The NAIAD experiment for WIMP searches at Boulby mine and recent results

The NAIAD experiment (NaI Advanced Detector) for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter searches at Boulby mine (UK) is described. The detector consists of an array of encapsulated and unencapsulated NaI(Tl) crystals with high light yield. Six crystals are collecting data at present. Data accumulated by four of them (10.6 kg × year exposure) have been used to set upper limits on the WIMP–nucleon spin-independent and WIMP–proton spin-dependent cross-sections. Pulse shape analysis has been applied to discriminate between nuclear recoils, as may be caused by WIMP interactions, and electron recoils due to gamma background. Various calibrations of crystals are presented.     

Determination of Area-Averaged Water Vapour Fluxes with Large Aperture and Radio Wave Scintillometers over a Heterogeneous Surface – Flevoland Field Experiment

A large aperture scintillometer (LAS) andradio wave scintillometer (RWS)were installed over a heterogeneous areato test the applicability of the scintillation method.The heterogeneity in the area, whichconsisted of many plots, was mainly caused bydifferences in thermal properties ofthe crops; the variations in theaerodynamic roughness lengthwere small. The water vapour fluxesderived from the combined LAS-RWSsystem, also known as the two-wavelengthmethod, agreed fairly well with the aggregatedwater vapour fluxes derived from in-situeddy covariance measurements. The water vapourfluxes derived from a stand-alone LASare also presented. It was found that a single LASand an estimate of the area averagedavailable energy (using a simple parameterisationscheme) can provide also reasonablearea-averaged water vapour fluxes.     

矿物热释氡找矿方法中氡的来源探讨

本文探讨了矿物热释氡找矿中氡的来源问题。我们对七五二花岗岩中铀矿床的无矿及含矿花岗岩用闪烁射气法进行了各种温度间的矿物热释氡量的测定;用包裹体爆裂法进行了爆裂温度及相对爆裂次数的测定。通过实验发现,加热样品在包裹体爆裂以前,能释放出大部分氡,在包裹体大量爆裂的温度区间热释氧量反而很少。磨破包裹体放出氡后,再加热仍然有氡气释放出来。用包裹体中的铀含量计算出的氡量低于测定方法的灵敏度,无法测出,说明矿物热释氡量与包裹体无关。样品又做了化学铀分析和放射化学镭分析。明显看出热释氡量与铀、氡含量成正相关关系。各种实验均证明氧气不是来自包裹体,而是来源于整个矿物。     

液体闪烁测量法测定土壤样品中的镭

本文介绍一种新的分析方法——壤中镭水浸泡液体闪烁测定法。将50克80目土样置于500毫升磨口玻璃瓶中,加水浸泡,用闪烁液萃取氡,以液体闪烁计数法积分计数。该法灵敏度高,当取样50克,计数100秒时镭含量探测极限为5×10~(-13)克/克。方法简单快速,(每人每天可完成40个样品),重现性好,(相对偏差均在20％以下),成本低廉,干扰少(能区分~(222)Rn和~(220)Rn),易于推广(不需复杂的仪器)。经野外试验得到较好的效果。     

海南三亚地区S4指数与C/N、ROTI的比较分析

本文通过利用海南三亚站（1834°N, 10962°E）GPS闪烁/TEC接收机2004年8月到2005年7月间观测数据，在对三亚地区闪烁初步统计分析的基础上，比较分析了观测数据中S₄（幅度闪烁指数）和C/N（载噪比），S₄和ROTI（TEC变化率标准差）的关系，同时对2004年11月7日的闪烁事件进行了具体的分析. 通过比较分析得出：（1）三亚地区全年的闪烁强度具有明显的半年变化，在春秋季出现全年闪烁强度的最大值；（2）S₄与C/N具有很好的负相关性；（3）ROTI可以作为由小尺度不规则结构引起闪烁出现的指示剂.     

