods are considered for reducing the production of americium in a two-component NES with fast sodium reactors. The first method, closing the fuel cycle for plutonium in BN reactors of SFR type, is based on the use of plutonium separated from spent nuclear fuel of thermal reactors with the shortest possible (according to technical specifications) time for MOX fuel preparation and use thus preventing the main part of plutonium-241 from decay into americium. The second way is transmutation of americium. The study was carried out by using the mathematical code CYCLE designed for modeling of the NES with closed nuclear fuel cycle (NFC). The technical and economic data used in the paper was taken from published studies of Russian specialists and materials of European Union specialists presented in the IAEA/INPRO SYNERGIES project. The results of the research show that the efficiency of closing the NFC by using plutonium from thermal reactors in MOX fuel of fast sodium reactors is comparable to the efficiency of the homogeneous transmutation considered in the paper. The combination of the americium accumulation prevention method and transmutation method might significantly reduce the rate of the americium accumulation in a nuclear energy system, but the estimated costs of the considered homogeneous transmutation can significantly worsen the economic performance of sodium fast reactors.

The results of studies on the content of aluminum and heavy metals in benthic sediments and algae in the estuaries of the Arctic island Vaygach are presented. This island is located on the Barents and Kara Sea border, and it is part of the Pay-Khoi ridge which can be called a “continuation” of the Ural Mountains to the north. The observations were conducted in Krasnaya and Varkulyakha Rivers located in the island’s southern part and flow into the Yugorsky Shar Strait. Krasnaya River is located near a polymetallic ore deposit, which was developed in 1931–1934. Reconnaissance fieldwork was carried out in the river estuaries through measurements of salinity and water level. Measurements of the mass concentration of elements in the studied samples of sediments and algae were carried out by atomic emission spectrometry. The preparation of plant samples was by microwave decomposition, and that for samples of bottom sediments was carried out by acid decomposition in an open manner. The obtained concentration samples were compared using “Tukey exploratory data analysis (EDA)”. The presence of anomalies in the high content of copper, manganese, and zinc in filamentous algae at the control site in the Krasnaya River estuary was revealed. For some elements, the enrichment index was calculated relative to the upper part of the earth’s crust content. It is assumed that the occurrence of this situation is due to the long-term consequences of mining polymetallic ores. The accumulation of metals in river estuaries may be related to the observed warming of the climate in the western sector of the Arctic region.

The Doppler-shifted resonance condition for high frequency Alfvénic eigenmodes has been extensively studied on ASDEX Upgrade in the presence of one or a combination of two neutral beam injected (NBI) fast ion populations. In general, only centrally deposited NBI sources drive these modes, while off-axis sources globally stabilize the mode activity. For the case of a single central NBI source, the observed trend is: the highest frequency modes are driven by the lowest energy and lowest pitch angle NBI sources, in line with the expectation from the Doppler-shifted resonance condition. The expected mode frequencies are determined analytically from the two-fluid cold plasma dispersion relation and the most unstable frequency relation, while the mode growth rates are estimated using the fast ion slowing down distribution functions from the ASCOT code. The overall mode frequency trend in a source-to-source variation is tracked, although a systematic overestimate of ∼1 MHz is observed. Possible causes of this overestimate include the finite size of the resonant fast ion drift orbit and non-linear effects such as mode sideband formation. Alternatively, the expected mode frequencies are determined by tracking the growth rate maxima trajectories, this method improves the agreement with the experimentally measured values. A combination of two central mode-driving NBI sources results in the suppression of the mode driven by the lowest energy and the lowest pitch angle NBI source. Computing the analytically expected mode frequency following the method outlined above, again, generally tracks the experimentally observed trend. The mode’s Alfvénic nature allows for a practical application to track the core hydrogen fraction by following the mode frequency changes in response to a varying ion mass density. Such application is demonstrated in a discharge where the average ion mass is varied from ∼2 m _p to ∼1.5 m _p (where m _p is the proton mass) via a hydrogen puff in a deuterium plasma, in the presence of a strong mode activity. The expected mode frequency changes are computed from the existence of the resonance condition, and the values track the measured results with an offset of ∼0.5 MHz. Overall, the results suggest an intriguing possibility to monitor and control the D-T ion fraction in the core of a fusion reactor in real time using a non-invasive diagnostic.

