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The next generation of large scale WIMP direct detection experiments have the potential to go beyond the discovery phase and reveal detailed information about both the particle physics and astrophysics of dark matter. We report here on…
The Majorana Experiment will use arrays of enriched HPGe detectors to search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge. Such a decay, if found, would show lepton-number violation and confirm the Majorana nature of the neutrino.…
Nuclear double beta decay provides an extraordinarily broad potential to search for beyond Standard Model physics, probing already now the TeV scale, on which new physics should manifest itself. These possibilities are reviewed here.
Active background reduction in high resolution calorimeters is a promising approach to achieve ultimate sensitivity in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. We propose Cerenkov emission from beta rays in bolometric crystals as a…
The use of radioactive beams opens a new frontier for fusion studies. The coupling to the continuum can be explored with very loosely bound nuclei. Experiments were performed with beams of nuclei at or near the proton and neutron drip-lines…
We report on the final results of a series of experiments on double decay of 130Te carried out with an array of twenty cryogenic detectors. The set-up is made with crystals of TeO2 with a total mass of 6.8 kg, the largest operating one for…
In light of recent observations of an anomalous excess of high-energy positrons and electrons by the PAMELA and Fermi LAT experiments, we investigate exotic cosmic-ray signatures in scenarios with unstable dark matter that decays with an…
The sensitivity for double beta decay studies of Xe-134 and Xe-124 is investigated assuming a potential large scale Xe experiment developed for dark matter searches depleted in Xe-136. The opportunity for an observation of the 2nu double…
Tremendous efforts are required to scale the summit of observing neutrinoless double beta decay ($0 \nu \beta \beta$). This article quantitatively explores the interplay between exposure (target mass X data taking time) and background…
The cosmogenic production of long-lived radioactive isotopes in materials is an hazard for experiments demanding ultra-low background conditions. Although NaI(Tl) scintillators have been used in this context for a long time, very few…
Recent years have seen increased theoretical and experimental effort towards the first-ever detection of cosmic-ray antideuterons, in particular as an indirect signature of dark matter annihilation or decay. In contrast to indirect dark…
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an array of point-contact Ge detectors fabricated from Ge isotopically enriched to 88% in Ge-76 to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The processing of Ge for germanium detectors is a well-known…
Cosmological gravitational-wave backgrounds are an exciting science target for next-generation ground-based detectors, as they encode invaluable information about the primordial Universe. However, any such background is expected to be…
Gamma-ray bursts and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays provide an important testing ground for fundamental physics. A simple-minded analysis of some gamma-ray bursts would lead to a huge estimate of the overall energy emitted, and this…
We present a technique for estimating the number of future neutrinoless double-beta decay results using several distinct nuclei to optimize the physics reach of upcoming experiments. We use presently available matrix element calculations…
High Purity Germanium Detectors have excellent energy resolution; the best among the technologies used in double beta decay. Since neutrino-less double beta decay hinges on the search for a rare peak upon a background continuum, this…
An experiment to search for double beta decay processes in 96Ru and 104Ru, which are accompanied by gamma rays, has been realized in the underground Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the I.N.F.N. (Italy). Ruthenium samples with masses of…
Rare event search experiments, such as those searching for dark matter and observations of neutrinoless double beta decay, require ultra low levels of radioactive background for unmistakable identification. In order to reduce the…
The nuclear matrix elements that govern the rate of neutrinoless double beta decay must be accurately calculated if experiments are to reach their full potential. Theorists have been working on the problem for a long time but have recently…
The analysis of the time profile of electrical signals produced by energy depositions in germanium detectors allows discrimination of events with different topologies. This is especially relevant for experiments searching for the…