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The full data set of the NEMO-3 experiment has been used to measure the half-life of the two-neutrino double beta decay of \\[^{100}\\]Mo to the ground state of \\[^{100}\\]Ru, \\[T_{1/2} = \\left[ 6.81 \\pm 0.01\\,\\left( \\text{ stat }\\right) ^{+0.38}_{-0.40}\\,\\left( \\text{ syst }\\right) \\right] \\times 10^{18}\\] year. The two-electron energy sum, single electron energy spectra and distribution of the angle between the electrons are presented with an unprecedented statistics of \\[5\\times 10^5\\] events and a signal-to-background ratio of \\[\\sim \\] 80. Clear evidence for the Single State Dominance model is found for this nuclear transition. Limits on Majoron emitting neutrinoless double beta decay modes with spectral indices of \\[\\mathrm{n}=2,3,7\\], as well as constraints on Lorentz invariance violation and on the bosonic neutrino contribution to the two-neutrino double beta decay mode are obtained.

The NEMO-3 results for the double- β decay of 150 Nd to the 0 1 + and 2 1 + excited states of 150 Sm are reported. The data recorded during 5.25 year with 36.6 g of the isotope 150 Nd are used in the analysis. The signal of the 2 ν β β transition to the 0 1 + excited state is detected with a statistical significance exceeding 5 σ . The half-life is measured to be T 1 / 2 2 ν β β ( 0 1 + ) = 1 . 11 - 0.14 + 0.19 stat - 0.15 + 0.17 syst × 10 20  year, which is the most precise value that has been measured to date. 90% confidence-level limits are set for the other decay modes. For the 2 ν β β decay to the 2 1 + level the limit is T 1 / 2 2 ν β β ( 2 1 + ) > 2.42 × 10 20 year . The limits on the 0 ν β β decay to the 0 1 + and 2 1 + levels of 150 Sm are significantly improved to T 1 / 2 0 ν β β ( 0 1 + ) > 1.36 × 10 22 year and T 1 / 2 0 ν β β ( 2 1 + ) > 1.26 × 10 22 year .

JSNS2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) is an experiment that is searching for sterile neutrinos via the observation of ν¯μ→ν¯e appearance oscillations using muon decay-at-rest neutrinos. Before dedicated data taking in the first-half of 2021, we performed a commissioning run for 10 days in June 2020. Using the data obtained in this commissioning run, in this paper, we present an estimate of the correlated background which imitates the ν¯e signal in a sterile neutrino search. In addition, in order to demonstrate future prospects of the JSNS2 experiment, possible pulse shape discrimination improvements towards reducing cosmic ray induced fast neutron background are described.

We have studied the neutrino-less double beta decay(0νββ) of 48Ca with the CANDLES III system, which consists of CaF2(pure) scintillators. Rejection analyses for background events from radioactive contaminations in the CaF2(pure) scintillators were effective to reduce backgrounds in Qββ-value region. As the results, no events were observed in the region for the data of 131 days × 86 kg. It gave a lower limit 6.2 × 1022 year (90 % C.L.) for the half-life of 0νββ of 48Ca. For higher sensitive measurement of 48Ca 0νββ, we have developed new techniques for 48Ca enrichment and CaF2 scintillating bolometer. In this paper, we will also show current status of these techniques.

The observation of neutrino-less double beta decay (0vßß) would be the most practical way to prove the Majorana nature of the neutrino and lepton number violation. CANDLES studies 48Ca double beta decay using CaF2 scintillator. The main advantage of 48Ca is that it has the highest Q-value (4.27 MeV) among all the isotope candidates for 0vßß. The CANDLES III detector is currently operating with 300kg CaF2 crystals in the Kamioka underground observatory, Japan. In 2014, a detector cooling system and a magnetic cancellation coil was installed with the aim to increase light emission of CaF2 scintillator and photo-electron collection efficiency of the photo-multipliers. After this upgrade, light yield was increased to 1000 p.e./MeV which is 1.6 times larger than before. According to data analysis and simulation, main background source in CANDLES is turned out to be high energy external gamma-ray originating neutron capture on the surrounding materials, so called (n,γ). Upgrading the detector by installing neutron and gamma-ray shield can reduce the remaining main backgrounds by two order magnitude. In this report, we discuss the detail of (n,γ) and background reduction by additional shielding.

