IPA 2013

13 May 2013, 07:30 → 15 May 2013, 18:00 US/Central

Union South

The IceCube Particle Astrophysics Symposium

IPA2013 will be held May 13-15 at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  Topics include neutrino astronomy and related multiwavelength messengers (cosmic rays, high-energy gamma rays, gravitational waves), neutrino properties (including accelerator-based experiments), and related cosmological and dark matter aspects of particle astrophysics. 

Confirmed plenary sessions and speakers include:

• Trevor Weekes, Overview and History of TeV Gamma-Ray Astronomy
• Giorgio Gratta, Overview of Double Beta-Decay Experiments
• Yvonne Wong, Cosmology and Neutrino Mass Constraints
• Jordon Goodman, Results from Milagro and Status of HAWC
• Nathan Whitehorn, Results from IceCube
• Jenny Thomas, Overview of Accelerator Neutrino Experiments
• Keith Bechtol, Results from Fermi
• Günter Sigl, Origin and Acceleration of Cosmic Rays
• Paul Sommers, Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays
• Sarah Church, The Planck Mission
• Brian Humensky, CTA and the Future of High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy
• Stefan Schoenert, Overview of Solar Neutrinos

In addition, the following parallel sessions will be offered: 

• Neutrino Theory
• High-Energy Gamma Ray Astrophysics
• Cosmic Rays (Theory/Experiment)
• Dark Matter (Theory/Experiment)
• Neutrino Astrophysics
• Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics
• Non-Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics

Registration and abstract submission can be completed on Indico.  For travel and accommodations can be found on the conference website.

Monday, 13 May

08:00 → 08:55 Registration: Monday all day

08:55 → 09:00 Plenary Session I - chaired by Gordon Thomson, University of Utah

09:00 → 09:10 Welcome: Stefan Westerhoff

09:10 → 09:45 Double Beta Decay: A Very Important and Difficult Experiment: Giorgio Gratta, Stanford University

slides Ice3_symposium_May2013.pdf

09:20 Double Beta Decay: A Very Important and Difficult Experiment: Giorgio Gratta, Stanford University

09:45 → 10:20 The Planck Mission: Sarah Church, KIPAC, Stanford University

09:45 The Planck Mission

The Planck Satellite, launched in 2009, has released released a detailed set of maps of the temperature of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation and measurements of cosmological parameters based on these data. I will review the results from this Planck data release and discuss future prospects for CMB measurements from Planck and the next generation of experiments.

Speaker: Sarah Church (Stanford University)

movie Planck_satellite_scanning_the_Sky.mp4

Slides church-planckv4.pdf church-planckv4.pptx

10:20 → 10:55 Accelerator Neutrino Experiments: Jenny Thomas, University College London

10:55 → 11:15 Break

11:15 → 11:20 Plenary Session 2, chaired by Klas Hultqvist, Stockholm University

11:20 → 11:55 Gravitational Waves: Jolien Creighton, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

By the end of the decade it is likely that gravitational waves will have been detected by two kinds of experimental efforts: ground based detectors using laser interferometers, and radio pulsar timing experiments. I will discuss what astronomers may hope to learn about the universe during the first years of gravitational-wave observations.

11:55 → 12:30 Origin and Acceleration of High Energy Cosmic Rays: Guenter Sigl, Universitat Hamburg / DESY

Cosmic rays have been observed up to several 10^20 eV through the showers of secondary particles they induce in the atmosphere. Their existence poses formidable challenges and exciting prospects at the same time: Their origin and sources have not been identified yet, but they already allow to test physics at center of mass energies unattained in the laboratory, albeit in a rather indirect way. We will give an overview over possible sources and acceleration mechanisms, open questions, and future prospects, including the role of secondary gamma-rays and neutrinos produced in interactions of charged primary cosmic rays.
Possible origins of the two tentative extraterrestrial neutrino detections
by IceCube will also briefly be discussed in this context.

slides Origin_Acceleration_HE_CR.pdf

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:30 Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics I: Teppei Katori / Zelimir Djurcic, convenors

14:00 Results from MINOS and the status of MINOS+

MINOS is a long-baseline accelerator neutrino oscillation experiment that is designed to precisely measure the neutrino mixing parameters that are associated with the atmospheric mass-squared splitting. MINOS has currently completed data taking in its nominal beam configuration, and the results from that final data sample will be presented. In addition, MINOS will transition to the MINOS+ experiment and will begin taking data in a higher energy beam configuration that will allow the experiment to probe phenomena that is not accessible in the lower energy mode. The future plans of the MINOS+ experiment will be presented.

Speaker: Gregory Pawloski (University of Minnesota)

14:25 Results from the T2K long baseline neutrino experiment

Recent measurements of a non-zero $\theta_{13}$ are very exciting, since the results provide an opportunity to study CP violation with neutrinos. One of these results comes from the Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) long-baseline neutrino-oscillation experiment. The experiment is designed to search for $\nu_e$ appearance ($\theta_{13}$) and to precisely measure $\nu_{\mu}$ disappearance ($\Delta m^2_{23}$, $\theta_{23}$) by sampling an off-axis, high purity, muon neutrino beam. The neutrinos are detected 295km from production by the Super Kamiokande (SK) detector. A near detector 280m from the production target measures the unoscillated beam to improve the precision of the oscillation measurements. In this talk I will present up to date physics results from T2K, focusing on the $\nu_e$ appearance and $\nu_{\mu}$ disappearance measurements.

Speaker: Mr Casey Bojechko (University of Victoria)

Slides IPA_bojechko_v4.pdf

14:50 The Status of the NOvA Experiment

NOvA, which is under commissioning, is an accelerator neutrino oscillation experiment which has a great potential to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy, and to probe the CP-violation phase in lepton sector with 1) 700 kW beam, 2) 14 mrad off the beam axis, 3) 810 km baseline. The Near Detector On the Surface (NDOS) has been running from 2010, and taking both NuMI and Booster beam data. The 2.5 kt of far detector has been filled with scintillator. This talk will give an overview of the current status of the NO$\nu$A experiment.

Speaker: Dr Xinchun Tian (University of South Carolina)

Slides IPA_Tian.pdf

15:10 Neutrino Measurements in the Making

There are a number of options utilizing the NuMI neutrino beam which are being looked at, which can provide information on deltaCP and even the mass hierarchy, in the next decade. CHIPS (WC) and GLADE (LAr) and also LAr MC benchmarking experiment LAriat could be placed in the NuMI beam.

Speaker: Jenny Thomas (University College of London)

14:00 → 15:30 Cosmic-Ray Theory / Experiments I: Doug Bergman, convenor

14:00 UHE photons, neutrinos, and hadrons at the Pierre Auger Observatory: Current status and prospects for the future

The status of searches for UHE photons and neutrinos at the Pierre Auger Observatory will be presented. Current limits will be compared to both models and other measurements. Evidence of the composition of the highest energy cosmic rays will be presented, and implications for photons and neutrino searches will be discussed. Plans for an upgrade of the Observatory to improve composition sensitivity will be presented, and prospects for improved photon and neutrino limits discussed.