Interstellar scintillation and clouds of the interstellar turbulent plasma

Data on interstellar diffraction and refraction scintillation of pulsars are analyzed. Comparison between theory and the observational data shows that two types of spectra for electron density fluctuations are realized in the interstellar medium: pure power law and piecewise with a break. The distribution of turbulent plasma in the Galaxy has a three component structure. Component A is diffuse and it is distributed outside of the spiral arms of the Galaxy. Component BI is cloudy and associated with Galactic arms. Component BII is extremely nonuniform and associated with HII regions and supernova remnants. The origin of the interstellar plasma turbulence is considered, and possible sources of turbulent energy are discussed. The contribution of supernova bursts in the interstellar gas ionization and generation of turbulence are analyzed among other factors. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

地震监测氡观测仪器校准新方法研究

利用国际刻度参考装置AlphaGUARD测氡仪及水氡测量组件, 使用水中溶解氡(或豁免级氡气源), 开展代替目前氡气固体源校准方法实验。 对FD-125测氡仪标配的3个闪烁室(1#、 3#及5#)分别使用水中溶解氡和氡气固体源进行校准实验, 3个闪烁室的校准K值相对误差分别为5.06%, 1.92%及2.76%, 可以达到目前地震监测氡观测技术要求。 实验结果表明, 水中溶解氡代替氡气固体源校准, 可以解决目前氡气固体源校准中存在的运输困难、 维修技术要求高等问题, 是今后氡观测仪器校准技术的发展趋势。     

Determination of Area-Averaged Sensible Heat Fluxes with a Large Aperture Scintillometer over a Heterogeneous Surface – Flevoland Field Experiment

To test the applicability of the scintillation method over a heterogeneous area an experiment was carried out in the summer of 1998 in Flevoland (The Netherlands). In the patchy area only four crops were grown namely sugar beet, potatoes, wheat and onions. From eddy covariance measurements it was found that the heterogeneity was mainly caused by differences in thermal properties. No variations in the aerodynamics roughness length were observed. Two large aperture scintillometers were installed at a height of 11.6 and 20.4 m. A good resemblance was found between the sensible heat fluxes derived from both LAS instruments and the area-averaged fluxes obtained from the in-situ eddy covariance measurements. The slight underestimation of the lower LAS could be assessed using a blending height model and an analytical footprint model. The results also indicated that when scintillometer measurements are made below the blending height the violation to Monin–Obukhov Similarity Theory is small and that reasonable fluxes can be obtained from path-averaged structure parameters.     

Study and suppression of anomalous fast events in inorganic scintillators for dark matter searches

The status of dark matter searches with inorganic scintillator detectors at Boulby mine is reviewed and the results of tests with a CsI(Tl) crystal are presented. The objectives of the latter experiment were to study anomalous fast events previously observed and to identify ways to remove this background. Clear indications were found that these events were due to surface contamination of crystals by alphas, probably from radon decay. A new array of unencapsulated NaI(Tl) crystals immersed either in liquid paraffin or pure nitrogen atmosphere is under construction at Boulby. Such an approach allows complete control of the surface of the crystals and the ability to remove any surface contamination. First data from the unencapsulated NaI(Tl) do not show the presence of anomalous fast events.     

2004年11月强磁暴期间武汉电离层TEC的响应和振幅闪烁特征的GPS观测

本文利用设在武汉(11436°E,3053°N,磁纬194°)的GPS电离层TEC和电波闪烁监测仪的测量数据,分析了2004年11月强磁暴期间TEC的响应以及电波闪烁和TEC起伏的特征.结果表明,在这次强磁暴期间,武汉及其邻近地区电离层TEC的响应以正暴相为主,正暴相分别出现在两次主相期间,最大正偏离达到50 TECU.这次磁暴另一个重要影响是主相期间L波段振幅闪烁的活动性及其强度显著增强.S4指数最大接近10.伴随增强的闪烁活动,多次观测到深度耗尽的等离子体泡与TEC起伏,TEC变化率的标准差ROTI指数也显著增强.分析揭示, ROTI指数与S4指数呈正相关,相关系数达到097.线性回归计算得到,ROTI和S4的比率为964.