Related papers: Superheated drop neutron spectrometer
Neutron detectors are an essential tool for the development of many research fields, as nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics as well as radiotherapy and radiation safety. Since neutrons cannot directly ionize, their detection is only…
We have performed measurements of sodium nuclear recoils in NaI:Tl crystals, following scattering by neutrons produced in a $^{7}$Li(p,n)$^{7}$Be reaction. Understanding the light output from such recoils, which is reduced relative to…
We present recent work on using astronomical observations of neutron stars to reveal unique insights into nuclear matter that cannot be obtained from laboratories on Earth. First, we discuss our measurement of the rapid cooling of the…
Cloud and bubble chambers have historically been used for particle detection, capitalizing on supersaturation and superheating, respectively. Here we present new results from a prototype snowball chamber, in which an incoming particle…
Low-threshold dark matter detectors, in particular cryogenic detectors based on dielectric materials, are among the best tools for probing sub-GeV dark matter masses. In the coming years detectors of this type will become sensitive to solar…
The neutrino energy emission rate due to formation of Cooper pairs of neutrons and protons in the superfluid cores of neutron stars is studied. The cases of singlet-state pairing with isotropic superfluid gap and triplet-state pairing with…
The use of liquid helium and neon as scintillators for neutrino detection is investigated. Several unique properties of these cryogens make them promising candidates for real-time solar neutrino spectroscopy: large ultraviolet scintillation…
A novel large volume spherical proportional counter, recently developed, is used for neutron measurements. Gas mixtures of $N_{2}$ with $C_{2}H_{6}$ and pure $N_{2}$ are studied for thermal and fast neutron detection, providing a new way…
After considering the supernova shock effects, the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects, the neutrino collective effects, and the Earth matter effects, the detection of supernova neutrinos at China Spallation Neutron Sources is studied and…
Observations of thermal radiation from neutron stars allow one to measure the surface temperatures and confront them with cooling scenarios. Detection of gravitationally redshifted spectral lines can yield the mass-to-radius ratio. In the…
The organic liquid scintillator used in the LVD experiment (INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory) has been exposed to an Am-Be neutron source to measure the light response function for neutron energies in the region from about 4 to 11 MeV. A…
We investigate neutron--antineutron oscillations of ultracold neutrons in a storage bottle represented by a one-dimensional potential. The experimental sensitivity is determined by the annihilation rate of antineutrons. Its dependence on…
Supernova neutrinos can easily be detected by a spherical gaseous TPC detector measuring very low energy nuclear recoils. The expected rates are quite large for a neutron rich target since the neutrino nucleus neutral current interaction…
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and low-mass Dark Matter detectors rely crucially on the understanding of their response to nuclear recoils. We report the first observation of a nuclear recoil peak at around 112 eV induced by…
The interior of mature neutron stars is expected to contain superfluid neutrons and superconducting protons. The influence of temperature and currents on superfluid properties is studied within the self-consistent time-dependent nuclear…
It is very important to measure the plasma performances of fusion reactors such as fuel ion density, plasma temperature, fusion power, fast neutron energy, and neutron flux. Various diagnostic systems are needed to measure fast neutron…
Thermal evolution of neutron stars (NSs) is studied as a probe of physics beyond the standard model. We first review the standard cooling theory of NSs in detail, with an emphasis on the roles of nucleon superfluidity. Then we discuss…
The signal produced in neutrino observatories by the pair-annihilation neutrinos emitted from a 20 $M_{\odot}$ pre-supernova star at the silicon burning phase is estimated. The spectrum of the neutrinos with an average energy $\sim$2 MeV is…
Development of large mass detectors for low-energy neutrinos and dark matter may allow supernova detection via neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering. An elastic-scattering detector could observe a few, or more, events per ton for a galactic…
The bright scintillation of pure CsI operated at liquid-nitrogen temperature makes of this material a promising dark matter and neutrino detector. We present the first measurement of its quenching factor for nuclear recoils. Our findings…