Speaker: Prof. David Nitz (Michigan Technological University)

Slides nitz_auger.pdf

14:25 Results from the Telescope Array Experiment

The Telescope Array (TA) is the largest experiment in the northern hemisphere studying ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. It is located in Utah, USA, and has been collecting data since 2008. Results will be presented on the spectrum of cosmic rays, their composition, searches for gamma ray and neutrino primaries, and searches for anisotropy in their arrival directions. In addition, new projects being undertaken by the TA collaboration will be described.

Speakers: Prof. Gordon Thomson (University of Utah) , Prof. Pierre Sokolsky (University of Utah)

14:50 TARA: Radar Detection of UHECR Air Showers

While the possibility of detecting the radar echoes of extensive air showers (EAS) has been discussed since the 1940's, there has been no conclusive evidence for RF scattering from EAS ionization columns to date. The Telescope Array Radar (TARA) project is by far the most ambitious effort ever undertaken to confirm the existence of this phenomenon. TARA employs two 20 kilowatt VHF television transmitters in concert with a high-gain phased Yagi array, to direct a 54.1 MHz, 8 Megawatt ERP sounding signal over the Northern Hemisphere's largest conventional cosmic ray observatory. Receiver stations located adjacent to the observatory sample the RF environment at 250 Megasamples per second, and employ smart triggering algorithms to record candidate air shower echoes. These candidates are then time-matched with air shower events detected by conventional means. If RF scattering by UHECR air showers is confirmed, the potential new remote sensing technique could have a major impact on the field of cosmic ray research.

Speaker: Prof. John Belz (University of Utah)

15:10 Cosmic Rays of Extreme Energies

After a century of observations, the origin of cosmic rays is still a mystery. At the highest energies, sources should be among the most powerful extragalactic sources and primaries should point back to their sources. Extremely energetic cosmic rays (EECRs) reach interaction energies orders of magnitude beyond the LHC and probe the frontiers of particle physics. Possible explanations for their origin have narrowed down with the confirmation of a GZK-like spectral feature. Hints of anisotropies in the distribution of arrival directions raise hopes for observing source images, however, composition measurements reported by Auger suggest a surprising interpretation. A clear resolution of this mystery calls for much larger statistics at extremely high energies than the reach of current observatories. An additional five orders of magnitude in exposure can be achieved in a future space program. The first step is the JEM–EUSO observatory (Extreme Universe Space Observatory at the Japanese Experiment Module) which is a fluorescence telescope at the International Space Station that can increase the exposure to EECRs by one order of magnitude over the next decade

Speaker: Prof. Angela Olinto (The University of Chicago)

Slides Olinto_IPA13.pdf

14:00 → 15:30 Dark Matter Theory / Experiments I: Carsten Rott, convenor

14:00 Indirect Searches for Dark Matter with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

There is overwhelming evidence that non-baryonic dark matter constitutes ~27% of the energy density of the universe. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are promising dark matter candidates that may produce gamma rays via annihilation or decay detectable by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi LAT). A detection of WIMPs would also indicate the existence of physics beyond the Standard Model. I will present recent results from indirect WIMP searches by the Fermi LAT Collaboration. I will focus on our recent search for gamma-ray spectral lines from WIMP annihilations with 3.7 years of data. There has been recent excitement with the report of a line-like feature localized in the Galactic center around 130 GeV. I will be discussing what our search finds and some of the systematic checks we've performed on potential signals.

Speaker: Andrea Albert (The Ohio State University / CCAPP)

Slides aalbert_IPA_v3.pdf

14:18 An Indirect Detection Source Comparison Case Study: The Galactic Center and The Fornax Galaxy Cluster

It is likely that observation of dark matter annihilation radiation will be made from the source that provides the largest signal to noise ratio. It is desirable, however, that dark matter annihilation radiation be seen from multiple sources. Not only would it provide independent verification of the phenomenon, but it would break degeneracies in uncertainties inherent with calculations of the signal predictions. This talk presents a case study that compares the annihilation from the center of our galaxy to the signal from the Fornax cluster of galaxies. X-ray observations of Fornax are shown to constrain its halo profile. The IceCube experiment may use its galactic center analysis methods to also search for dark matter annihilation from the Fornax cluster.

Speaker: Sheldon Campbell (The Ohio State University)

Slides IPA2013.pptx

14:36 Latest Results on Searches for Dark Matter from IceCube

The cubic-kilometer sized IceCube neutrino observatory, constructed in the glacial ice at the South Pole, offers new opportunities for neutrino physics with its in-fill array "DeepCore". IceCube searches indirectly for dark matter via neutrinos from dark matter self-annihilations and has a high discovery potential through striking signatures. We report on the latest results from searches for dark matter self-annihilations in the Milky Way and signals from the Sun. The latter are sensitive to the WIMP-proton scattering cross section, which initiates the WIMP capture process in the Sun. The latest limits from a search with the 79-string configuration of IceCube for WIMP masses in the range 20–5000 GeV are the most stringent spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section limits to date above 35 GeV for most WIMP models.

Speaker: Mr Matthias Danninger (Stockholm University)

Slides IPA_DM.pdf

14:54 Positrons from dark matter in light of recent developments

The presence of an anomalous cosmic-ray positron component at energies coinciding with the favored mass range of dark matter candidates has spurred great interest in the past several years. After surveying current experimental results, we will address the prospects for a dark matter connection, and what channels may remain viable, in the context of recent observational and theoretical cosmic-ray positron findings.

Speaker: Dr Matt Kistler (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Slides Kistler_WIPAC2013.pdf

15:12 Prospects for Discovery of DM Annihilation to Primary Neutrinos with IceCube

We present sensitivity limits for discovery of dark matter at IceCube/DeepCore from annihilation of solar WIMPs into primary neutrinos. This analysis is motivated by the dominance of prompt neutrino final states in some classes of models beyond the neutralino dark matter. Moreover, solar WIMPs provide the only probe for indirect detection of such models for annihilation rates equal to or below the nominal thermal freeze-out value of 3e−26 cm^3/s, which yield a negligible neutrino signal from galactic annihilation of dark matter. Taking detector considerations into account, we use optimal energy and angular cuts to find the sensitivity limits for the ν, τ, and W final states. We use the latter as a benchmark for comparison with the published limits by the IceCube collaboration, and find reasonable agreement. We also show that for 100 GeV – 1 TeV WIMP mass, primary neutrinos and their flavors may be distinguished at a statistically significant level with many years of data from IceCube/DeepCore.

Speaker: Bradley Knockel (University of New Mexico)

Slides knockel13_PromptSolarNeutrinos.pdf

14:00 → 15:30 Non-Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics I: Lisa Kaufman / Wei Wang, co-convenors

14:00 Neutrino-less double beta decay with EXO-200 and nEXO

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) is an experimental program, which aims to perform the most sensitive search for neutrinoless double beta decay using 136Xe. Such a search can shed light on the Majorana nature of the neutrino (whether the neutrino is its own anti-particle), the absolute mass scale of neutrinos, and beyond standard model processes that violate lepton number conservation. The first phase of the experiment, EXO-200, uses 200 kg of xenon with 80% enrichment in 136Xe in a single-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC). The double beta decay of xenon is detected in the ultra-low background TPC by collecting both the scintillation light and the ionization charge. The detector has been taking low background physics data with enriched xenon at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico since early May 2011. The collaboration has produced two high impact physics results, the first observation of two-neutrino double beta decay of 136Xe and a neutrinoless double beta decay search result that places one of the most stringent limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass. Building on the success of EXO-200, the collaboration is performing feasibility studies and R&D work for a future multi-tonne scale experiment named nEXO. During the talk, I will discuss the latest results from EXO-200 and prospects of neutrinoless double beta decay search with both EXO-200 and nEXO.

