Search For Invisible Nucleon Decay in SNO+ With Improved Sensitivity
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Authors
Lam, Ian
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
SNO+ , nucleon decay
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Abstract
The water phase of the SNO+ (Sudbury Neutrino Observatory) experiment has completed after the collection of ~305 days of total livetime worth of data, divided into two main sets. The effective concentration of U-238 and Th-232 in the water was determined using in situ analysis to be, for the second set of data, gU/gH2O: (3.64 +/- 0.74_(stat) + 1.28_(syst) - 0.99_(syst) x 10^-15 and gTh/gH2O: (3.08 +/- 3.22_(stat) + 1.60_(syst) - 5.00_(syst) ) x 10^-16. The water data can also been used to search for ``invisible" modes of nucleon decay, and a previous SNO+ publication set world-leading limits on relevant nucleon and dinucleon decay modes except neutron and dineutron decay. This thesis presents a re-analysis of the ``invisible" neutron decay mode of that first set of data, which reoptimizes the fiducial volume and develops an improved treatment of the dominant energy systematic uncertainties. This leads to a world-leading lower limit on the ``invisible" neutron decay lifetime of 6.91 x 10^29 years. A sensitivity analysis shows that including the second set of data that has lower backgrounds is expected to yield a lower limit on the neutron decay lifetime of 1.57 x 10^30 years, further improving the result.
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Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution 3.0 United States
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution 3.0 United States