The fast-ion phase-space distribution function in axisymmetric tokamak plasmas is completely described by the three constants of motion: energy, magnetic moment and toroidal canonical angular momentum. In this work, the observable regions of constants-of-motion phase-space, given a diagnostic setup, are identified and explained using projected velocities of the fast ions along the diagnostic lines-of-sight as a proxy for several fast-ion diagnostics, such as fast-ion $\text{D}_{\alpha}$ spectroscopy, collective Thomson scattering, neutron emission spectroscopy and gamma-ray spectroscopy. The observable region in constants-of-motion space is given by a position condition and a velocity condition, and the diagnostic sensitivity is given by a gyro-orbit and a drift-orbit weighting. As a practical example, 3D orbit weight functions quantifying the diagnostic sensitivity to each point in phase-space are computed and investigated for the future COMPASS-Upgrade and MAST-Upgrade tokamaks.

After a long device enhancement phase, scientific operation resumed in 2022. The main new device components are the water cooling of all plasma facing components and the new water-cooled high heat flux divertor units. Water cooling allowed for the first long-pulse operation campaign. A maximum discharge length of 8 min was achieved with a total heating energy of 1.3 GJ. Safe divertor operation was demonstrated in attached and detached mode. Stable detachment is readily achieved in some magnetic configurations but requires impurity seeding in configurations with small magnetic pitch angle within the edge islands. Progress was made in the characterization of transport mechanisms across edge magnetic islands: Measurement of the potential distribution and flow pattern reveals that the islands are associated with a strong poloidal drift, which leads to rapid convection of energy and particles from the last closed flux surface into the scrape-off layer. Using the upgraded plasma heating systems, advanced heating scenarios were developed, which provide improved energy confinement comparable to the scenario, in which the record triple product for stellarators was achieved in the previous operation campaign. However, a magnetic configuration-dependent critical heating power limit of the electron cyclotron resonance heating was observed. Exceeding the respective power limit leads to a degradation of the confinement.

Measurements of ion cyclotron emission (ICE) are planned for magnetically confined fusion plasmas heated by neutral beam injection (NBI) in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (W7-X). Freshly injected NBI ions in the edge region, whose velocity-space distribution function approximates a delta-function, are potentially unstable against the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI), which could drive a detectable ICE signal. Prediction of ICE from NBI protons in W7-X hydrogen plasmas is challenging, owing to the low ratio of the ions’ perpendicular velocity to the local Alfvén speed, $v_{\perp (\textrm{NBI})}/V_A \simeq 0.14$ . We address this from first principles, using the particle-in-cell kinetic code EPOCH. This self-consistently solves the Lorentz force equation and Maxwell’s equations for tens of millions of computational ions (both thermal majority and energetic NBI minority) and electrons, fully resolving gyromotion and hence capturing the cyclotron resonant phenomenology which gives rise to ICE. Our simulations predict an ICE signal which is predominantly electrostatic while incorporating a significant electromagnetic component. Its frequency power spectrum reflects novel MCI physics, reported here for the first time. The NBI ions relaxing under the MCI first drive broadband field energy at frequencies a little below the lower hybrid frequency $\omega_\textrm{LH},$ across the wavenumber range $k\omega_{c}/V_A = 40$ –60, where ω _c and V _A denote ion cyclotron frequency and Alfvén velocity. Nonlinear coupling between these waves then excites spectrally structured ICE with narrow peaks, at much lower frequencies, typically the proton cyclotron frequency and its lower harmonics. The relative strength of these peaks depends on the specifics of the NBI ion velocity-space distribution and of the local plasma conditions, implying diagnostic potential for the predicted ICE signal from W7-X.

