A search has been performed for neutrinos from two sources, the hep reaction in the solar pp fusion chain and the upsilon e component of the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB), using the full dataset of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with a total exposure of 2.47 kton-years after fiducialization. The hep search is performed using both a single-bin counting analysis and a likelihood fit. We find a best-fit flux that is compatible with solar model predictions while remaining consistent with zero flux, and set a onesided upper limit of Phi(hep) < 30 x 10(3) cm(-2) s(-1) [90% credible interval (CI)]. No events are observed in the DSNB search region, and we set an improved upper bound on the nu(e) component of the DSNB flux of Phi(DSNB)(nu e) < 19 cm(-2) s(-1) (90% CI) in the energy range 22.9 < E-nu < 36.9 MeV.

Neutrons produced in nuclear interactions initiated by cosmic-ray muons present an irreducible background to many rare-event searches, even in detectors located deep underground. Models for the production of these neutrons have been tested against previous experimental data, but the extrapolation to deeper sites is not well understood. Here we report results from an analysis of cosmogenically produced neutrons at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. A specific set of observables are presented, which can be used to benchmark the validity of GEANT4 physics models. In addition, the cosmogenic neutron yield, in units of 10(-4) cm(2)/(g.mu), is measured to be 7.28 +/- 0.09(stat)(-1.12)(+1.59)(syst) in pure heavy water and 7.30 +/- 0.07(stat)(-1.02)(+1.40)(syst) in NaCl-loaded heavy water. These results provide unique insights into this potential background source for experiments at SNOLAB.

Neutron production in giga electron volt-scale neutrino interactions is a poorly studied process. We have measured the neutron multiplicities in atmospheric neutrino interactions in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory experiment and compared them to the prediction of a Monte Carlo simulation using GENIE and a minimally modified version of GEANT4. We analyzed 837 days of exposure corresponding to Phase I, using pure heavy water, and Phase II, using a mixture of Cl in heavy water. Neutrons produced in atmospheric neutrino interactions were identified with an efficiency of 15.3% and 44.3%, for Phases I and II respectively. The neutron production is measured as a function of the visible energy of the neutrino interaction and, for charged current quasielastic interaction candidates, also as a function of the neutrino energy. This study is also performed by classifying the complete sample into two pairs of event categories: charged current quasielastic and non charged current quasielastic, and nu(mu) and nu(e). Results show good overall agreement between data and Monte Carlo for both phases, with some small tension with a statistical significance below 2 sigma for some intermediate energies.

The long baseline between Earth and the Sun makes solar neutrinos an excellent test beam for exploring possible neutrino decay. The signature of such decaywould be an energy-dependent distortion of the traditional survival probability which can be fit for using well-developed and high-precision analysis methods. Here a model including neutrino decay is fit to all three phases of B-8 solar neutrino data taken by the SudburyNeutrino Observatory (SNO). This fit constrains the lifetime of neutrino mass state nu(2) to be > 8.08 x 10(-5) s/eV at 90% confidence. An analysis combining this SNO result with those from other solar neutrino experiments results in a combined limit for the lifetime of mass state nu(2) of > 1.92 x 10(-3) s/eV at 90% confidence.

Experimental tests of Lorentz symmetry in systems of all types are critical for ensuring that the basic assumptions of physics are well founded. Data from all phases of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, a kiloton-scale heavy water Cherenkov detector, are analyzed for possible violations of Lorentz symmetry in the neutrino sector. Such violations would appear as one of eight possible signal types in the detector: six seasonal variations in the solar electron neutrino survival probability differing in energy and time dependence and two shape changes to the oscillated solar neutrino energy spectrum. No evidence for such signals is observed, and limits on the size of such effects are established in the framework of the standard model extension, including 38 limits on previously unconstrained operators and improved limits on 16 additional operators. This makes limits on all minimal, Dirac-type Lorentz violating operators in the neutrino sector available for the first time.

