Background analysis and status of the ANAIS dark matter project
J. Amaré, S. Cebrián, C. Cuesta, E. García, C. Ginestra, M. Martínez, M. A. Oliván, Y. Ortigoza, A. Ortiz de Solórzano, C. Pobes, J. Puimedón, M. L. Sarsa, J. A. Villar, P. Villar
ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a project aiming to set up at the new facilities of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), a large scale NaI(Tl) experiment in order to explore the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation positive result using the same target and technique. Two 12.5 kg each NaI(Tl) crystals provided by Alpha Spectra took data at the LSC in the ANAIS-25 set-up. The comparison of the background model for the ANAIS-25 prototypes with the experimental results is presented. ANAIS crystal radiopurity goals have been achieved for Th-232 and U-238 chains, but a Pb-210 contamination out-of-equilibrium was identified, whose origin has been studied. The high light collection efficiency obtained with these prototypes allows to anticipate an energy threshold of the order of 1 keVee. A new detector, with improved performances, was received in March 2015 and very preliminary results are shown.
The ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal using the same target and technique at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). Along 2016, 112.5 kg of ultra pure NaI(Tl) crystals will be installed at LSC in a 3x3 modules matrix configuration. The ANAIS-25 and ANAIS-37 set-ups have been taking data at the LSC testing the detector performance, the DAQ and analysis systems, and assessing the background. Main results coming from both set-ups will be summarized in this paper, focusing on the excellent detector performance and …
The ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA positive annual modulation signal using the same target and technique at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). A first step, named ANAIS-25 (two 12.5 kg NaI(Tl) modules) taking data from December 2012 to February 2015, provided interesting outcomes: very high light collection efficiency, that could allow to lower the analysis energy threshold down to the level of 1 keVee, and a good understanding of the different background components, in particular the cosmogenic activated isoto…
ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a dark matter direct detection experiment located at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), in Spain. The goal is to confirm or refute in a model independent way the DAMA/LIBRA positive result: an annual modulation in the low-energy detection rate compatible with the expected signal induced by dark matter particles in the galactic halo. This signal, observed for about 20 years, is in strong tension with the negative results of other very sensitive experiments, but a direct comparison using the same target material, NaI(Tl), was still lack…
ANAIS experiment will look for dark matter annual modulation with large mass of ultra-pure NaI(Tl) scintillators at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), aiming to confirm the DAMA/LIBRA positive signal in a model-independent way. Two 12.5 kg each NaI(Tl) crystals provided by Alpha Spectra are currently taking data at the LSC. Present status of ANAIS detectors background and general performance is summarized; in particular, thanks to the high light collection efficiency prospects of lowering the threshold down to 1 keVee are reachable. Crystal radiopurity goals are fulfilled for $^{232}$T…
ANAIS (Annual modulation with NAI Scintillators) experiment aims to look for dark matter annual modulation with 250 kg of ultrapure NaI(Tl) scintillators at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), in order to confirm the DAMA/LIBRA positive signal in a model-independent way. The detector will consist in an array of close-packed single modules, each of them coupled to two high efficiency Hamamatsu photomultipliers. Two 12.5 kg each NaI(Tl) crystals provided by Alpha Spectra are currently taking data at the LSC. These modules have shown an outstanding light collection efficiency (12-16 phe/ke…
The ANAIS experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal. A detailed analysis of two NaI(Tl) crystals of 12.5 kg each grown by Alpha Spectra will be shown: effective threshold at 1 keVee is at reach thanks to outstanding light collection and robust PMT noise filtering protocols and the measured background is well understood down to 3 keVee, having quantified K, U and Th content and cosmogenic activation in the crystals. A new detector was installed in Canfranc in March 2015 together with the two previous modules and preliminary characterization results will be presented. Finally,…
The ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment aims at the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal using the same target and technique at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). 250 kg of ultra pure NaI(Tl) crystals will be used as target, divided into 20 modules, 12.5 kg mass each, and coupled to two high efficiency photomultiplier tubes from Hamamatsu. The ANAIS-25 set-up at the LSC consists of two prototypes, amounting 25 kg NaI(Tl), grown from a powder having a potassium level under the limit of our analytical techniques, and installed in a convenient shielding at the…
ANAIS is a direct detection dark matter experiment aiming at the testing of the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation result, which standing for about two decades has neither been confirmed nor ruled out by any other experiment in a model independent way. ANAIS-112, consisting of 112.5 kg of sodium iodide crystals, is taking data at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, Spain, since August 2017. This letter presents the annual modulation analysis of 1.5 years of data, amounting to 157.55 kg$\times$y. We focus on the model independent analysis searching for modulation and the validation of our sensitivit…
NaI(Tl) large crystals are applied in the search for galactic dark matter particles through their elastic scattering off the target nuclei in the detector by measuring the scintillation signal produced. However, energies deposited in the form of nuclear recoils are small, which added to the low efficiency to convert that energy into scintillation, makes that events at or very near the energy threshold, attributed either to radioactive backgrounds or to spurious noise (non-bulk NaI(Tl) scintillation events), can compromise the sensitivity goals of such an experiment. DAMA/LIBRA experiment, usin…
A large effort has been carried out to characterize the background of sodium iodide crystals within the ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) project. In this paper, the background models developed for three 12.5-kg NaI(Tl) scintillators produced by Alpha Spectra Inc. and operated at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory are presented together with an evaluation of the background prospects for the full experiment. Measured spectra from threshold to high energy in different conditions are well described by the models based on quantified activities. At the region of interest, crystal bu…
ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a dark matter direct detection experiment consisting of 112.5 kg of NaI(Tl) detectors in operation at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), in Spain, since August 2017. ANAIS' goal is to confirm or refute in a model independent way the DAMA/LIBRA positive result: an annual modulation in the low-energy detection rate having all the features expected for the signal induced by dark matter particles in a standard galactic halo. This modulation, observed for about 20 years, is in strong tension with the negative results of other very sensitiv…
The Italian institute for nuclear physics (INFN) has financed the SIMP project (2019-2021) in order to strengthen its skills and technologies in the field of meV detectors with the ultimate aim of developing a single microwave photon detector. This goal will be pursued by improving the sensitivity and the dark count rate of two types of photodetectors: current biased Josephson Junction (JJ) for the frequency range 10-50 GHz and Transition Edge Sensor (TES) for the frequency range 30-100 GHz. Preliminary results on materials and devices characterization are presented.
