Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• The scattering and neutrino detector at the LHC

  Giovanni De Lellis

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 051 (2023) · published 5 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  SND@LHC, Scattering and Neutrino Detector at the LHC, is a compact experiment designed to perform measurements with neutrinos produced at the LHC in the unexplored pseudo-rapidity region of 7.2 < $\eta$ < 8.4, complementary to all the other experiments at the LHC. The experiment was approved in March 2021. It was constructed in about one year and it is now taking data during the Run 3 of the LHC. In this paper we review the detector concept, the physics case and the status of the data taking.

• Dark sector studies with the PADME experiment

  Anna Paola Caricato, Maurizio Martino, Isabella Oceano, Federica Oliva, Stefania Spagnolo, Gabriele Chiodini, Fabio Bossi, Riccardo De Sangro, Claudio Di Giulio, Danilo Domenici, Giuseppe Finocchiaro, Luca Gennaro Foggetta, Marco Garattini, Andrea Ghigo, Federica Giacchino, Paola Gianotti, Tommaso Spadaro, Eleuterio Spiriti, Clara Taruggi, Elisabetta Vilucchi, Venelin Kozhuharov, Simeon Ivanov, Sevtoslav Ivanov, Radoslav Simeonov, Georgi Georgiev, Fabio Ferrarotto, Emanuele Leonardi, Paolo Valente, Elizabeth Long, Giovanni Organtini, Gabriele Piperno, Mauro Raggi, Salvatore Fiore, Paolo Branchini, Diego Tagnani, Vittoria Capirossi, Federico Pinna, Andre Frankenthal

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 050 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Positron Annihilation to Dark Matter Experiment (PADME) uses the positron beam of the DA$\Phi$NE Beam-Test Facility, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF) to search for a Dark Photon $A'$. The search technique studies the missing mass spectrum of single-photon final states in $e^+e^-\rightarrow A'\gamma$ annihilation in a positron-on-thin-target experiment. This approach facilitates searches for new particles such as long lived Axion-Like-Particles, protophobic X bosons and Dark Higgs. This talk illustrated the scientific program of the experiment and its first physics results. In particular, the measurement of the cross-section of the SM process $e^+e^-\rightarrow \gamma\gamma$ at $\sqrt{s}$=21 MeV was shown.

• Searches for dark matter with the ATLAS detector

  R. Pedro on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 048 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The presence of a non-baryonic Dark Matter (DM) component in the Universe is inferred from the observation of its gravitational interaction. If DM interacts weakly with Standard Model (SM) particles it could be produced at the LHC. The ATLAS experiment has developed a broad search program for DM candidates in final states with large missing transverse momentum produced in association with other SM particles (light and heavy quarks, photons, Z and H bosons, as well as additional heavy scalar particles). The results of recent searches on 13 TeV pp data, their interplay and interpretation are presented.

• Probing ALPs at the LUXE experiment

  Federico Meloni on behalf of the LUXE collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 037 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The proposed LUXE experiment (LASER Und XFEL Experiment) at DESY, Hamburg, aims to probe QED in its non-perturbative regime. In order to do this, LUXE will study the interactions between 16.5 GeV electrons from the European XFEL and high-intensity laser pulses. This experiment also provides a unique opportunity to probe physics beyond the Standard Model: exploiting the large photon flux generated at LUXE, it is possible to design a dedicated detector to probe axion-like-particles up to a mass of 350 MeV and with photon coupling of $3 \cdot 10^{-6}$ GeV$^{-1}$. This reach is comparable to the projected sensitivity of experiments like FASER2 at the HL-LHC and NA62 operating in dump mode.

• Status of DMRadio-50L and DMRadio-m$^3$

  Nicholas M. Rapidis

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 036 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Recent theoretical advancements have made the QCD axion a stronger dark matter candidate, especially in the sub-$\mu$eV range. While cavity haloscopes have made significant progress in excluding QCD axions in the 1-100 $\mu$ eV region, the 1 peV- 1 $\mu$eV region remains unexplored. The DMRadio program consists of a series of experiments designed to probe low mass axions. DMRadio-50L uses a 1 T average field toroidal magnet and a high-Q LC-oscillator with target sensitivity to axions of $g_{a\gamma\gamma} < 5 \times 10^{-15}\text{ GeV}^{-1}$between 5 kHz and 5 MHz. DMRadio-m$^3$ consists of a higher frequency LC-oscillator in a 4 T peak field solenoidal magnet with sensitivity to the DFSZ model of QCD axions between 30 MHz and 200 MHz. In this work, we present the status of DMRadio-50L and DMRadio-m$^3.$

• Background suppression in the COSINUS experiment: Active muon veto and radiopure materials selection