Speaker: Mr andrea pocar (umass amherst)

14:20 CUORE neutrinoless double beta decay experiment

Neutrinoless double beta decay, a rare nuclear process, if found, would confirm the Majorana nature of neutrinos. Successful observation of neutrinoless double beta decay would require a detector with substantial amount of candidate isotope, as well as excellent energy resolution and extremely low background. The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment aims at addressing all these challenges with low temperature bolometers. CUORE is currently being constructed underground at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It packs 988 TeO2 crystals of 5x5x5 cm3 each, totaling 741 kg of detection mass, of which the candidate isotope Te-130 is 204 kg. The whole detector will be cooled down to a base temperature of 10 mK and the particle interaction signal will be read out from temperature rise of each crystal due to energy release. The first tower, CUORE-0, is currently taking data. I'll give an introduction to the CUORE experiment and update on its current status.

Speaker: Dr Yuan Mei (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

14:40 Status of the GERDA Experiment

The GERDA experiment is designed to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of Ge-76, using an array of isotopically enriched high-purity germanium detectors, suspended in a liquid argon cryostat. Detection of the neutrinoless double-beta decay can potentially answer the question of the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrino and give access to the absolute neutrino mass scale. Phase-I of the experiment, started in November 2011, has reached a background index of 2x10^−2 cts/(keV kg yr) in the region of interest around 2039 keV. Phase-I data taking is now almost complete. For Phase-II, the detector array will soon be upgraded new detector technology, adding an additional detector mass of 20 kg, and an active background veto based on detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. We present the current status and recent results of the experiment, as well as our plans for the Phase-II upgrade in 2013.

Speaker: Dr Oliver Schulz (MPI für Physics, Munich)

Slides ipa2012-oschulz-gerda.pdf

15:00 The NEXT way to neutrinoless double beta decay

NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) is aimed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay with a high pressure xenon TPC. It is being built in the Underground Laboratory of Canfranc, in the Spanish Pyrenees and it is going to start commissioning in late 2013- beginning of 2014, after a successful R&D period developed with prototypes. NEXT-100 is an electroluminescent, asymmetric TPC which is going to host 100 kg of the Xe-136 isotope at 15 bar of pressure. Its original concept consists of the use of electroluminescence as an amplification mean and two separated-function capabilities for energy measurement and tracking. On one side, a sparse array of photomultipliers records both the primary scintillation signal, which gives the starting time of the event, and the total deposited energy, while, on the other side, a dense grid of silicon photomultipliers provides the reconstruction of the position. Being able of reconstructing the position is doubly useful: one hand, it allows the correction of the energy of the event, which is distortioned according to the position, and on the other hand it provides an extra handle for background rejection, since the topology is different for the signal and the principal backgrounds. The two NEXT protoypes currently running have already demonstrated an energy resolution that extrapolates to 0.5-0.8% FWHM at the Qbb energy. Also, a a background count lower than 8 x 10^-4 c/(kg*keV*yr) is estimated for NEXT-100, according to the tracking capability and the radiopurity measurements of the materials being used for the NEXT-100 construction. These two factors place NEXT among the most promising experiment in the field. The purpose of this talk is to explain the operation of the NEXT-100 detector and the physics potential of the experiment.

Speaker: Ms Paola Ferrario (IFIC - Valencia)

Slides Ferrario.pdf

15:30 → 16:00 Break

16:00 → 17:30 Cosmic-Ray Theory / Experiments II: Doug Bergman, convenor

16:00 Study of TeV-PeV cosmic-ray anisotropy with the IceCube, IceTop, and AMANDA detectors

The study of the cosmic ray anisotropy in the TeV-PeV energy range could provide clues about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays in our galaxy. The measurement of this per-mille-anisotropy requires data sets with several billion cosmic-ray events. A sample of this size has been collected over the last six years by the IceCube neutrino telescope at the south pole, which detects cosmic ray muons at a rate of about 2 kHz. In the IceCube data, we observe a significant anisotropy in the southern sky for primary energies between 20 and 400 TeV. The anisotropy has a large-scale component of per-mille strength, accompanied by localized excess and deficit regions with smaller amplitudes and typical angular sizes between $10^{\circ}$ and $20^{\circ}$. A study of the time variability of the anisotropy is performed by combining data from IceCube and its predecessor experiment, AMANDA, which operated between 2000 and 2007. Finally, A change in the shape and an increase in the amplitude of this anisotropy is observed at PeV energies by including events of IceTop, the air shower array above IceCube.

Speaker: Marcos Santander (o=uwmad,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides santander_cranisotropy_ipa2013.pdf

16:18 Cosmic Ray Physics with ARGO-YBJ

The ARGO-YBJ experiment consists of a 5700 m2 single layer of Resistive Plate Chambers situated at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory, Tibet (P.R. of China), 4300 meters a.s.l. A partially instrumented guard ring (1700 m2) around the central zone extends the instrumented area up to 11000 m2. The experiment is sensitive to extensive air showers initiated by primaries in the 10^9-10^15 eV energy range. A review of the most important results obtained in gamma- and cosmic-ray physics will be given, focusing on the new information that they give on the galaxy and the solar system.

Speaker: Dr Roberto Iuppa (University & INFN of Rome Tor Vergata)

Slides iuppa_IPA_2013.pdf

16:36 Sensitivity of Auger and JEM-EUSO to Ensemble Fluctuations in the Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray Flux

The flux and nuclear composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays depend on the cosmic distribution of their sources. Data from cosmic ray observatories are yet inconclusive about their exact location or distribution, but provide a measure for the average local density of these emitters. Due to the discreteness of the emitters the flux and nuclear composition is expected to show ensemble fluctuations on top of the statistical variations, i.e. “cosmic variance." This effect is strongest for the most energetic cosmic rays due to the limited propagation distance in the cosmic radiation background and is hence a local phenomenon. For the statistical analysis of cosmic ray emission models it is important to quantify the possible level of this variance. In this work we study the sensitivity of the Pierre Auger Observatory and the JEM-EUSO space mission to ensemble fluctuations on the assumption of uniform distribution of sources, with local source density $\sim 10^{-5}~{\rm Mpc}^{-3}$. We show that if the Auger experimental performance is in line with design expectations, then after 15 years of data collection (i.e. by 2020) the experiment will attain sensitivity to observe spectral fluctuations in the cosmic ray energy spectrum at Earth relative to the overall power-law fit if the nearest source(s) are at 3 Mpc. We also show that with data taken until 2025 the Auger experiment will become sensitive to ensemble fluctuations if the nearest sources are 10 Mpc away. Finally, we demonstrate that in only one year of observation JEM-EUSO will be able to probe ensemble fluctuations if the nearest sources are at 3 Mpc, and that after 3 years orbiting the Earth this pathfinder mission will become sensitive to ensemble fluctuations if the nearest sources are 10 Mpc away. The study of spectral fluctuations from the local source distributions are complementary but independent of on-going cosmic ray anisotropy studies.