COSINE-100, a direct detection WIMP dark matter search, is using 106 kg of NaI(Tl) crystals to definitively test the DAMA collaboration's claim of WIMP discovery. In the context of most standard models of WIMP dark matter, the DAMA result is in conflict with other direct detection experiments. To resolve this tension, COSINE-100 seeks to independently test the DAMA observation using a detector of the same target material as DAMA, thus definitively confirming or refuting their claim of WIMP discovery. Here, we present the current status and projected sensitivity of COSINE-100, along with the pr…
We present the status of LAUE, a project supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and devoted to develop Laue lenses with long focal length (up to 100 meters), for hard X--/soft gamma--ray astronomy (80-600 keV). Thanks to their focusing capability, the design goal is to improve the sensitivity of the current instrumention in the above energy band by 2 orders of magnitude, down to a few times $10^{-8}$ photons/(cm$^2$ s keV).
The XENON experimental program aims to detect cold dark matter particles via their elastic collisions with xenon nuclei in two-phase time projection chambers (TPCs). We are currently testing a new TPC at the 100 kg scale, XENON100. This new, ultra-low background detector, has a total of 170 kg of xenon (65 kg in the target region and 105 kg in the active shield). It has been installed at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory and is currently in commissioning phase. We review the design and performance of the detector and its associated systems, present status, preliminary calibration results, …
The XMASS project is designed for multiple physics goals using highly-purified liquid xenon scintillator in an ultra-low radioactivity environment. As the first stage of the project, the detector with 835 kg of liquid xenon was constructed and is being operated. In this paper, we present results from our commissioning data, current status of the experiment, and a next step of the project.
We report briefly on the status of the new research facility in Andrate (TO) at 839 m above sea level. The structure will be built under the project ROAD073P2T, and will enable the development of major research project. Due to the high altitude, the transparency of the sky, cold, dry and windy at certain times of the year, exceptionally, the location of Andrate (TO) is indeed among the best places in the district of Ivrea (TO), to conduct observation of the sky, in the band U, B, V, R, I, Ir, Rc.
KM3NeT is a deep-sea research infrastructure being constructed in the Mediterranean Sea. It will be installed at three sites: KM3NeT-Fr, offshore Toulon, France, KM3NeT-It, offshore Portopalo di Capo Passero, Sicily (Italy) and KM3NeT-Gr, offshore Pylos, Peloponnese, Greece. It will host the next generation Cherenkov neutrino telescope and nodes for a deep sea multidisciplinary observatory, providing oceanographers, marine biologists, and geophysicists with real time measurements. The neutrino telescope will search for Galactic and extra-Galactic sources of neutrinos, complementing IceCube in …
The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project has completed its Conceptual Design Phase. This paper is a status report of the MSE project regarding its technical and programmatic progress. The technical status includes its conceptual design and system performance, and highlights findings and recommendations from the System and various subsystems design reviews. The programmatic status includes the project organization and management plan for the Preliminary Design Phase. In addition, this paper provides the latest information related to the permitting process for Maunakea construction.
MagAO-X is an entirely new "extreme" adaptive optics system for the Magellan Clay 6.5 m telescope, funded by the NSF MRI program starting in Sep 2016. The key science goal of MagAO-X is high-contrast imaging of accreting protoplanets at H$α$. With 2040 actuators operating at up to 3630 Hz, MagAO-X will deliver high Strehls (>70%), high resolution (19 mas), and high contrast ($< 1\times10^{-4}$) at H$α$ (656 nm). We present an overview of the MagAO-X system, review the system design, and discuss the current project status.
