We present a search for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of ^{136}Xe using the full KamLAND-Zen 800 dataset with 745 kg of enriched xenon, corresponding to an exposure of 2.1 ton yr of ^{136}Xe. This updated search benefits from a more than twofold increase in exposure, recovery of photo-sensor gain, and reduced background from muon-induced spallation of xenon. Combining with the search in the previous KamLAND-Zen phase, we obtain a lower limit for the 0νββ decay halflife of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>3.8×10^{26} yr at 90% CL, a factor of 1.7 improvement over the previous limit. The corresponding upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass are in the range 28-122 meV using phenomenological nuclear matrix element calculations.
The electron antineutrino flux limits are presented for the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) of all time, GRB221009A, over a range of 1.8–200 MeV using the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Antineutrino Detector. Using multiple time windows ranging from minutes to days surrounding the event to search for electron antineutrinos coincident with the GRB, we set an upper limit on the flux under the assumption of several power-law neutrino source spectra, with power-law indices ranging from 1.5 to 3 in steps of 0.5. No excess was observed in any time windows ranging from seconds to days around the event trigger time T _0 . For a power-law index of 2 and a time window of T _0 ± 500 s, a flux upper limit of 2.34 × 10 ^9 cm ^−2 was calculated. The limits are compared to the results presented by IceCube.
We report the first detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) on germanium, measured at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Ge-Mini detector of the COHERENT collaboration employs large-mass, low-noise, high-purity germanium spectrometers, enabling excellent energy resolution, and an analysis threshold of 1.5 keV electron-equivalent ionization energy. We observe a on-beam excess of 20.6$_{+7.1}^{-6.3}$ counts with a total exposure of 10.22 GWhkg and we reject the no-CEvNS hypothesis with 3.9 sigma significance. The result agrees with the predicted standard model of particle physics signal rate within 2 sigma.
There is a global trend to increase the light yield of CsI scintillators used in neutrino and dark matter detection by operating undoped crystals at cryogenic temperatures. However, high light yield alone is not sufficient to guarantee a low-energy threshold. The response of undoped crystals to nuclear recoils at cryogenic temperatures is equally important. A liquid nitrogen-based cryostat was developed to measure the nuclear quenching factor of a small undoped CsI crystal using monoenergetic neutron beams at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). To minimize neutron scattering, high-Z materials were reduced around the crystal. The structure and performance of the cryostat are described in detail. Using this cryostat, a system light yield of 33.4±2.0 photoelectrons per keV electron-equivalent (PE/keVee) was observed at 5.9 keVee, enabling the measurement of nuclear quenching factors at very low energies. The results of the quenching factor measurement will be reported in a subsequent paper.Non-negligible negative overshoot was observed in the tails of the observed light pulses. The origin of this issue and the correction procedure are described in detail. This information may be useful for others who encounter similar technical challenges.
We consider the potential for a 10-kg undoped cryogenic CsI detector operating at the Spallation Neutron Source to measure coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and its sensitivity to discover new physics beyond the standard model. Through a combination of increased event rate, lower threshold, and good timing resolution, such a detector would significantly improve on past measurements. We considered tests of several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios such as neutrino non-standard interactions and accelerator-produced dark matter. This detector's performance was also studied for relevant questions in nuclear physics and neutrino astronomy, namely the weak charge distribution of CsI nuclei and detection of neutrinos from a core-collapse supernova.
This white paper provides a comprehensive review of our present understanding of experimental neutrino anomalies that remain unresolved, charting the progress achieved over the last decade at the experimental and phenomenological level, and sets the stage for future programmatic prospects in addressing those anomalies. It is purposed to serve as a guiding and motivational "encyclopedic" reference, with emphasis on needs and options for future exploration that may lead to the ultimate resolution of the anomalies. We see the main experimental, analysis, and theory-driven thrusts that will be essential to achieving this goal being: 1) Cover all anomaly sectors -- given the unresolved nature of all four canonical anomalies, it is imperative to support all pillars of a diverse experimental portfolio, source, reactor, decay-at-rest, decay-in-flight, and other methods/sources, to provide complementary probes of and increased precision for new physics explanations; 2) Pursue diverse signatures -- it is imperative that experiments make design and analysis choices that maximize sensitivity to as broad an array of these potential new physics signatures as possible; 3) Deepen theoretical engagement -- priority in the theory community should be placed on development of standard and beyond standard models relevant to all four short-baseline anomalies and the development of tools for efficient tests of these models with existing and future experimental datasets; 4) Openly share data -- Fluid communication between the experimental and theory communities will be required, which implies that both experimental data releases and theoretical calculations should be publicly available; and 5) Apply robust analysis techniques -- Appropriate statistical treatment is crucial to assess the compatibility of data sets within the context of any given model.
