Shin-Ted Lin

Search of neutrino magnetic moments with a high-purity germanium detector at the Kuo-Sheng nuclear power station

A search of neutrino magnetic moments was carried out at the Kuo-Sheng nuclear power station at a distance of 28 m from the 2.9 GW reactor core. With a high purity germanium detector of mass 1.06 kg surrounded by scintillating NaI(Tl) and CsI(Tl) crystals as anti-Compton detectors, a detection threshold of 5 keV and a background level of 1 kg{sup -1} keV{sup -1} day{sup -1} near threshold were achieved. Details of the reactor neutrino source, experimental hardware, background understanding, and analysis methods are presented. Based on 570.7 and 127.8 days of Reactor ON and OFF data, respectively, at an average Reactor ON electron antineutrino flux of 6.4x10{sup 12} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, the limit on the neutrino magnetic moments of {mu}{sub {nu}{sub e}}<7.4x10{sup -11}{mu}{sub B} at 90% confidence level was derived. Indirect bounds on the {nu}{sub e} radiative decay lifetimes were inferred.

Limit on the Electron Neutrino Magnetic Moment from the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Experiment

A search of neutrino magnetic moment was carried out at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Station at a distance of 28 m from the 2.9 GW reactor core. With a high purity germanium detector of mass 1.06 kg surrounded by scintillating NaI(Tl) and CsI(Tl) crystals as anti-Compton detectors, a detection threshold of 5 keV and a background level of 1 kg(-1) keV(-1) day(-1) at 12-60 keV were achieved. Based on 4712 and 1250 h of reactor ON and OFF data, respectively, the limit on the neutrino magnetic moment of mu(nu;(e))<1.3x10(-10)mu(B) at 90% confidence level was derived. An indirect bound of the nu;(e) radiative lifetime of m(3)(nu)tau(nu)>2.8x10(18) eV(3) s can be inferred.

Limits on light weakly interacting massive particles from the CDEX-1 experiment with ap-type point-contact germanium detector at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory

We report results of a search for light Dark Matter WIMPs with CDEX-1 experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, based on 53.9 kg-days of data from a p-type point-contact germanium detector enclosed by a NaI(Tl) crystal scintillator as anti-Compton detector. The event rate and spectrum above the analysis threshold of 475 eVee are consistent with the understood background model. Part of the allowed regions for WIMP-nucleus coherent elastic scattering at WIMP mass of 6-20 GeV are probed and excluded. Independent of interaction channels, this result contradicts the interpretation that the anomalous excesses of the CoGeNT experiment are induced by Dark Matter, since identical detector techniques are used in both experiments.

Measurement of Nu(e)-bar -Electron Scattering Cross-Section with a CsI(Tl) Scintillating Crystal Array at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Reactor

The {nu}{sub e}-e{sup -} elastic scattering cross section was measured with a CsI(Tl) scintillating crystal array having a total mass of 187 kg. The detector was exposed to an average reactor {nu}{sub e} flux of 6.4x10{sup 12} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Station. The experimental design, conceptual merits, detector hardware, data analysis, and background understanding of the experiment are presented. Using 29882/7369 kg-days of Reactor ON/OFF data, the standard model (SM) electroweak interaction was probed at the squared 4-momentum transfer range of Q{sup 2{approx}}3x10{sup -6} GeV{sup 2}. The ratio of experimental to SM cross sections of {xi}=[1.08{+-}0.21(stat){+-}0.16(sys)] was measured. Constraints on the electroweak parameters (g{sub V},g{sub A}) were placed, corresponding to a weak mixing angle measurement of sin{sup 2{theta}}{sub W}=0.251{+-}0.031(stat){+-}0.024(sys). Destructive interference in the SM {nu}{sub e}-e process was verified. Bounds on anomalous neutrino electromagnetic properties were placed: neutrino magnetic moment at {mu}{sub {nu}{sub e}} <3.3x10{sup -32} cm{sup 2}, both at 90% confidence level.

New limits on spin-independent and spin-dependent couplings of low-mass WIMP dark matter with a germanium detector at a threshold of 220 eV

An energy threshold of (220{+-}10) eV was achieved at an efficiency of 50% with a four-channel ultralow-energy germanium detector, each with an active mass of 5 g. This provides a unique probe to weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) dark matter with mass below 10 GeV. With a data acquisition live time of 0.338 kg-day at the Kuo-Sheng Laboratory, constraints on WIMPs in the galactic halo were derived. The limits improve over previous results on both spin-independent WIMP-nucleon and spin-dependent WIMP-neutron cross-sections for WIMP mass between 3 and 6 GeV. Sensitivities for full-scale experiments are projected. This detector technique makes the unexplored sub-keV energy window accessible for new neutrino and dark matter experiments.