Tests on B - L symmetry breaking models are important probes to search for new physics. One proposed model with Delta(B - L) = 2 involves the oscillations of a neutron to an antineutron. In this paper, a new limit on this process is derived for the data acquired from all three operational phases of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory experiment. The search concentrated on oscillations occurring within the deuteron, and 23 events were observed against a background expectation of 30.5 events. These translated to a lower limit on the nuclear lifetime of 1.48 x 1031 yr at 90% C. L. when no restriction was placed on the signal likelihood space (unbounded). Alternatively, a lower limit on the nuclear lifetime was found to be 1.18 x 10(31) yr at 90% C. L. when the signal was forced into a positive likelihood space (bounded). Values for the free oscillation time derived from various models are also provided in this article. This is the first search for neutron-antineutron oscillation with the deuteron as a target.

The DEAP-1 low-background liquid argon detector was used to measure scintillation pulse shapes of electron and nuclear recoil events and to demonstrate the feasibility of pulse-shape discrimination down to an electron-equivalent energy of 20 keV(ee).In the surface dataset using a triple-coincidence tag we found the fraction of,6 events that are misidentified as nuclear recoils to be < 1.4 x 10(-7) (90% C.L.) for energies between 43-86 keV(ee) and for a nuclear recoil acceptance of at least 90%, with 4% systematic uncertainty on the absolute energy scale. The discrimination measurement on surface was limited by nuclear recoils induced by cosmic-ray generated neutrons. This was improved by moving the detector to the SNOLAB underground laboratory, where the reduced background rate allowed the same measurement to be done with only a double-coincidence tag.The combined data set contains 1.23 x 10(8) events. One of those, in the underground data set, is in the nuclear-recoil region of interest. Taking into account the expected background of 0.48 events coming from random pileup, the resulting upper limit on the level of electronic recoil contamination is < 2.7 x 10(-8) (90% C.L.) between 44-89 keV(ee) and for a nuclear recoil acceptance of at least 90%, with 6% systematic uncertainty on the absolute energy scale.We developed a general mathematical framework to describe pulse-shape-discrimination parameter distributions and used it to build an analytical model of the distributions observed in DEAP-1. Using this model, we project a misidentification fraction of approximately 10(-10) for an electron-equivalent energy threshold of 15 keVee for a detector with 8 PE/keV(ee) light yield. This reduction enables a search for spin independent scattering of WIMPs from 1000 kg of liquid argon with a WIMP-nucleon cross-section sensitivity of 10(-46) cm(2), assuming negligible contribution from nuclear recoil backgrounds. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A muon scattering tomography system which uses extruded plastic scintillator bars for muon tracking and a dedicated muon spectrometer that measures scattering through steel slabs has been constructed and successfully tested. The atmospheric muon detection efficiency is measured to be 97% per plane on average and the average intrinsic hit resolution is 2.5mm. In addition to creating a variety of three-dimensional images of objects of interest, a quantitative study has been carried out to investigate the impact of including muon momentum measurements when attempting to detect high-density, high-Z material. As expected, the addition of momentum information improves the performance of the system. For a fixed data-taking time of 60s and a fixed false positive fraction, the probability to detect a target increases when momentum information is used. This is the first demonstration of the use of muon momentum information from dedicated spectrometer measurements in muon scattering tomography.

The DEAP-1 7 kg single phase liquid argon scintillation detector was operated underground at SNOLAB in order to test the techniques and measure the backgrounds inherent to single phase detection, in support of the DEAP-3600 Dark Matter detector. Backgrounds in DEAP are controlled through material selection, construction techniques, pulse shape discrimination, and event reconstruction. This report details the analysis of background events observed in three iterations of the DEAP-1 detector, and the measures taken to reduce them.The Rn-222 decay rate in the liquid argon was measured to be between 16 and 26 mu Bq kg(-1). We found that the background spectrum near the region of interest for Dark Matter detection in the DEAP-1 detector can be described considering events from three sources: radon daughters decaying on the surface of the active volume, the expected rate of electromagnetic events misidentified as nuclear recoils due to inefficiencies in the pulse shape discrimination, and leakage of events from outside the fiducial volume due to imperfect position reconstruction. These backgrounds statistically account for all observed events, and they will be strongly reduced in the DEAP-3600 detector due to its higher light yield and simpler geometry. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has confirmed the standard solar model and neutrino oscillations through the observation of neutrinos from the solar core. In this paper we present a search for neutrinos associated with sources other than the solar core, such as gamma-ray bursts and solar flares. We present a new method for looking for temporal coincidences between neutrino events and astrophysical bursts of widely varying intensity. No correlations were found between neutrinos detected in SNO and such astrophysical sources.

