Department of Physics and Astronomy

Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/22354

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Browsing Department of Physics and Astronomy by Subject "Bubble chambers"

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    Discrimination of nuclear recoils from alpha particles with superheated liquids
    (New Journal of Physics, 2008) Aubin, F.; Auger, M.; Genest, M.-H.; Giroux, G.; Gornea, R.; Faust, R.; Leroy, C.; Lessard, L.; Martin, J.-P.; Morlat, T.; Piro, M.-C.; Starinski, N.; Zacek, V.; Beltran, B.; Krauss, C. B.; Behnke, Ed; Levine, Ilan; Shepherd, T.; Nadeau, P.; Wichoski, U.; Pospisil, S.; Stekl, I.; Sodomka, J.; Clark, K.; Dai, X.; Davour, A.; Levy, C.; Noble, A. J.; Storey, C.
    The PICASSO collaboration observed for the first time a significant difference between the acoustic signals induced by neutrons and alpha particles in a detector based on superheated liquids. This new discovery offers the possibility of improved background suppression and could be especially useful for dark matter experiments. This new effect may be attributed to the formation of multiple bubbles on alpha tracks, compared to single nucleations created by neutron induced recoils.
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    Improved Spin Dependent Limits from the PICASSO Dark Matter Search Experiment
    (Elsevier, 2005-09) Barnabe-Heider, Marik; Behnke, Joshua; Feighery, William.; Levine, Ilan; Muthusi, Cynthia
    The PICASSO experiment reports an improved limit for the existence of cold dark matter WIMPs interacting via spin-dependent interactions with nuclei. The experiment is installed in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory at a depth of 2070 m. With superheated C4F10 droplets as the active material, and an exposure of 1.98±0.19 kgd, no evidence for a WIMP signal was found. For a WIMP mass of 29 GeV/c2, limits on the spin-dependent cross section on protons of σp = 1.31 pb and on neutrons of σn = 21.5 pb have been obtained at 90% C.L. In both cases, some new parameter space in the region of WIMP masses below 20 GeV/c2 has now been ruled out. The results of these measurements are also presented in terms of limits on the effective WIMP-proton and neutron coupling strengths ap and an.
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    New Insights into Particle Detection with Superheated Liquids
    (IOP Publishing, 2010-11) Archambault, Simon; Behnke, Ed; Behnke, Joshua; Hinnefeld, Jerry; Levine, Ilan; Vander Werf, Nathan P.
    We report new results obtained in calibrations of superheated liquid droplet detectors used in dark matter searches with different radiation sources (n,α,γ). In particular, detectors were spiked with alpha-emitters located inside and outside the droplets. It is shown that the responses are different, depending on whether alpha particles or recoil nuclei create the signals. The energy thresholds for α-emitters are compared with test beam measurements using mono-energetic neutrons, as well as with theoretical predictions. Finally a model is presented which describes how the observed intensities of particle induced acoustic signals can be related to the dynamics of bubble growth in superheated liquids. An improved understanding of the bubble dynamics is an important first step in obtaining better discrimination between particle types interacting in detectors of this kind.