Speaker: Dr Paul Thomas (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Northeastern University)

Slides paul-ipa.pdf

16:54 Deflections of UHECRs from Cen A in the Galactic magnetic field

The Galactic magnetic deflection of cosmic rays from a source strongly depends on the Galactic magnetic field (GMF) model. We use the recent GMF model of Jansson and Farrar (JF12), a 35-parameter model which includes coherent, striated and random components and is constrained by WMAP synchrotron maps and all available extragalactic rotation measures. Here, we present the results of propagating ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) from Centaurus A, to characterize their arrival-direction locus and determine whether Cen A can be a significant source of the UHECR excess reported by the Pierre Auger Observatory within 18 degrees of Cen A. Simulations are done for rigidities E/Z = 64 EV down to 2 EV, thus covering the possibility of compositions as heavy as Fe for the published UHECR events.

Speaker: Azadeh Keivani (Louisiana State University)

Slides Keivani.pdf

17:12 Newborn pulsars as ultrahigh energy cosmic accelerators

Particles can be accelerated to above 10**19 eV by newborn pulsars with spin period less than 10 millisecond. These cosmic rays travel through the dense stellar remnant surrounding the pulsar, and then reach the earth. With the appropriate injection composition, ultrahigh energy cosmic rays from extragalactic pulsars can fit both the energy spectrum and composition (Xmax and RMS-Xmax) measured by the Auger Observatory. Meanwhile, cosmic rays from pulsar population inside the Milky Way peak between 10**16 and 10**18 eV, depending on Galactic diffusion models. This component can bridge the gap between predicted contribution from other Galactic sources and the observed spectrum and composition just below the ankle. The propagated cosmic rays are accompanied with neutrino messengers, which originate from interactions between cosmic rays and the ambiance. The neutrino emissivity is dependent on the source evolution models, the chemical composition of primary cosmic rays, and space distribution of the sources. A fast spinning pulsar born in the Local Group will be detectable by current neutrino detectors like IceCube. Finally, about 0.5% of the cosmological pulsar population contribute to neutrinos above a PeV.

Speaker: Ke Fang (University of Chicago)

Slides IPA13-Fang.pdf

16:00 → 17:30 Dark Matter Theory / Experiments II: Carsten Rott, convenor

16:00 COUPP

COUPP is a program to directly detect Dark Matter with bubble chambers.

Speaker: Dr Russell Neilson (University of Chicago)

Slides COUPP_IPA2013.pdf

16:18 DAMIC results and its current status

DAMIC (Dark Matter in CCDs) is a dark matter search experiment running in SNOLAB, Canada. Results of the first run of DAMIC at SNOLAB will be discussed, with particular emphasis on its demonstrated sub-keVr threshold and characterization of the measured radioactive backgrounds. Comparisons to a MCNP-based detector simulation will be presented. These results suggest that a 100 g version of DAMIC at SNOLAB, with its low-threshold, event characterization and in-situ measurement of radioactive backgrounds, is well-suited to probe the low mass WIMP region of the potential CDMS-Si and CoGeNT signals.

Speaker: Ms Jing Zhou (The University of Chicago)

Slides DAMIC_results_and_its_current_status.pdf

16:36 The DRIFT Dark Matter Search

The Directional Recoil Identification From Tracks (DRIFT) detector is a 1 m^3 scale negative ion TPC operating in the Boulby Mine in England. We present current limits from DRIFT and provide a brief update on background reduction efforts. A new DRIFT-II detector being constructed will demonstrate these background reduction ideas and show engineering feasibility towards scale up of a new DRIFT-III detector. Plans for this scaled up detector will also be presented. Dinesh Loomba, on behalf of the DRIFT Collaboration

Speaker: Dinesh Loomba (UNM)

16:54 Operation and First Data of DM-Ice17 at the South Pole

DM-Ice17 is a set of two NaI(Tl) detectors with a combined mass of 17 kg located at a depth of 2450 m in the Antarctic ice at the South Pole. In this experiment the signature for WIMP dark matter is an annual modulation in the nuclear recoil signal events. DM-Ice17 is a prototype detector for a first direct search for dark matter in the Southern Hemisphere. Seasonal effects have a reversed phase relative to the Northern Hemisphere and together provide a complimentary understanding of those systematics. Furthermore, the South Pole ice provides an extremely stable environment year around. In this talk we present data from the operation of the DM-Ice17 experiment since January 2011 and discuss the stability, performance, and expected WIMP sensitivity.

Speaker: Matt Kauer (UW Madison)

Slides 13.05.13_IPA_mkauer.pdf 13.05.13_IPA_mkauer.pptx

17:12 The XENON100 experiment

XENON100 is a dual-phase (liquid-gas) time projection chamber (TPC) containing a total of 161 kg of LXe with a 62 kg WIMP target mass, built with radiopure materials to achieve an ultra-low electro- magnetic background and operated at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. 224.6 live days of data acquired during 2011 and 2012 have resulted in the most stringent limits on the spin-independent elastic WIMP-nucleon cross sections for WIMP masses above 8 GeV/c2. The same data also have resulted the most stringent limits on the spin-depedent WIMP-neutron cross sections above 6GeV/c2. The experiment and its latest dark matter search results will be presented in this talk.

Speaker: Ms Kyungeun Lim (UW-Madison)

Slides ipa_130513-reduced.pdf

16:00 → 17:30 Neutrino Astrophysics I: Marcus Ahlers, convenor

16:00 Neutrino Physics @ Auger

The observation of ultrahigh energy (UHE) neutrinos has become a priority in experimental astroparticle physics. UHE neutrinos can be detected with a variety of techniques. In particular, neutrinos can interact in the atmosphere (downward-going neutrinos) or in the Earth crust (Earth-skimming neutrinos), producing air showers that can be observed with arrays of detectors at the ground. With the Surface Detector Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect these types of cascades. The distinguishing signature for neutrino events is the presence of very inclined showers produced close to the ground (i.e. after having traversed a large amount of atmosphere). In this work we review the procedure and criteria established to search for UHE neutrinos in the data collected with the ground array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This includes Earth-skimming as well as downward-going neutrinos. No neutrino candidates have been found, which allows us to place competitive limits to the diffuse flux of UHE neutrinos in the EeV range and above.

Speaker: Prof. Luis Anchordoqui (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee)

16:15 Results from the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

We present the most recent results produced by the ANTARES Collaboration, which operates a 0.1 km3 scale Neutrino Telescope installed at depth in the Mediterranean Sea. The instrument consists in 885 photo-multiplier tubes arranged in a 3d-array of 12 lines and is optimized for up-going neutrino detection, having full coverage of our Galaxy centre. The results include limits from searches for steady and transient sources of neutrinos as well as from searches for a diffuse neutrino flux and for neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun, which have been conducted using several years of data. In addition, particle physics analysis done in ANTARES will be discussed.