Introduction to the CDEX experiment

It is believed that weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are candidates for dark matter (DM) in our universe which come from outer space and might interact with the standard model (SM) matter of our detectors on the earth. Many collaborations in the world are carrying out various experiments to directly detect DM particles. China Jinping underground Laboratory (CJPL) is the deepest underground laboratory in the world and provides a very promising environment for DM search. China Dark matter EXperiment (CDEX) is going to directly detect the WIMP flux with high sensitivity in the low WIMP-mass region. Both CJPL and CDEX have achieved a remarkable progress in recent three years. CDEX employs a point-contact germanium (PCGe) semi-conductor detector whose energy threshold is less than 300 eV. In this report we present the measurement results of muon flux, monitoring of radioactivity and radon concentration carried out in CJPL, as well describing the structure and performance of the 1 kg-PCGe detector in CDEX-1 and 10 kg-PCGe detector array in CDEX-10 including the detectors, electronics, shielding and cooling systems. Finally we discuss the physics goals of CDEX-1, CDEX-10 and the future CDEX-1T experiments.

First results on low-mass WIMPs from the CDEX-1 experiment at the China Jinping underground laboratory

The China Dark matter Experiment collaboration reports the first experimental limit on WIMP dark matter from 14.6 kg-day of data taken with a 994 g p-type point-contact germanium detector at the China Jinping underground Laboratory where the rock overburden is more than 2400 m. The energy threshold achieved was 400 eVee. According to the 14.6 kg-day live data, we placed the limit of N= 1.75 * 10^{-40} cm^{2} at 90% confidence level on the spin-independent cross-section at WIMP mass of 7 GeV before differentiating bulk signals from the surface backgrounds.

A Search of Low-Mass WIMPs with p-type Point Contact Germanium Detector in the CDEX-1 Experiment

The CDEX-1 experiment conducted a search of low-mass (< 10 GeV/c2) Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) dark matter at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory using a p-type point-contact germanium detector with a fiducial mass of 915 g at a physics analysis threshold of 475 eVee. We report the hardware set-up, detector characterization, data acquisition and analysis procedures of this experiment. No excess of unidentified events are observed after subtraction of known background. Using 335.6 kg-days of data, exclusion constraints on the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent and spin-dependent couplings are derived.

Enhanced Sensitivities for the Searches of Neutrino Magnetic Moments through Atomic Ionization

A recent paper [M.B. Voloshin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 201801 (2010)] pointed out that our earlier derivations of atomic ionization cross-section due to neutrino magnetic moments (arXiv:1001.2074v2) involved unjustified assumptions. We confirm and elaborate on this comment with these notes. We caution that the results of the sum-rule approach in this paper contradict the expected behaviour in atomic transitions. Advances in low energy detectors make it relevant to evaluate atomic effects induced by possible neutrino electromagnetic interactions A recent paper (Ref. [1]) observed that there are unjustified assumptions implicit in our previous derivations of the atomic ionization (AI) cross-section induced by neutrino magnetic moment (μν) (Ref. [2]). This comment is correct. We use the pre-defined notations in Ref. [2] and work with positive q for clarity. The dσ/dT formula in Eq.10 is due to integration of Eq.8 over dΩ which, implicitly, is integration over q. However, the q → 0 limits have been taken in the assignments of the form factors Fa(q , T ) and q2Fb(q , T ). There is an unjustified assumption in Eq.10 that the form factors are constant within the integration range of q from 0 to ∼ 4E ν (where Eν ∼few MeV for reactor neutrinos). Consequently, Eq.10 as well as the results that follow are invalid. The q-dependent components of Eq.8 in the laboratory frame can be written as: d σ dTdΩ ∝ [ MEν( Eν T − 1)Fa(q , T ) + 1 4 q2Fb(q , T ) ] , where Fa(0, T ) ∝ σγ(T ) . ∗Corresponding author − Email: htwong@phys.sinica.edu.tw; Tel:+886-2-2789-6789; FAX:+886-2-2788-9828.A new detection channel on atomic ionization for possible neutrino electromagnetic interactions is identified and studied. Significant sensitivity enhancement is demonstrated when the energy transfer to the target is of the atomic-transition scale. The interaction cross section induced by neutrino magnetic moments (μ(ν)) is evaluated with the equivalent photon method. A new limit of μ(ν)(ν[over ¯](e))<1.3×10(-11) μ(B) at 90% confidence level is derived by using current reactor neutrino data. Potential reaches for future experiments are explored. Experiments with sub-keV sensitivities can probe μ(ν) to 10(-13) μ(B). Positive observations of μ(ν) in this range would imply that neutrinos are Majorana particles.

Differentiation of bulk and surface events in p-type point-contact germanium detectors for light WIMP searches

The p-type point-contact germanium detectors are novel techniques offering kg-scale radiation sensors with sub-keV sensitivities. They have been used for light dark matter WIMPs searches and may have potential applications in neutrino physics. There are, however, anomalous surface behaviour which needs to be characterized and understood. We describe the methods and results of a research program whose goals are to identify the bulk and surface events via software pulse shape analysis techniques, and to devise calibration schemes to evaluate the selection efficiency factors. Efficiencies-corrected background spectra from the low-background facility at Kuo-Sheng Neutrino Laboratory are derived.