The COHERENT Collaboration searched for scalar dark matter particles produced at the Spallation Neutron Source with masses between 1 and 220 MeV/c^{2} using a CsI[Na] scintillation detector sensitive to nuclear recoils above 9 keV_{nr}. No evidence for dark matter is found and we thus place limits on allowed parameter space. With this low-threshold detector, we are sensitive to coherent elastic scattering between dark matter and nuclei. The cross section for this process is orders of magnitude higher than for other processes historically used for accelerator-based direct-detection searches so that our small, 14.6 kg detector significantly improves on past constraints. At peak sensitivity, we reject the flux consistent with the cosmologically observed dark-matter concentration for all coupling constants α_{D}<0.64, assuming a scalar dark-matter particle. We also calculate the sensitivity of future COHERENT detectors to dark-matter signals which will ambitiously test multiple dark-matter spin scenarios.
Using an 185-kg NaI[Tl] array, COHERENT has measured the inclusive electron-neutrino charged-current cross section on ^{127}I with pion decay-at-rest neutrinos produced by the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Iodine is one the heaviest targets for which low-energy (≤50 MeV) inelastic neutrino-nucleus processes have been measured, and this is the first measurement of its inclusive cross section. After a five-year detector exposure, COHERENT reports a flux-averaged cross section for electron neutrinos of 9.2_{-1.8}^{+2.1}×10^{-40} cm^{2}. This corresponds to a value that is ∼41% lower than predicted using the MARLEY event generator with a measured Gamow-Teller strength distribution. In addition, the observed visible spectrum from charged-current scattering on ^{127}I has been measured between 10 and 55 MeV, and the exclusive zero-neutron and one-or-more-neutron emission cross sections are measured to be 5.2_{-3.1}^{+3.4}×10^{-40} and 2.2_{-0.5}^{+0.4}×10^{-40} cm^{2}, respectively.
Description of the data release 10.13139/OLCF/1969085 (https://doi.ccs.ornl.gov/ui/doi/426) from the measurements of the CsI[Na] response to low energy nuclear recoils by the COHERENT collaboration. The release corresponds to the results published in "D. Akimov et al 2022 JINST 17 P10034". We share the data in the form of raw ADC waveforms, provide benchmark values, and share plots to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of our results. This document describes the contents of the data release as well as guidance on the use of the data.
We report a measurement of the strange axial coupling constant g_A^s using atmospheric neutrino data at KamLAND. This constant is a component of the axial form factor of the neutral-current quasielastic (NCQE) interaction. The value of g_A^s significantly changes the ratio of proton and neutron NCQE cross sections. KamLAND is suitable for measuring NCQE interactions as it can detect nucleon recoils with low-energy thresholds and measure neutron multiplicity with high efficiency. KamLAND data, including the information on neutron multiplicity associated with the NCQE interactions, makes it possible to measure g_A^s with a suppressed dependence on the axial mass M_A, which has not yet been determined. For a comprehensive prediction of the neutron emission associated with neutrino interactions, we establish a simulation of particle emission via nuclear deexcitation of ^12C, a process not considered in existing neutrino Monte Carlo event generators. Energy spectrum fitting for each neutron multiplicity gives g_A^s =-0.14^+0.25_-0.26, which is the most stringent limit obtained using NCQE interactions without M_A constraints. The two-body current contribution considered in this analysis relies on a theoretically effective model and electron scattering experiments and requires future verification by direct measurements and future model improvement.
Using neutrinos produced at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the COHERENT collaboration has studied the Pb(nu e, Xn) process with a lead neutrino-induced-neutron (NIN) detector. Data from this detector are fit jointly with previously collected COHERENT data on this process. A combined analysis of the two datasets yields a cross section that is 0.29+0.17 -0.16 times that predicted by the MARLEY event generator using experimentally-measured Gamow-Teller strength distributions, consistent with no NIN events at 1.8 sigma. This is the first inelastic neutrino -nucleus process COHERENT has studied, among several planned exploiting the high flux of low-energy neutrinos produced at the SNS.
The KamLAND-Zen experiment has provided stringent constraints on the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay half-life in ^{136}Xe using a xenon-loaded liquid scintillator. We report an improved search using an upgraded detector with almost double the amount of xenon and an ultralow radioactivity container, corresponding to an exposure of 970 kg yr of ^{136}Xe. These new data provide valuable insight into backgrounds, especially from cosmic muon spallation of xenon, and have required the use of novel background rejection techniques. We obtain a lower limit for the 0νββ decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}>2.3×10^{26} yr at 90% C.L., corresponding to upper limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of 36-156 meV using commonly adopted nuclear matrix element calculations.
