New results are reported from the operation of the PICO-60 dark matter detector, a bubble chamber filled with 52 kg of C_{3}F_{8} located in the SNOLAB underground laboratory. As in previous PICO bubble chambers, PICO-60 C_{3}F_{8} exhibits excellent electron recoil and alpha decay rejection, and the observed multiple-scattering neutron rate indicates a single-scatter neutron background of less than one event per month. A blind analysis of an efficiency-corrected 1167-kg day exposure at a 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew data are reported from the operation of a 2 liter C3F8 bubble chamber in the SNOLAB underground laboratory, with a total exposure of 211.5 kg days at four different energy thresholds below 10 keV. These data show that C3F8 provides excellent electron-recoil and alpha rejection capabilities at very low thresholds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
December 2007
As minerals, aromatic compounds occur very rarely in nature. Not more than 10 of such minerals are known and most of them were described in the coal deposits where they were formed as a result of coal bed fires or burning of coal waste heaps. Raman spectra of kladnoite C(6)H(4)(CO)(2)NH (natural phthalimide) and hoelite C(14)H(8)O(2), (natural 9,10-anthraquinone) display complex features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe PICASSO project is a cold dark matter (CDM) search experiment relying on the superheated droplet technique. The detectors use superheated freon liquid droplets (active material) dispersed and trapped in a polymerised gel. This detection technique is based on the phase transition of superheated droplets at about room temperature and ambient pressure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRadiat Prot Dosimetry
December 2006
The PICASSO experiment investigates the presence and nature of dark matter in the Universe. The experiment is based on the detection of acoustic signals generated in explosive phase transitions induced by dark matter particles. This technique is an alternative more traditional detection technique like scintillation and ionisation, which are largely employed for dark matter search.
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