Speaker: Mr Juan Pablo Gomez Gonzalez (IFIC (CSIC-UV))

Slides JPGomez_ANTARES_results.pptx

16:30 KM3NeT: The next generation neutrino telescope

KM3NeT is the future multi-km3 size neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The primary aim is the detection of cosmic high-energy neutrinos. Following the completion of the EU funded Design Study and Preparatory Phase Study, and the acquisition of substantial funds, the first phase of KM3NeT was launched early 2013. Its geographical location, angular resolution and size make KM3NeT an ideal instrument to observe neutrinos from Galactic sources. In my talk, I will present the status and future prospects of the KM3NeT project with emphasis on the discovery potential of point-like neutrino sources. Furthermore, the prospects for measuring the neutrino mass hierarchy using the same technology but a different detector layout are discussed.

Speaker: Alexander Kappes (o=humboldt,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides km3net.pdf

16:45 The Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) neutrino observatory

The Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) is a new >100 gigaton-scale ultra-high energy neutrino detector being built in the deep radio-transparent ice near the South Pole. The first three ARA stations (out of 37 planned) are operational. The primary science goals of the experiment are a discovery measurement of the cosmogenic neutrinos, and an exploration of the neutrino spectrum above current measured energies with good sensitivity to model predictions. We report on the science, design, and preliminary results from this experimental effort along with prospects for the completion of the detector construction.

Speaker: Michael DuVernois (University of Wisconsin--Madison)

Slides ipa_ara.pdf

17:00 Performance of the ARIANNA Neutrino Telescope

The ARIANNA experiment currently has four detector stations installed in the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica. These stations make use of low noise, low power and inexpensive radio detection technology to measure the intense radio pulse emitted by neutrino-induced charged particle showers in ice. Each station operates autonomously, drawing power from solar panels, a wind turbine and lithium batteries. A station uses around 7 Watts while collecting data, and as little as 1 Watt while in a low power, diagnostic monitoring state. Data is stored locally on non-volatile memory cards and is shipped north upon request using wireless Internet and satellite modem peripherals. The performance of these stations will be discussed. First results from the in situ data will be presented, including studies of the angular resolution of the detector. The effectiveness of the Ross Ice Shelf for neutrino astronomy and as a radio quiet environment will be also explored.

Speaker: Dr Corey Reed (UC Irvine)

17:15 Towards a Megaton MeV Neutrino Detector

The observation of neutrinos from SN1987A has spawned hundreds of publications, underlining the importance that SNe and neutrinos play in cosmology, astrophysics and particle physics. Routine observation of supernova neutrinos would allow to address a multitude of phenomena such as the overall SN rate, the intrinsic mechanism of SNe or the absolute neutrino masses as well as allow to early trigger follow-up observations by other instruments. Alas, current neutrino detectors fall short of the required effective volume of several megatons at MeV energies to reach beyond our own galaxy, limiting the expectation for observing a neutrino burst from a SN to once every few decades. I will discuss a possible hyper-dense extension of the IceCube detector at the South Pole, that allows to observe neutrinos from SNe at a rate of more than once per year, given that large-area photosensors with sufficiently low self-noise rates are available. I will present a first study for such a sensor based on wavelength shifters with promising results.

Speaker: Sebastian Böser (Universität Bonn)

Slides 20130513IPAMadison.pdf

16:00 → 17:30 Non-Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics II: Wei Wang / Lisa Kaufman, co-convenors

16:00 NEXT-DEMO prototype results

The NEXT-100 time projection chamber, currently under construction, will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ0ν) using 100–150 kg of high-pressure xenon gas enriched in the 136Xe isotope to ∼90%. The detector possesses two important features for ββ0ν searches: very good energy resolution (better than 1% FWHM at the Q value of 136Xe) and event topological information for the distinction between signal and background. Furthermore, the technique can be extrapolated to the ton-scale, thus allowing the full exploration of the inverted hierarchy of neutrino masses. NEXT-DEMO prototype has been operating for 2 years and it has evolved according the collaboration necessities. Nowadays it is operating with the same configuration that will be used for NEXT-100: charge amplification with electroluminescence, energy measurement with PMTs and topology reconstruction with SiPMs. First results shows that energy resolution of 0.8% FWHM at Qββ is achieved. The very prelimirary topology reconstructions of Cs137 events shows clearly identification of regions with very different energy deposition along the track allowing the identification of the end-point of the event.

Speaker: Mr Francesc Monrabal (IFIC)

Slides FMonrabal_long_Madison.key

16:40 Solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos and search for sterile neutrinos with Borexino

The Borexino is a an excellent and well understood detector for both low energy sub-MeV neutrinos (as proven by the solar neutrino results) and anti-neutrinos. The European Community has recently approved a project for the construction of a neutrino or an anti-neutrino source which will allow to confirm or unambiguously reject the long standing neutrino anomalies suggested by the LSND experiments, by solar neutrino Gallium experiments and by reactors experiments. The talk will outline the project and discuss the sensitivity of three different phases of the experiment. Recent solar neutrinos and geo-neutrino results will be reported too.

Speaker: David Bravo (Virginia Tech)

Slides 2013_IPA_Madison-David.BravoBerguno-slides.pdf

17:00 Neutrino Oscillations with DeepCore and PINGU

The IceCube neutrino telescope was augmented with the DeepCore infill array, completed in the 2010/11 austral summer, to enhance its response to neutrinos at energies below 100 GeV. At these energies, neutrino oscillation effects are visible in the flux of atmospheric neutrinos traversing path lengths comparable to the Earth's diameter. Results of the first observations of muon neutrino disappearance with data from DeepCore will be presented, and the potential for future measurements of the oscillation parameters, potentially including observation of tau neutrino appearance, will be discussed. In addition, plans for PINGU, a further upgrade of IceCube aiming to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy, will be described.

Speaker: Prof. Ty DeYoung (o=psu,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides IPA_Oscillations.pdf

18:30 → 20:30 Banquet - Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 330 N. Orchard Street, Madison 53706

Tuesday, 14 May

08:00 → 08:55 Registration: & Information 8:00 to 15:00

08:55 → 09:00 Plenary Session 3 - chaired by Mary Hall Reno, University of Iowa

09:00 → 09:35 LHC Lights the Way: The Higgs and Beyond: Tao Han, University of Pittsburgh

slides Han-IPA13.pdf

09:35 → 10:10 Results from Fermi: Keith Bechtol, KICP, University of Chicago

09:35 Selected Fermi-LAT Results from the Past Year

Selected Fermi-LAT Results from the Past Year

Speaker: Keith Bechtol (KICP, University of Chicago)

Slides bechtol_fermi_WIPAC_2013_v3.pdf

10:10 → 10:45 TeV Gamma-Ray Astronomy: Trevor Weekes, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

10:10 Overview and History of TeV Gamma Ray Astronomy

More than fifty years ago simple experiments aimed at the detection of TeV gamma rays were attempted in the hope of finding the origin os the cosmic radiation. These efforts were partially motivated by the hope that they might prove to be also sources of neutrinos which would establish the progenitor particles as hadrons. The detection of more than 150 sources of TeV gamma-ray sources has been established in the last decade as the relatively simple early experiments have been replaced by sophisticated telescopes. A wide variety of sources categories have been established including supernovae remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, pulsars, binaries, blazars, starburst galaxies and radio galaxies. The nature of the progenitors in many of these sources is ambiguous and many of them can be explained with simple Compton-synchrotron models.