The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) is a new generation of electronic radio telescope based on aperture array technology and working in the frequency range of 30-240 MHz. The telescope is being developed by ASTRON, and currently being rolled-out across the Netherlands and other countries in Europe. The plan is to build at least 36 stations in the Netherlands (with baseline lengths of up to 100 km), 5 stations in Germany, and 1 station in each of Sweden, France and the UK. With baseline lengths of up to 2000 km, sub-arcsecond resolution will be possible at the highest frequencies. The Key Science P…
The preliminary design of the new space gamma-ray telescope GAMMA-400 for the energy range 100 MeV - 3 TeV is presented. The angular resolution of the instrument, 1-2° at Eγ ~100 MeV and ~0.01^{\circ} at Eγ > 100 GeV, its energy resolution ~1% at Eγ > 100 GeV, and the proton rejection factor ~10E6 are optimized to address a broad range of science topics, such as search for signatures of dark matter, studies of Galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray sources, Galactic and extragalactic diffuse emission, gamma-ray bursts, as well as high-precision measurements of spectra of cosmic-ray electrons, po…
Gravitational wave (GW) detection in space probes GW spectrum that is inaccessible from the Earth. In addition to LISA project led by European Space Agency, and the DECIGO detector proposed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, two Chinese space-based GW observatories -- TianQin and Taiji -- are planned to be launched in the 2030s. TianQin has a unique concept in its design with a geocentric orbit. Taiji's design is similar to LISA, but is more ambitious with longer arm distance. Both facilities are complementary to LISA, considering that TianQin is sensitive to higher frequencies and Tai…
The Cherenkov Telescope Array is the main global project of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy for the coming decades. Performance will be significantly improved relative to present instruments, allowing a new insight into the high-energy Universe [1]. The nominal CTA southern array will include a sub-array of seventy 4 m telescopes spread over a few square kilometers to study the sky at extremely high energies, with the opening of a new window in the multi-TeV energy range. The Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT) is one of the proposed telescope designs for that sub-array. The GCT prototype rec…
ASTRI ("Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana") is a flagship project of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. Within this framework, INAF is currently developing a wide field of view (9.6 degrees in diameter) end-to-end prototype of the CTA small-size telescope (SST), devoted to the investigation of the energy range from a fraction of TeV up to tens of TeVs, and scheduled to start data acquisition in 2014. For the first time, a dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optical design will be adopted on a Cherenkov telescope, in order to obtain a compact optical…
The Tianshan Radio Experiment for Neutrino Detection (TREND) is a sino-french collaboration (CNRS/IN2P3 and Chinese Academy of Science) developing an autonomous antenna array for the detection of high energy Extensive Air Showers (EAS) on the site of the 21CMA radio observatory. The autonomous detection and identification of EAS was achieved by TREND on a prototype array in 2009. This result was confirmed soon after when EAS radio-candidates could be tagged as cosmic ray events by an array of particle detectors running in parallel at the same location. This result is an important milestone for…
The Cosmic-Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory (CREDO) is a project dedicated to global studies of extremely extended cosmic-ray phenomena, the cosmic-ray ensembles (CRE), beyond the capabilities of existing detectors and observatories. Up to date cosmic-ray research has been focused on detecting single air showers, while the search for ensembles of cosmic-rays, which may spread over a significant fraction of the Earth, is a scientific terra incognita. The key idea of CREDO is to combine existing cosmic-ray detectors (large professional arrays, educational instruments, individual detectors, …
Status of the COSmological Microwave Observations CALibrator
Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS-Université Paris-Saclay（空间天体物理研究所）；Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS-INSU（天文与行星学研究所在）；Institut de Radio-Astronomie Millimétrique（毫米波射电天文学研究所）；Department of Physics, University of Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学物理系）；Laboratoire de Physique de l’École normale supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité（巴黎高等师范学院物理实验室）；Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie, CNRS（亚原子物理学与宇宙学实验室）；INAF - Osservatorio di astrofisica e scienza dello spazio Bologna（意大利国家天体物理研究所博洛尼亚天文与空间科学观测站）；Institut d’Electronique et des Technologies du numérique（电子与数字技术研究所）；Centre spatial universitaire de Grenoble, Université Grenoble Alpes（格勒诺布尔大学航天中心）；University（大学）
The LCO Outbursting Objects Key (LOOK) Project uses the telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) Network to: (1) to systematically monitor a sample of Dynamically New Comets over the whole sky, and (2) use alerts from existing sky surveys to rapidly respond to and characterize detected outburst activity in all small bodies. The data gathered on outbursts helps to characterize each outburst's evolution with time, assess the frequency and magnitude distribution of outbursts in general, and contributes to the understanding of outburst processes and volatile distribution in the Solar System…
The Cosmic-Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory (CREDO) is a project dedicated to global studies of extremely extended cosmic-ray phenomena, the cosmic-ray ensembles (CRE), beyond the capabilities of existing detectors and observatories. Up to date cosmic-ray research has been focused on detecting single air showers, while the search for ensembles of cosmic-rays, which may overspread a significant fraction of the Earth, is a scientific terra incognita. Instead of developing and commissioning a completely new global detector infrastructure, CREDO proposes approaching the global cosmic-ray anal…