The CRIPT Cosmic Ray Imaging and Passive Tomography system began data taking in September 2012. CRIPT is a “proof of principle” muon tomography system originally proposed to inspect cargo in shipping containers and to determine the presence of special nuclear materials. CRIPT uses 4 layers of 2 m x 2 m scintillation counter trackers, each layer measuring two coordinates. Two layers are used to track the incoming muon and two for the outgoing muon allowing the trajectories of the muon to be determined. The target volume is divided into voxels, and a Point of Closest Approach algorithm is used to determine the number of scattering events in each voxel, producing a 3D image. The system has been tested with various targets of depleted uranium, lead bricks, and tungsten rods. Data on the positional resolution has been taken and the intrinsic resolution is unfolded with the help of a simulation using GEANT4. The next steps include incorporation of data from the spectrometer section, which will assist in determining the muon's momentum and improve the determination of the density of the target.

This project is motivated by the need for improved protection of Canadian critical infrastructure from solar disturbances. The feasibility study examines the possibility of using measurements of muons produced by cosmic rays (CR) to provide advanced warning of approaching solar disturbances. A literature review and workshops with invited specialists were the important part of work. These identified the need for a Canadian muon detector to fill the coverage gap existing in global network. Two types of tasks were undertaken: theoretical investigations of the interaction of cosmic rays with solar disturbances performed by the Lead Department, NRCan; and review of the existing technology and development of a test detector, done by a Contractor, Physics Department at Carleton University. The study identified two types of precursors associated with interaction of the CR with solar disturbance. The physics-based transport equation for CR has been analysed and diffusion model was validated. Two types of technology for building detectors were assessed, a test muon detector has been built and prototype data were analysed. The detailed design specifications and recommendations (roadmap) for proto-operational developments are provided.

We report results from a combined analysis of solar neutrino data from all phases of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. By exploiting particle identification information obtained from the proportional counters installed during the third phase, this analysis improved background rejection in that phase of the experiment. The combined analysis resulted in a total flux of active neutrino flavors from 8B decays in the Sun of (5.25 \pm 0.16(stat.)+0.11-0.13(syst.))\times10^6 cm^{-2}s^{-1}. A two-flavor neutrino oscillation analysis yielded \Deltam^2_{21} = (5.6^{+1.9}_{-1.4})\times10^{-5} eV^2 and tan^2{\theta}_{12}= 0.427^{+0.033}_{-0.029}. A three-flavor neutrino oscillation analysis combining this result with results of all other solar neutrino experiments and the KamLAND experiment yielded \Deltam^2_{21} = (7.41^{+0.21}_{-0.19})\times10^{-5} eV^2, tan^2{\theta}_{12} = 0.446^{+0.030}_{-0.029}, and sin^2{\theta}_{13} = (2.5^{+1.8}_{-1.5})\times10^{-2}. This implied an upper bound of sin^2{\theta}_{13} < 0.053 at the 95% confidence level (C.L.).

The Cosmic Ray Inspection and Passive Tomography (CRIPT) project is investigating muon scattering tomography (MST) for applications in border security, nuclear non-proliferation, and nuclear waste characterization. The construction of the full-scale prototype MST system began in the Summer of 2011 and was completed in September 2012. The CRIPT detector employs 12 layers of scintillator to track atmospheric muons before and after passage through a volume of interest, and to estimate each muon's momentum. The total height of the system is 5.5 m and its weight is 20 tonnes. Details of its construction are presented. After the integration of the custom data acquisition electronics, the commissioning of the CRIPT detector began. The first tomographic images were obtained in October 2012 and are presented here.