Speaker: trevor weekes (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

10:45 → 11:10 Break

11:10 → 11:15 Plenary Session 4 - chaired by David Nitz, Michigan Technological University

11:15 → 11:50 First Light in HAWC: Jordan Goodman, University of Maryland

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma Ray Observatory (HAWC) is a wide-field gamma-ray detector under construction at an elevation of 4100 meters above sea level in Mexico. HAWC will be sensitive to gamma rays with energies between 100 GeV and 100 TeV and have sensitivity more than an order-of-magnitude greater than its predecessor Milagro. HAWC consists of 300 large detectors each containing ~200,000 liters of clean water and four photomultiplier tubes. HAWC’s modular design means that even though the detector construction will not be completed until the end of 2014, we are already taking data with HAWC-30 and will begin detector operations in August of this year with HAWC-100. In this talk I will describe HAWC’s design, sensitivity and construction progress. I will also show initial results from HAWC-30.

11:15 First Light in HAWC

Speaker: Prof. Jordan Goodman (o=umd,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides IPA_talk.pdf

11:50 → 12:25 CTA and the Future of High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy: Brian Humensky, Columbia University

11:50 CTA and the Future....

Speaker: Brian Humensky (Columbia University)

Slides Humensky_CTA_GammaFuture_IPA2013_v2.pdf

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:30 Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics II: Teppei Katori / Zelimir Djurcic

14:00 Status and Outlook for LBNE

The LBNE long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment has been proposed as a major program in beam neutrino and non-accelerator physics that will explore neutrino flavor mixing and CP violation, nucleon decay, and supernova neutrino bursts, with sensitivities beyond those of experiments currently in operation or under construction. Characterizing its key features, LBNE can be described as (1) a very large liquid argon TPC far detector, sited in (2) a laboratory deep underground in the Homestake Mine, providing (3) a nearly optimal baseline for oscillation physics for (4) a new 2.3-MW capable beam line located at Fermilab along with (5) a fully outfitted near detector complex. I will report on the status and outlook for LBNE, including technical progress, project planning, and the current understanding of physics sensitivities.

Speaker: Jon Urheim (Indiana University)

Slides IPAS_urheim_2013.pptx

14:25 Neutrino Physics Results at MINERvA

MINERvA (Main INjector ExpeRiment v-A) is a few-GeV neutrino-nucleus scattering experiment using the high intensity NuMI beam line at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The MINERvA detector is a fine-grained scintillator tracking detector capable of making precision measurements of low-energy neutrino and anti-neutrino interactions. The experiment was designed to help provide insight into neutrino and anti-neutrino cross sections, important in neutrino oscillation experiments and the probing of the nuclear medium. We present the results of the charged current quasi-elastic and inclusive pion production analyses.

Speaker: Dr Carrie McGivern (University of Pittsburgh)

Slides McGivern_IPA2013.pdf

14:45 Searching for Sterile Neutrinos and CP Violation: The IsoDAR and Daedalus Experiments

The IsoDAR experiment uses a novel isotope decay-at-rest (DAR) source of electron antineutrinos using protons from a 60 MeV cyclotron. Paired with KamLAND, the experiment can observe over 800 thousand inverse beta-decay events in five years and do a decisive test of the current hints for sterile neutrino. Daedalus is a phased program leading to a high-sensitivity search for CP violation. The experiment uses a set of high-intensity 800 MeV cyclotrons to produce pion DAR neutrino sources at several locations (1.5km, 8km, and 20km) going to a single ultra-large, underground detector with free protons. The Daedalus experiment will provide a high-statistics antineutrino data set with no matter effects that can be combined with long-baseline data sets to provide enhanced sensitivity to CP violation and matter effects.

Speaker: Michael Shaevitz (Columbia University)

Slides IPA_Conf_2013_Shaevitz.pdf

14:00 → 15:30 High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astrophysics I: John Pretz, convenor

14:00 The Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Sky with VERITAS

The VERITAS observatory has now been operating for 5 years very successfully with >40 source detections in the TeV regime. A recent upgrade with high quantum efficiency photo detectors and a new camera trigger system sets the stage for the next phase of VERITAS. Key goals are to probe fundamental physics, including searches for dark matter annihilation signatures, to perform deep astrophysical TeV studies of the northern sky with unprecedented sensitivity and to expand the distance range of extragalactic TeV sources. In this talk, I will discuss recent results from extragalactic TeV sources with a focus on blazars. These observations constrain the physics of relativistic jets, the origin of cosmic rays, the extragalactic background light and the magnetic field energy density in extragalactic space.

Speaker: Mr Jonathan Dumm (UW-Madison)

14:25 High-Energy Gamma-Ray Bursts with Fermi

After more than four years of science operation, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has detected more than 35 Gamma-Ray Bursts above 100 MeV. Fermi-LAT has provided a unique new dataset of high energy observations of Gamma-ray Bursts, which has led to many recent theoretical advancements and challenges. I will present an overview of the first 4 years of observations with particular emphasis on the new features that are common in the temporal and spectral behavior of gamma-ray burst with high energy emission. In this talk, I will compare our results with the prediction of the standard fireball model and I will also highlight the difficulties of describing the prompt emission spectra with a simple Band model.

Speaker: Dr Nicola Omodei (Stanford University/KIPAC)

14:50 Galactic Sources in the Fermi Large Area Telescope

In the past four years the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has detected a variety of Galactic sources of high energy gamma rays. Many of these source types were established or anticipated as gamma-ray emitters before the launch of Fermi, such as pulsars and their wind nebulae, supernova remnants, and high mass X-ray binaries. In these sources the LAT is revealing spectral details and for some sources resolving spatial features that clarify the origin of the gamma rays. As the LAT catalog grows, population studies provide further insight into the mechanisms and conditions giving rise to high energy emission. The LAT has also discovered new phenomena, including several Galactic novae, which were not generally expected to emit GeV gamma rays. Both the AGILE observatory and LAT have also observed surprising and extreme variability in the Crab nebula, formerly thought to be steady enough for use in calibrations. I will present the current LAT view of the Galaxy, focusing in particular on results relevant to studying particle content and acceleration in these regions.

Speaker: Elizabeth Hays (NASA GSFC)

14:00 → 15:30 Neutrino Astrophysics II: Markus Ahlers, convenor

14:00 Observation of Very High Energy Neutrinos in IceCube

Observing astrophysical neutrinos provides a unique insight into the acceleration mechanism of cosmic ray sources: neutrinos can only be produced in hadronic interactions and are neither absorbed nor deflected, thus pointing back to their source. The talk will cover hints for an excess of neutrinos above the atmospheric spectrum seen in recent IceCube analyses and discuss the observation of two neutrinos at an energy of about 1 PeV, above the expectation from atmospheric neutrino fluxes. A dedicated all-flavor all-sky search for similar neutrinos at lower energies, down to approximately 100 TeV, will be presented. Using a veto technique selecting for starting tracks and cascade-like events, this analysis is able to suppress the downgoing atmospheric neutrino and muon background, making it possible to lower the energy threshold for the southern sky more than an order of magnitude to below 100 TeV. Assuming the two observed PeV events are from an astrophysical flux, up to several dozen more events are expected and therefore these observations should help to clarify the origin of the PeV flux.