Cosmic-ray muons produce various radioisotopes when passing through material. These spallation products can be backgrounds for rare event searches such as in solar neutrino, double-beta decay, and dark matter search experiments. The KamLAND-Zen experiment searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 745 kg of xenon dissolved in liquid scintillator. The experiment includes dead-time-free electronics with a high efficiency for detecting muon-induced neutrons. The production yields of different radioisotopes are measured with a combination of delayed coincidence techniques, newly developed muon reconstruction, and xenon spallation identification methods. The observed xenon spallation products are consistent with results from the FLUKA and GEANT4 simulation codes.
Using neutrinos produced at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the COHERENT collaboration has studied the $\mathrm{Pb}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e},\mathrm{X}n)$ process with a lead neutrino-induced-neutron (NIN) detector. Data from this detector are fit jointly with previously collected COHERENT data on this process. A combined analysis of the two datasets yields a cross section that is ${0.29}_{\ensuremath{-}0.16}^{+0.17}$ times that predicted by the MARLEY event generator using experimentally-measured Gamow-Teller strength distributions, consistent with no NIN events at $1.8\ensuremath{\sigma}$. This is the first inelastic neutrino-nucleus process COHERENT has studied, among several planned exploiting the high flux of low-energy neutrinos produced at the SNS.
This whitepaper presents the research priorities decided on by attendees of the 2022 Town Meeting for Fundamental Symmetries, Neutrons and Neutrinos, which took place December 13-15, 2022 in Chapel Hill, NC, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long Range Planning process. A total of 275 scientists registered for the meeting. The whitepaper makes a number of explicit recommendations and justifies them in detail.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) First Target Station (FTS), used by the COHERENT experiment, provides an intense and extremely high-quality source of pulsed stopped-pion neutrinos, with energies up to about 50 MeV. Upgrades to the SNS are planned, including a Second Target Station (STS), which will approximately double the expected neutrino flux while maintaining quality similar to the FTS source. Furthermore, additional space for ten-tonne scale detectors may be available. We describe here exciting opportunities for neutrino physics, other particle and nuclear physics, and detector development using the FTS and STS neutrino sources.
We present the results of a time-coincident event search for low-energy electron antineutrinos in the KamLAND detector with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the Gamma-ray Coordinates Network and Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. Using a variable coincidence time window of ±500 s plus the duration of each GRB, no statistically significant excess above the background is observed. We place the world’s most stringent 90% confidence level upper limit on the electron antineutrino fluence below 17.5 MeV. Assuming a Fermi–Dirac neutrino energy spectrum from the GRB source, we use the available redshift data to constrain the electron antineutrino luminosity and effective temperature.
We present the analysis and results of the first dataset collected with the MARS neutron detector deployed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) for the purpose of monitoring and characterizing the beam-related neutron (BRN) background for the COHERENT collaboration. MARS was positioned next to the COH-CsI coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering detector in the SNS basement corridor. This is the basement location of closest proximity to the SNS target and thus, of highest neutrino flux, but it is also well shielded from the BRN flux by infill concrete and gravel. These data show the detector registered roughly one BRN per day. Using MARS' measured detection efficiency, the incoming BRN flux is estimated to be 1.20 ± 0.56 neutrons/m2/MWh for neutron energies above ∼3.5 MeV and up to a few tens of MeV. We compare our results with previous BRN measurements in the SNS basement corridor reported by other neutron detectors.
The COHERENT experiment located in Neutrino Alley at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has made the world's first two measurements of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), on CsI and argon, using neutrinos produced at the SNS. The COHERENT collaboration continues to pursue CEvNS measurements on various targets as well as additional studies of inelastic neutrino-nucleus interactions, searches for accelerator-produced dark matter (DM) and physics beyond the Standard Model, using the uniquely high-quality and high-intensity neutrino source available at the SNS. This white paper describes primarily COHERENT's ongoing and near-future program at the SNS First Target Station (FTS). Opportunities enabled by the SNS Second Target Station (STS) for the study of neutrino physics and development of novel detector technologies are elaborated in a separate white paper.
We report the most precise determination of the S01 neutron-neutron effective range parameter (rnn) from neutron-neutron quasifree scattering in neutron-deuteron breakup. The experiment setup utilized a collimated beam of 15.5 MeV neutrons and an array of eight neutron detectors positioned at angles sensitive to several quasifree scattering kinematic configurations. The two neutrons emitted from the breakup reaction were detected in coincidence and time-of-flight techniques were used to determine their energies. The beam-target luminosity was measured in-situ with the yields from neutron-deuteron elastic scattering. Rigorous Faddeev-type calculations using the CD Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential were fit to our cross-section data to determine the value of rnn. The analysis was repeated using a semilocal momentum-space regularized N4LO+ chiral interaction potential. We obtained values of rnn=2.86±0.01(stat)±0.10(sys) fm and rnn=2.87±0.01(stat)±0.10(sys) fm using the CD Bonn and N4LO+ potentials, respectively. Our results are consistent with charge symmetry and previously reported values of rnn.