Muons, which are produced naturally in the upper atmosphere, can be used to scan cargo for special nuclear materials (SNM). Preliminary simulated results show that detecting the presence of these materials can be accomplished by measuring the scattering of cosmic ray muons. Machine learning tools have been used on these data to classify it as SNM or not.The muon exists long enough, and is penetrating enough, that it can be used to passively scan cargo to detect SNM. By measuring the deflection angles of muons after they exit a container, one can determine whether or not SNM are present. Different detector approaches have been evaluated by considering the performance, cost, and robustness of several technologies. Simulations have been performed to help design the detectors and to determine the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. Realistic cargo containers have been simulated.Two types of techniques can be used to determine whether the cargo containers contain SNM. More traditional methods use an expert system which uses knowledge of physics to compute physical information about the cargo. The other approach is to use Machine Learning classifiers, which can be used to determine if the cargo contains SNM. These techniques include the following algorithms: decision trees, neural networks, special vector machines, and k nearest neighbours. Preliminary results from the two approaches to classification have been obtained and will be discussed in the paper.

In the last decade, many groups around the world have been exploring different ways to probe transport containers which may contain illicit Special Nuclear Materials such as uranium. The muon tomography technique has been proposed as a cost effective system with an acceptable accuracy. A group of Canadian institutions (see above), funded by Defence Research and Development Canada, is testing different technologies to track the cosmic muons. One candidate is the single wire Drift Chamber. With the capability of a 2D impact position measurement, two detectors will be placed above and two below the object to be probed. In order to achieve a good 3D image quality of the cargo content, a good angular resolution is required. The simulation showed that 1mrad was required implying the spatial resolution of the trackers must be in the range of 1 to 2 mm for 1 m separation. A tracking system using three prototypes has been built and tested. The spatial resolution obtained is 1.7 mm perpendicular to the wire and 3 mm along the wire.

The CRIPT project brings together several Canadian institutions, concerned with the detection of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM), addressing a requirement at ports-of-entry for detection of SNM in the many thousands of containers that flow into and out of Canada every day, while at the same time providing a way of monitoring the contents of nuclear waste storage containers, for waste management and non-proliferation reasons. The scale of these applications is large — typically tens of cubic metres, requiring detectors that can cover a large area at a minimum cost. The CRIPT project considered drift chambers adapted from high energy physics experience, as one of its technology choices. We report here on the performance of a full scale prototype, which covers an area of 2.4m × 1.2m with only 6 readout channels, and provides a 2D data point with accuracies (in x and z) of around 2 mm

The Cosmic Ray Inspection and Passive Tomography (CRIPT) collaboration has completed the testing of small muon detector prototypes and has commenced construction of a 12 layer, 4m(2) prototype muon scattering tomography system. Three areas of CRIPT's progress are reported: (1) results from the testing of one of drift chamber muon detector prototypes; (2) algorithms for muon momentum estimation and tomographic image reconstruction; and (3) the status of the large prototype construction. The intrinsic resolution of the 2.4 m long, 1.2 m wide drift chamber muon detector prototype has been measured to be 1.73 mm perpendicular to the anode wire, and 2.9 mm parallel to the anode. A Bayesian estimator algorithm has been developed for muon momentum estimation. From simulations, the momentum resolution is expected to be highly asymmetric, varying from -18% to +92% integrated across the cosmic ray muon spectrum. A novel Point-of-Closest-Approach (PoCA) algorithm has also been developed for tomographic imaging. Multiple possible muon trajectories are assumed for each muon. The expected completion date for the construction is summer 2012, with first tomographic data following soon afterward.

Results are reported from a search for low-multiplicity neutrino bursts in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). Such bursts could indicate detection of a nearby core-collapse supernova explosion. The data were taken from Phase I (November 1999 - May 2001), when the detector was filled with heavy water, and Phase II (July 2001 - August 2003), when NaCl was added to the target. The search was a blind analysis in which the potential backgrounds were estimated and analysis cuts were developed to eliminate such backgrounds with 90% confidence before the data were examined. The search maintained a greater than 50% detection probability for standard supernovae occurring at a distance of up to 60 kpc for Phase I and up to 70 kpc for Phase II. No low-multiplicity bursts were observed during the data-taking period.