Speaker: Claudio Kopper (o=uwmad,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Uv-glXJrc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AAEkOKLpaY
• IPA_CKopper_muon_track_animation.mp4
• IPA_CKopper_shower_animation.mp4
• IPA_CKopper_slides.pdf

14:15 Spatial Clustering Analysis of the Very High Energy Neutrinos in IceCube

Short report on the analysis of the spatial clustering of the events discussed in the previous talk.

Speaker: Naoko Kurahashi Neilson (o=uwmad,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides Neilson_IPA2013.pdf

14:30 Cosmic Neutrino Flavor Ratios with Broken ν_μ-ν_τ Symmetry

Reactor neutrino experiments have now observed a nonzero value for \theta_{13} with a significance above 10-sigma. Nonzero values for theta_13 break a ν_μ-ν_τ symmetry, which has qualitative as well as quantitative implications for the time-evolution of neutrino flavors. In particular, the large-distance flavor evolution matrix, non-invertible with ν_μ-ν_τ symmetry, becomes invertible. This means that measurements of neutrino flavor ratios at Earth can now be inverted to directly reveal the flavor ratios injected at cosmically distant sources. With the updated values of the three neutrino mixing angles, we obtain the inverted large-distance evolution matrix and use it to derive several phenomenological relations between the injection flavor ratios and the observable ratios at Earth. Taking the three popular injection models as examples, we also exhibit the shift of Earthly observed flavor ratios from the corresponding values in the case with ν_μ-ν_τ symmetry.

Speaker: Thomas J Weiler (Vanderbilt University)

14:50 High-Energy Neutrinos from Cosmic Explosions

Neutrinos play important roles in revealing mechanisms of energetic astrophysical explosions such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae (SNe). The large neutrino detector, IceCube has opened a new window of the multi-messenger astronomy. I review theoretical models of high-energy neutrino emissions from gamma-ray bursts, with implications of recent observations and future prospects. I also discuss the importance of other classes of transients such as low-luminosity GRBs and luminous SNe.

Speaker: Dr Kohta Murase (Institute for Advanced Study)

Slides IPAmurase.pdf

15:10 Atmospheric lepton fluxes at high energies

Theoretical evaluations of the high energy atmospheric neutrino and muon fluxes from cosmic ray interactions with air nuclei rely on calculations of charmed particle production and decay. Presented here is a review of approaches to charm contributions to the atmospheric lepton fluxes, including dipole models and the parton model with QCD.

Speaker: Prof. Reno, Mary Hall Reno (University of Iowa)

Slides Reno-Wisconsin2013.pdf

14:00 → 15:30 Non-Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics III: Wei Wang / Lisa Kaufman, co-convenors

14:00 Recent Reactor-Based Measurements of Theta13

Several recent experiments have measured a significant deficit in electron antineutrinos at distances of 1-2 km from nuclear reactors. In the 3-neutrino framework, this deficit is attributed to a nonzero mixing angle theta13. Three ongoing experiments, Double Chooz, RENO, and Daya Bay, continue to improve their experimental precision. I will compare these experiments, focusing on common techniques for neutrino detection, challenges in making the measurement, and recent results.

Speaker: Dr David Webber (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Slides DavidWebber_IPA_2013_v7.pdf

14:20 Status of US Short Baseline Reactor Effort

It has been demonstrated that properly optimized very-short baseline reactors experiments have the ability to definitively test the reactor antineutrino anomaly by probing reactor oscillations with baseline and position at baselines of order 5 to 10 m. This talk will outline the design of a US-based very short baseline reactor experiment and give a status report on R&D for this experimental effort.

Speaker: Mr Bryce Littlejohn (University of Cincinnati)

Slides Littlejohn_IPA_2013.pdf

15:30 → 16:00 Break

16:00 → 17:30 Accelerator-Based Neutrino Physics III: Zelimir Djurcic / Teppei Katori, co-convenors

16:00 MiniBooNE: current evidence for neutrino oscillations and a future test

The MiniBooNE experiment, located at Fermilab on the Booster Neutrino Beamline, has searched for $\nu_\mu \rightarrow \nu_e$ and $\overline{\nu}_\mu \rightarrow \overline{\nu}_e$ oscillations in the range $0.1<\Delta m^2<5.0$~ev$^2$ as indicated by results from the LSND experiment. MiniBooNE has recently completed $\overline{\nu}_{\mu}$ running after collecting $11.3 \times 10^{20}$ protons-on-target (POT). Combining those results with previously collected $\nu_\mu$ data from $6.5 \times 10^{20}$ POT yields a $3.8\sigma$ excess over background, consistent with that expected from the LSND result. A proposed followup experiment, MiniBooNE+, will test the oscillation signal hypothesis by searching for final state neutrons.

Speaker: Rex Tayloe (Indiana U.)

Slides RT_WIPAC_MB+_0513.pdf

16:25 A Future Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering Experiment at Fermilab

Low energy neutrinos (E $\lesssim$ 50~MeV) have a predicted, but unobserved, neutral-current coherent elastic scattering channel on nuclei. Coherent neutrino scattering are important in supernovae and can probe weak nuclear form factors at low $Q^2$. At these low energies, the coherent scattering cross section dominates, but it deposits very little energy and requires low detection thresholds ($\sim 30$~keV). Recent progress in direct WIMP dark matter searches has led to detector technologies capable of a first direct measurement of coherent neutrino scattering with accelerator neutrino sources. The CENNS collaboration is proposing an experiment to develop a 1-ton, single-phase, liquid argon detector to measure coherent neutrino scattering near the booster neutrino beam (BNB) at Fermilab. By placing the detector near the beam target in a far off-axis position, a flux of low energy neutrinos is produced with a similar energy spectrum as stopped pion sources. The required nearness of the detector introduces beam-correlated neutron backgrounds whose elastic scatters mimic neutrino scattering. The Indiana-built SciBath detector was recently deployed to the BNB to measure these background neutrons in a 2-month run. SciBath measured the flux of 10-200~MeV neutrons, and this measurement is an input into the design of a neutron shield for the CENNS experiment. In this talk, I will discuss the importance of coherent neutrino scattering, describe the SciBath detector, and highlight our measurement at the BNB.

Speaker: Dr Robert Cooper (Indiana University)

Slides WIPAC2013.pdf

16:45 Status of MicroBooNE

MicroBooNE is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) currently under construction at Fermilab which will begin taking data in early 2014. It will use the unique resolution of a LArTPC to resolve whether the MiniBooNE low energy excess events are electron-like or photon-like as well as explore other aspects of neutrino interactions. MicroBooNE is also an important step towards the ultimate goal of kiloton scale LAr detectors.

Speaker: Christina Ignarra (MIT)

Slides ignarra_ipa2013.pdf

17:10 Recent Results from the Fermilab MIPP Experiment and Future Nitrogen Run

We will review recent new cross-section measurements from the Fermilab MIPP experiment. This demonstrated excellent operating conductions show that the experiment's data can produce improved cross-section measurements. Future extended running plans on Liquid Nitrogen for Cosmic Ray shower development are needed to do improved Cosmic-Ray studies. Plans and needs for a special cosmic-Ray Liquid Nitrogen run are outlined.

