D. M. Webber

Assembly and Installation of the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors

The Daya Bay reactor antineutrino experiment is designed to make a precision measurement of the neutrino mixing angle θ_(13), and recently made the definitive discovery of its non-zero value. It utilizes a set of eight, functionally identical antineutrino detectors to measure the reactor flux and spectrum at baselines of ~ 300–2000 m from the Daya Bay and Ling Ao Nuclear Power Plants. The Daya Bay antineutrino detectors were built in an above-ground facility and deployed side-by-side at three underground experimental sites near and far from the nuclear reactors. This configuration allows the experiment to make a precision measurement of reactor antineutrino disappearance over km-long baselines and reduces relative systematic uncertainties between detectors and nuclear reactors. This paper describes the assembly and installation of the Daya Bay antineutrino detectors.

Low-Background Monitoring Cameras for the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors

The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment is designed to measure the neutrino mixing angle θ13 to world-leading precision. The experiment deploys identical antineutrino detectors at distances of 400-1900 m from six reactors in Daya Bay, China. Each detector incorporates two general-purpose monitoring cameras to ensure their safe construction, transportation and operation. The cameras must meet usage goals while satisfying stringent constraints on radioactivity, materials compatibility, interference and reliability. This article describes the system design, integration, operation and performance.

Manual calibration system for Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment

The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment has measured the last unknown neutrino mixing angle, theta(13), to be non-zero at the 7.7 sigma level. This is the most precise measurement to theta(13) to date [1, 2]. To further enhance the understanding of the response of the antineutrino detectors (ADs), a detailed calibration of an AD with the Manual Calibration System (MCS) was undertaken during the summer 2012 shutdown. The MCS is capable of placing a radioactive source with a positional accuracy of 25 mm in R direction, 12 mm in Z axis and 0.5 degrees Phi in F direction. A detailed description of the MCS is presented followed by a summary of its performance in the AD calibration run.

An Improved Measurement of Electron Antineutrino Disappearance at Daya Bay

Abstract The theory of neutrino oscillations explains changes in neutrino flavor, count rates, and spectra from solar, atmospheric, accelerator, and reactor neutrinos. These oscillations are characterized by three mixing angles and two mass-squared differences. The solar mixing angle, θ 12 , and the atmospheric mixing angle, θ 23 , have been well measured, but until recently the neutrino mixing angle θ 13 was not well known. The Daya Bay experiment, located northeast of Hong Kong at the Guangdong Nuclear Power Complex in China, has made a precise measurement of electron antineutrino disappearance using six functionally-identical gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator-based detectors at three sites with distances between 364 and 1900 meters from six reactor cores. This proceeding describes the Daya Bay updated result, using 127 days of good run time collected between December 24, 2011 and May 11, 2012. For the far site, the ratio of the observed number of events to the expected number of events assuming no neutrino oscillation is 0.944 ± 0.007 (stat) ± 0.003 (syst) . A fit for θ 13 in the three-neutrino framework yields sin 2 2 θ 13 = 0.089 ± 0.010 (stat) ± 0.005 (syst) .

T-1020 NaI crystal test for DM-Ice

This is a memorandum of understanding between the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and the experiments of the NaI Crystal Test for DM-Ice from the University of Wisconsin who have committed to participate in detector tests to be carried out during the 2011-2012 Fermilab Neutrino program. The memorandum is intended primarily for the purpose of recording expectations for budget estimates and work allocations for Fermilab, the funding agencies and the participating institutions. It reflects an arrangement that currently is satisfactory to the parties; however, it is recognized and anticipated that changing circumstances of the evolving research program will necessitate revisions. The parties agree to modify this memorandum to reflect such required adjustments. Actual contractual obligations will be set forth in separate documents. The DM-Ice collaboration is designing a sodium-iodide (NaI) based detector for a direct dark matter search. The detectors should have low readout noise and background levels to carry out a sensitive search. A 17-kg version of the experiment is running at the South Pole, 2500 m deep in the Antarctic ice, and a large scale experiment is currently being designed. One of the keys to the success of the experiment is to have a good understanding of the background levels intrinsic in the NaI detectors. To measure the background level, the detectors have to be shielded against cosmic rays. The lead shielding used for DAMIC in the Minos Underground Areas is a well-suited location for this test since it offers enough overburden to shield against cosmic rays, lead shielding, and experimental infrastructure. The goal of the test is to assess the background levels in the detector and to assess the characteristics of phosphorescence induced by muons and 100 keV-3 MeV gamma rays.