Recently, experiments on basic plasma physics issues for solving future problems in fusion energy have been performed on a Large Helical Device. There are several problems to be solved in future devices for fusion energy. Emerging issues in burning plasma are: alpha-channeling (ion heating by alpha particles), turbulence and transport in electron dominant heating helium ash exhaust, reduction of the divertor heat load. To solve these problems, understanding the basic plasma physics of (1) wave–particle interaction through (inverse) Landau damping, (2) characteristics of electron-scale (high- k ) turbulence, (3) ion mixing and the isotope effect, and (4) turbulence spreading and detachment, is necessary. This overview discusses the experimental studies on these issues and turbulent transport in multi-ion plasma and other issues in the appendix.

Sawtooth oscillations in tokamaks frequently lead to the redistribution of energetic ions, mainly on passing orbits, causing their expulsion from the core. This paper discusses the first measurements of the interaction of fast ions and sawteeth in the Large Helical Device. The crashes were caused by the plasma current induced by Electron Cyclotron Current Drive and Neutral Beam Current Drive. Despite these crashes, there was no detectable redistribution effect on fast ions in either the core or at the edge of the plasma.

Tomographic reconstructions of a 3D fast-ion constants-of-motion phase-space distribution function are computed by inverting synthetic signals based on projected velocities of the fast ions along the diagnostic lines of sight. A spectrum of projected velocities is a key element of the spectrum formation in fast-ion D-alpha spectroscopy, collective Thomson scattering, and gamma-ray and neutron emission spectroscopy, and it can hence serve as a proxy for any of these. The fast-ion distribution functions are parameterised by three constants of motion, the kinetic energy, the magnetic moment and the toroidal canonical angular momentum. The reconstructions are computed using both zeroth-order and first-order Tikhonov regularisation expressed in terms of Bayesian inference to allow uncertainty quantification. In addition to this, a discontinuity appears to be present in the solution across the trapped-passing boundary surface in the three-dimensional phase space due to a singularity in the Jacobian of the transformation from position and velocity space to phase space. A method to allow for this apparent discontinuity while simultaneously penalising large gradients in the solution is demonstrated. Finally, we use our new methods to optimise the diagnostic performance of a set of six fans of sightlines by finding where the detectors contribute most complementary diagnostic information for the future COMPASS-Upgrade tokamak.

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) is a low background experiment located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, which searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76 Ge into 76 Se+2e - . Gerda has been conceived in two phases. Phase II, which started in December 2015, features several novelties including 30 new 76Ge enriched detectors. These were manufactured according to the Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector design that has a better background discrimination capability and energy resolution compared to formerly widely-used types. Prior to their installation, the new BEGe detectors were mounted in vacuum cryostats and characterized in detail in the Hades underground laboratory in Belgium. This paper describes the properties and the overall performance of these detectors during operation in vacuum. The characterization campaign provided not only direct input for Gerda Phase II data collection and analyses, but also allowed to study detector phenomena, detector correlations as well as to test the accuracy of pulse shape simulation codes.

The Gerda collaboration is performing a sensitive search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The upgrade of the Gerda experiment from Phase I to Phase II has been concluded in December 2015. The first Phase II data release shows that the goal to suppress the background by one order of magnitude compared to Phase I has been achieved. Gerda is thus the first experiment that will remain “background-free” up to its design exposure (100 kgyear). It will reach thereby a half-life sensitivity of more than 10 26 year within 3 years of data collection. This paper describes in detail the modifications and improvements of the experimental setup for Phase II and discusses the performance of individual detector components.

Gerda is designed for a background-free search of 76Ge neutrinoless double-β decay, using bare Ge detectors in liquid Ar. The experiment was upgraded after the successful completion of Phase I to double the target mass and further reduce the background. Newly-designed Ge detectors were installed along with LAr scintillation sensors. Phase II of data-taking started in Dec 2015 with approximately 36 kg of Ge detectors and is currently ongoing. The first results based on 10.8 kg• yr of exposure are presented. The background goal of 10-3 cts/(keV• kg• yr) is achieved and a search for neutrinoless double-β decay is performed by combining Phase I and II data. No signal is found and a new limit is set at yr (90% C.L.).