Speaker: Prof. Nickolas Solomey (Wichita State University)

Slides IPA-solomey

16:00 → 17:30 High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astrophysics II: John Pretz, convenor

16:00 A view of the Milagro sky with VERITAS

The Milagro water Cherenkov detector surveyed the Northern Galactic plane at a mean energy of 20 TeV, resulting in the detection of the Crab Nebula, along with at least 7 other sources with angular extensions from 1 to 3.5 deg. Prospects for detecting some of these sources with IceCube has been made given that this data is reasonably well-fit with a simple hadronic model. Each of these sources covers several potential counterparts and no definitive association can be made, complicating the task of determining the mechanism(s) that produce the high energy photons. VERITAS has followed some of these sources with higher angular and spectral resolution than Milagro above 500 GeV. We will present here these results and place them in a multiwavelength context

Speaker: Dr Ester Aliu (Barnard College)

16:25 Connection Between Pulsar GeV Emission and Pulsar Wind Nebula TeV Emission.

The pulsed GeV gamma-ray emissions from pulsars appear to come from the outer-gap and polar-cap emissions, which are powered by the out flowing electron-positron wind. This electron-positron wind is also the energy source of the un-pulsed TeV emission in the pulsar wind nebulae (PWN). Therefore, a tight correlation between the pulsed GeV emission and un-pulsed TeV emission might be expected. The work we will present in this talk shows that there is no obvious correlation between TeV flux of un-pulsed emission and GeV flux of pulsed emission. Instead, a tight correlation was identified when the GeV flux and TeV flux were normalized by suitable functions of pulse period and spin-down luminosity. Interpretation of this normalization is still an open question. In this talk we will present the possible interpretations.

Speaker: Mr Anushka U Abeysekara (Michigan State University)

16:50 Spectral breaks observed in CR spectrum solves the puzzle with the knee and beyond

Rigidity dependent breaks and the hardening of the elemental spectra observed above 200 GeV provided the most important hint on the nature of the cosmic ray knee. Model independent analysis of the CR data (direct and indirect combined) shows at least 3 different populations of particles needed to describe the spectrum and composition from 200 GeV up to 200 EeV.

Speaker: Dr Serap Tilav (o=udel,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

16:00 → 17:30 Neutrino Astrophysics III - Theory: Markus Ahlers, convenor

16:00 PeV Cascades in IceCube

Recently the IceCube neutrino telescope detected two cascade events with energies around 1 PeV. Without invoking new physics in the neutrino sector, we analyze the source of these neutrinos and prescribe ways to distinguish between the various sources giving rise to these events.

Speaker: Mr Ranjan Laha (Ohio State University)

Slides Ranjan_Laha_IPA_2013.pdf

16:15 Testing Lorentz invariance in beta decays

Lorentz symmetry is a cornerstone of modern physics. As the spacetime symmetry of special relativity, Lorentz invariance is a basic component of the standard model of particle physics and general relativity, which to date constitute our most successful descriptions of nature. Deviations from exact symmetry would radically change our view of the universe and current experiments allow us to test the validity of this assumption. In this talk, I will describe how we can use current and future beta-decay experiments to search for some key signals of the violation of Lorentz invariance.

Speaker: Jorge S. Diaz (Indiana University)

16:35 PRIDE – Passive Radio Ice Depth Experiment - An Instrument to Measure Outer Planet Lunar Ice Depths from Orbit using Neutrinos

We describe a concept for an instrument to measure the thickness of the ice shell on a planetary body, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa, by making use of the Askaryan Effect RF signal from extreme high energy neutrinos. Unlike a large high powered active device, i.e., an ice-penetrating radar, this instrument is a passive receiver of a naturally occurring signal generated by interactions of deep penetrating cosmic ray neutrinos. It is therefore potentially less massive and requires less power, making it very attractive for outer planet missions. We discuss the basic concept and consider the instrument design requirements from the perspective of a NASA Outer Planet Orbiter Mission. We show results [1] of simulations, compare signal-to-noise estimates, and examine possible components and configurations for the antenna, receiver, and electronics. We note some options that can be used to reduce mass and power. Finally, we identify issues that would need further study to produce a more concrete design. [1] Miller, T., Schaefer, R.K., and Sequeira, H.B., Icarus, 220, 877-888, 2012.

Speaker: Dr Timothy Miller (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab)

16:00 → 17:30 Open

Wednesday, 15 May

08:00 → 08:55 Registration: & Information - bring your luggage here!

08:55 → 09:00 Plenary Session 5 - chaired by Mike Shaevitz, Columbia University

09:00 → 09:35 Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays: Observational Results: Paul Sommers, Penn State University

Measurements of cosmic ray air showers with energies above 10^17.5 eV have yielded significant results. There is some tension between different observations, however, and it is not possible at present to decide between different scenarios for where and how these cosmic rays are accelerated. The history and present status of the observations pose some sharp questions to be addressed by land-based and satellite detectors in the future.

09:35 → 10:10 Results from IceCube: Nathan Whitehorn, WIPAC, University of Wisconsin-Madison

09:35 Results from IceCube

Speaker: Nathan Whitehorn (o=uwmad,ou=Institutions,dc=icecube,dc=wisc,dc=edu)

Slides whitehorn-ipa.pdf

10:10 → 10:45 Neutrinos from the sun and from other sources: Stefan Schoenert, Technische Universitat Munchen

10:10 Neutrinos from the sun and from other sources

Solar neutrino spectroscopy has been one of the successful building blocks to establish neutrino flavor conversion and finite neutrino masses. I will discuss the ongoing precision measurements with neutrinos from the sun and the interior of the Earth, and the planned experiments with radioactive neutrino sources to probe the three flavor paradigm.

Speaker: Prof. Stefan Schoenert (TUM)

Slides ipa_schoenert2013.pdf

10:45 → 11:10 Break

11:10 → 11:15 Parallel Session 6 - chaired by Tom Weiler, Vanderbilt University

11:15 → 11:50 Cosmology and Neutrino Mass Constraints: Yvonne Wong, The University of New South Wales

11:50 → 12:25 Direct Dark Matter Experiments: Antonio Jesus Melgarejo Fernandez, Columbia University

12:25 → 13:00 Status of Direct Searches for Low-Mass WIMPs: Lauren Hsu, Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics

12:25 Status of Direct Searches for Low Mass WIMPs

The standard WIMP pardigm motivates us to search for relic dark matter in the form of an O(100) GeV particle. Traditional direct detection experiments have thus been designed to search for WIMPs in the mass range of several 10's to 1000's of GeV. However, in past years there have been a series of direct detection experiments reporting excess events over background at the lowest recoil energies. The most recent of these is CDMS II, which reported 3 candidate Si recoils over an expected background of ~0.5 events. Taken at face value, these results seem to be hinting at a signal from a WIMP of mass ~10 GeV. At the same time, other direct detection experiments do not see a signal consistent with these findings. Reconciling these observations has been a high priority in both the experimental and theoretical communities for some time now. I will review the status of recent searches for light WIMPs. I will also discuss future experimental efforts, which aim to clarify this confusing yet exciting situation.

Speaker: Lauren Hsu (FNAL)

Slides ipa_lowthresh_2013.pdf