Underground neutrino detectors for particle and astroparticle Science: The Giant Liquid Argon Charge Imaging ExpeRiment (GLACIER)

Rubbia, A.

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/171/1/012020

Cited by 91 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…If a combination of techniques removed the backgrounds, then the sensitivity to the neutrino signal and hence also σ SD χP could improve by ∼ 15, beyond which even Super-K is too small to expect any signal events. Proposed large liquid scintillator [36] or liquid argon [37] detectors would also have interesting sensitivity. Hyper-Kamiokande [38], which is intended to be 25 times larger than Super-K and which also may have gadolinium, could potentially improve on present estimates by up to ∼ 15 × 25 ∼ 375.…”

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confidence: 99%

New sensitivity to solar WIMP annihilation using low-energy neutrinos

2013

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Dark matter particles captured by the Sun through scattering may annihilate and produce neutrinos, which escape. Current searches are for the few high-energy neutrinos produced in the prompt decays of some final states. We show that interactions in the solar medium lead to a large number of pions for nearly all final states. Positive pions and muons decay at rest, producing low-energy neutrinos with known spectra, includingνe through neutrino mixing. We demonstrate that SuperKamiokande can thereby provide a new probe of the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section. Compared to other methods, the sensitivity is competitive and the uncertainties are complementary.PACS numbers: 95.35.+d, 95.85.Ry Introduction.-If dark matter is a thermal relic of the early universe, then its self-annihilation cross section is revealed by its present mass density. To match observations, the required cross section, averaged over relative velocities, is σ A v = (5.2−2.2)×10 −26 cm 3 /s, as a function of increasing mass, m χ [1]. This indicates a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP; denoted χ) [2][3][4].The total annihilation cross section, including all final states, is well defined, but the partial annihilation, scattering, and production cross sections with any specific standard model (SM) particles are model-dependent. Measurement of any of these cross sections would dramatically constrain WIMP models and eliminate more exotic possibilities. There are limits from straightforward searches for astrophysical fluxes of annihilation products, direct nuclear scatterings in underground experiments, and collider events with missing energy.Searches for high-energy neutrinos from the Sun give strong limits on WIMP-nucleon scattering. WIMPs passing through the Sun may rarely scatter with nuclei and become gravitationally bound. Scattering can occur by coherent spin-independent (SI) or valence spindependent (SD) interactions. Further scatterings thermalize WIMPs in the solar core, where they annihilate. Only neutrinos can escape and potentially be detected. When the capture rate, Γ C , regulates the annihilation rate, Γ A , as expected, an upper limit on the neutrino flux sets an upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section.The most interesting limits using searches for highenergy neutrinos from the Sun are on SD WIMP-proton scattering, σ SD χp . Though the searches are based on the annihilation process, these limits are independent of σ A v , except for assumptions about the annihilation final states, which govern the detectability of the neutrinos. High-energy neutrinos come from the few annihilation products that decay promptly, before losing energy in the solar medium, giving continuum spectra up to E ν ∼ m χ (direct annihilation to neutrino pairs, helicitysuppressed in many models, produces a line at E ν = m χ ). Strong limits on the SD WIMP-proton scattering cross section have been derived for large m χ and certain final states, such as W + W − , τ + τ − , and bb.Generalizing to other final states and a broader range...

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confidence: 99%

New sensitivity to solar WIMP annihilation using low-energy neutrinos

2013

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“…The predicted number of observed neutrino events is, however, higher for deflagrations thanks to both a higher neutrino luminosity and slightly higher energies of the emitted neutrinos. For a 0.5 Mt classical water Cherenkov detector (LBNE WC, long baseline neutrino experiment Scholberg 2010; Memphys, Autiero et al 2007;Rubbia 2009), we predict the recording about 20 elastic scattering events above 4 MeV per second for a SN Ia event located at a distance of 1 kiloparsec. Still larger detectors (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Probing thermonuclear supernova explosions with neutrinos

Odrzywołek¹,

Plewa²

2011

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Aims. We present neutrino light curves and energy spectra for two representative type Ia supernova explosion models: a pure deflagration and a delayed detonation. Methods. We calculate the neutrino flux from β processes using nuclear statistical equilibrium abundances convoluted with approximate neutrino spectra of the individual nuclei and the thermal neutrino spectrum (pair+plasma). Results. Although the two considered thermonuclear supernova explosion scenarios are expected to produce almost identical electromagnetic output, their neutrino signatures appear vastly different, which allows an unambiguous identification of the explosion mechanism: a pure deflagration produces a single peak in the neutrino light curve, while the addition of the second maximum characterizes a delayed-detonation. We identified the following main contributors to the neutrino signal: (1) weak electron neutrino emission from electron captures (in particular on the protons 55 Co and 56 Ni) and numerous β-active nuclei produced by the thermonuclear flame and/or detonation front, (2) electron antineutrinos from positron captures on neutrons, and (3) the thermal emission from pair annihilation. We estimate that a pure deflagration supernova explosion at a distance of 1 kpc would trigger about 14 events in the future 50 kt liquid scintillator detector and some 19 events in a 0.5 Mt water Cherenkov-type detector. Conclusions. While in contrast to core-collapse supernovae neutrinos carry only a very small fraction of the energy produced in the thermonuclear supernova explosion, the SN Ia neutrino signal provides information that allows us to unambiguously distinguish between different possible explosion scenarios. These studies will become feasible with the next generation of proposed neutrino observatories.

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“…Several design concepts have emerged for large scale LArTPC detectors up to ∼ 100 kt scale [345][346][347][348][349][350]. These designs achieve the large mass scale by being made up either of a number of smaller identical modules or by using a single volume based on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) cryogenic tank technology.…”

Section: Liquid Argon Detectors Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%