The Gerda experiment, located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN in Italy, searches for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge. Gerda Phase II is aiming to reach a sensitivity for the 0νββ half life of 1026 yr in ∼ 3 years of physics data taking with 100 kg•yr of exposure and a background index of ∼ 10-3 cts/(keV•kg•yr). After 6 months of acquisition a first data release with 10.8 kg•yr of exposure is performed, showing that the design background is achieved. In this work a study of the Phase II background spectrum, the main spectral structures and the background sources will be presented and discussed.

The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay would allow to shed light onto the particle nature of neutrinos. Gerda is aiming to perform a background-free search for this process using high purity germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge operated in liquid argon. This goal relies on the application of active background suppression techniques. A low background light instrumentation has been installed for Phase II to detect events with coincident energy deposition in the nearby liquid argon. The intended background index of ∼10-3 cts/(keV•ky•yr) has been confirmed.

We demonstrate the measurement of a 2D MeV-range ion velocity distribution function by velocity-space tomography at JET. Deuterium ions were accelerated into the MeV-range by third harmonic ion cyclotron resonance heating. We made measurements with three neutron emission spectrometers and a high-resolution γ-ray spectrometer detecting the γ-rays released in two reactions. The tomographic inversion based on these five spectra is in excellent agreement with numerical simulations with the ASCOT-RFOF and the SPOT-RFOF codes. The length of the measured fast-ion tail corroborates the prediction that very few particles are accelerated above 2 MeV due to the weak wave-particle interaction at higher energies.

Internal contaminations of 238U, 235U and 232Th in the bulk of high purity germanium detectors are potential backgrounds for experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge. The data from GERDA Phase I have been analyzed for alpha events from the decay chain of these contaminations by looking for full decay chains and for time correlations between successive decays in the same detector. No candidate events for a full chain have been found. Upper limits on the activities in the range of a few nBq/kg for 226Ra, 227Ac and 228Th, the long-lived daughter nuclides of 238U, 235U and 232Th, respectively, have been derived. With these upper limits a background index in the energy region of interest from 226Ra and 228Th contamination is estimated which satisfies the prerequisites of a future ton scale germanium double beta decay experiment.

Internal contaminations of 238U, 235U and 232Th in the bulk of high purity germanium detectors are potential backgrounds for experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge. The data from GERDA Phase I have been analyzed for alpha events from the decay chain of these contaminations by looking for full decay chains and for time correlations between successive decays in the same detector. No candidate events for a full chain have been found. Upper limits on the activities in the range of a few nBq/kg for 226Ra, 227Ac and 228Th, the long-lived daughter nuclides of 238U, 235U and 232Th, respectively, have been derived. With these upper limits a background index in the energy region of interest from 226Ra and 228Th contamination is estimated which satisfies the prerequisites of a future ton scale germanium double beta decay experiment.

The GERDA (GERmanium Detector Array) is an experiment for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in 76Ge, located at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN (Italy). GERDA operates bare high purity germanium detectors submersed in liquid Argon (LAr). Phase II of data-taking started in Dec 2015 and is currently ongoing. In Phase II 35 kg of germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge including thirty newly produced Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors is operating to reach an exposure of 100 kg•yr within about 3 years data taking. The design goal of Phase II is to reduce the background by one order of magnitude to get the sensitivity for . To achieve the necessary background reduction, the setup was complemented with LAr veto. Analysis of the background spectrum of Phase II demonstrates consistency with the background models. Furthermore 226Ra and 232Th contamination levels consistent with screening results. In the first Phase II data release we found no hint for a 0νββ decay signal and place a limit of this process yr (90% C.L., sensitivity 4.0•1025 yr). First results of GERDA Phase II will be presented.