Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Low-temperature detectors for nuclear physics and radioactive materials analysis
Presented by Michael Rabin, LANL
Over the past several years we have developed ultra high resolution spectrometers for basic nuclear physics and for applications in nuclear materials analysis. The sensors are based on low temperature microcalorimeters that deliver energy resolution ten-times better than conventional semiconductor technology. We have demonstrated this level of sensor performance for spectroscopy of X-rays, gamma-rays, alpha particles, and radioisotopes embedded inside the sensors themselves. Basic science drivers include improved nuclear data, neutrinoless double-beta decay, and measurement of neutrino mass. Applications in treaty verification, international nuclear safeguards, and forensics (criminal and nuclear) will be discussed. In several areas, very large sensor arrays are needed, and the development of our 256-pixel gamma-ray system provides essential experience for expanding to thousands of pixels over the next few years. Our newest area of endeavor is also the most challenging: direct measurement of the kinematic mass of the neutrino from electron-capture spectroscopy (ECS) of 163Ho. This is a major physics quest and will require both very large arrays and the incorporation of radioisotopes into sensors. I will review recent progress, including isotope production, methods of embedding materials into sensors, sensor resolution, and recent theoretical developments that improve our understanding of the ECS spectrum.
2:00 pm, Tuesday, November 29, 2016
PAIS-2540, PAIS
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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php