  M. Stukel, G. Angloher, Mukund Raghunath Bharadwaj, I. Dafinei , N. Di Marco, L. Einfalt, F. Ferroni, S. Fichtinger, A. Filipponi, T. Frank, M. Friedl, A. Fuss , Z. Ge, M. Heikinheimo, K. Huitu, M. Kellermann, R. Maji, M. Mancuso, L. Pagnanini, F. Petricca, S. Pirro, F. Pröbst, G. Profeta, A. Puiu, F. Reindl, K. Schäffner, J. Schieck, D. Schmiedmayer, C. Schwertner, M. Stahlberg, A. Stendahl, F. Wagner, S. Yue, V. Zema, Y. Zhu

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 032 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  For over twenty-five years the DAMA/LIBRA experiment has reported an annual modulation signal that is consistent with a dark matter explanation. This signal is, currently, in tension with the null results observed by other searches that utilize different target detectors. The COSINUS experiment will perform a model-independent cross-check of the DAMA/LIBRA result by using the same target material, NaI crystals, operated as scintillating calorimeters. By measuring both temperature and light the NaI crystals in COSINUS will be able to distinguish between electron and nuclear recoils on an event-by-event basis. However, background events induced by cosmic-rays, environmental radioactivity or the intrinsic contamination of the materials used in the crystal, shielding and infrastructure can pose an issue to any analysis and must be fully understood. We report on the status of the development of the simulation for an active water Cherenkov muon veto, as well as the results of the beginning radiogenic material screening.

• Analysis of radiation damage in silicon charge-coupled devices used for dark matter searches

  Steven J. Lee

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 030 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Nuclear recoils in crystal detectors generate radiation damage in the form of crystal defects that can be measured in scientific-grade CCDs as local hot spots of leakage current stimulated by temperature increases in the devices. In this proceeding, we use a neutron source to generate defects in DAMIC-M CCDs, and using increases in leakage current at different temperatures, we demonstrate a procedure for identifying crystal defects in the CCDs of the DAMIC-M experiment. This is the first time that individual defects generated from nuclear recoils have been studied. This technique could be used to distinguish nuclear recoils from electron recoils in some energy ranges, which would improve the ability of CCD detectors to search for weakly interacting dark matter.

  1 citation

• Direct searches of dark matter with the SABRE South experiment

  Madeleine J. Zurowski on behalf of the SABRE South Collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 029 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The SABRE (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection) South experiment is a direct dark matter detector, made of radio-pure NaI(Tl) crystals surrounded by a liquid scintillator veto. The achievement of ultra-low background rate is essential to provide a model independent test of the signal observed by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment whose claim has not been verified yet. The SABRE South experiment will be located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL), Australia, the first deep underground laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere. The laboratory will not only house rare event physics searches but also measurement facilities to support low background physics experiments and applications like radiobiology and quantum computing. The SABRE South detector commissioning is expected to occur in 2023. This paper details the setup and projections for the experiment, and a brief description of the underground laboratory.

  1 citation

• Hidden dependencies in model independent tests of DAMA

  Madeleine J. Zurowski

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 027 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  For nearly two decades the DAMA Collaboration has been observing a modulating signal compatible with that expected from a dark matter presence in our galaxy. However, interpretations of this with the standard assumptions for dark matter particles are strongly ruled out by a large number of other experiments. This tension can be relaxed somewhat by making more tailored choices for the dark matter model and properties of interest, but expanding the models of interest in such a way makes it impossible to test the DAMA modulation conclusively. In order to understand the exact nature of this signal, we need to use a detector based on the same target (NaI(Tl)), which would be sensitive to exactly the same particle interaction models as DAMA. There are a number of such experiments in the data taking or commissioning stages designed to do just this, two of which (ANAIS and COSINE) recently released their results after 3 years of data taking. Interestingly, the modulation observed by the two experiments deviate from each other by 2$\sigma$, while being within 3$\sigma$ of the DAMA result. This paper addresses potential differences between NaI(Tl) based detectors that could lead to the differing results to date, with a particular focus on the quenching factor

  1 citation

• Status and prospects of SABRE North

  Ambra Mariani on behalf of the SABRE North Collaboration

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 026 (2023) · published 4 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present the characterization of a low background NaI(Tl) crystal for the SABRE North experiment. The crystal NaI-33, was studied in two different setups at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The Proof-of-Principle (PoP) detector was equipped with a liquid scintillator veto and collected data for about one month (90 kg$\times$days). The PoP-dry setup consisted of NaI-33 in a purely passive shielding and collected data for almost one year (891 kg$\times$days). The average background in the energy region of interest (1-6 keV) for dark matter search was 1.20 $\pm$ 0.05 and 1.39 $\pm$ 0.02 counts/day/kg/keV within the PoP and the PoP-dry setup, respectively. This result opens to a new shielding design for the physics phase of the SABRE North detector, that does not foresee the use of an organic liquid scintillator external veto, in compliance with the new safety and environmental requirements of Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.