Abstract The Sterile Neutrino Search at the J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source (JSNS$^2$) experiment aims to search for sterile neutrino oscillations using a neutrino beam from muon decays at rest. The JSNS$^2$ detector contains 17 tons of 0.1$\\%$ gadolinium (Gd) loaded liquid scintillator (LS) as a neutrino target. Detector construction was completed in the spring of 2020. A slow control and monitoring system (SCMS) was implemented for reliable control and quick monitoring of the detector operational status and environmental conditions. It issues an alarm if any of the monitored parameters exceed a preset acceptable range. The SCMS monitors the high voltage of the photomultiplier tubes, the LS level in the detector, possible LS overflow and leakage, the temperature and air pressure in the detector, the humidity of the experimental hall, and the LS flow rate during filling and extraction. An initial 10 days of data-taking with a neutrino beam was done following a successful commissioning of the detector and SCMS in 2020 June. In this paper, we present a description of the assembly and installation of the SCMS and its performance.

X-ray observations of the core of the Perseus cluster reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere in which the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of about 164 kilometres per second in the region 30–60 kiloparsecs from the central nucleus; turbulent pressure support in the gas is four per cent of the thermodynamic pressure, necessitating only a small correction to the total cluster mass determined from hydrostatic equilibrium. Quiet flows the Perseus cluster The Hitomi collaboration reports X-ray observations of the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies — the brightest X-ray-emitting cluster in the sky. Such clusters typically consist of tens to thousands of galaxies bound together by gravity and are studied as models of both small-scale cosmology and large-scale astrophysical processes. The data reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere, where gas velocities are quite low, with a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of about 164 kilometres per second at a distance of 30–60 kiloparsecs from the central nucleus. Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes 1 of cosmological parameters and many astrophysical processes. However, knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, the mass of which is much larger than the combined mass of all the stars in the cluster, is lacking. Such knowledge would enable insights into the injection of mechanical energy by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for determining cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50-million-kelvin diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The active galactic nucleus of the central galaxy NGC 1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These bubbles probably induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas, preventing runaway radiative cooling—a process known as active galactic nucleus feedback 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 . Here we report X-ray observations of the core of the Perseus cluster, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere in which the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164 ± 10 kilometres per second in the region 30–60 kiloparsecs from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150 ± 70 kilometres per second is found across the 60-kiloparsec image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is four per cent of the thermodynamic pressure, with large-scale shear at most doubling this estimate. We infer that a total cluster mass determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in a central region would require little correction for turbulent pressure.

The J-PARC E56 experiment aims to search for sterile neutrinos at the J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF). In order to examine the feasibility of the experiment, we measured the background rates of different detector candidate sites, which are located at the third floor of the MLF, using a detector consisting of plastic scintillators with a fiducial mass of 500 kg. The gammas and neutrons induced by the beam as well as the backgrounds from the cosmic rays were measured, and the results are described in this article.

The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay would resolve the Majorana nature of the neutrino and could provide information on the absolute scale of the neutrino mass. The initial phase of the MAJORANA experiment, known as the DEMONSTRATOR, will house 40 kg of Ge in an ultra-low background shielded environment at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The objective of the DEMONSTRATOR is to determine whether a future 1-tonne experiment can achieve a background goal of one count per tonne-year in a narrow region of interest around the 76Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay peak.

The Majorana Demonstrator will search for the neutrinoless double-beta (ββ0ν) decay of the isotope Ge with a mixed array of enriched and natural germanium detectors. The observation of this rare decay would indicate that the neutrino is its own antiparticle, demonstrate that lepton number is not conserved, and provide information on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. The Demonstrator is being assembled at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The array will be situated in a low-background environment and surrounded by passive and active shielding. Here we describe the science goals of the Demonstrator and the details of its design.