Showing papers by "Ephraim Fischbach published in 2017"

Analysis of Ten Years of Radon-Chain Decay Measurements: Evidence of Solar Influences and Inferences Concerning Solar Internal Structure and the Role of Neutrinos

Abstract: Gamma radiation associated with radon decay exhibits variations in both time of year and time of day. The annual oscillation has its maximum value in June, suggestive of a galactic influence. Measurements made at midnight show strong evidence of an influence of solar rotation, but measurements made at noon do not. We find several pairs of oscillations with frequencies separated by 1 cycle per year that is suggestive of an influence of rotation that is oblique with respect to the normal to the ecliptic. We suggest that beta decays may be stimulated by neutrinos and that the decay products tend to travel in the same direction as the neutrinos. We estimate the relevant cross section.

NU-SETI: A Proposal to Detect Extra-Terrestrial Signals Carried by Neutrinos

Abstract: Recent observations of changes in radioactive decay rates associated with the annual variation of the Earth-Sun distance, with solar rotation, and particularly with solar storms, suggest that radioactive decay rates may be responding to small changes in ambient neutrino/antineutrino flux. We propose to build a network of detectors (NU-SETI), based on monitoring radioactive decays, to search for pulsed signals from an extra-terrestrial source carried by neutrinos or antineutrinos.

Is there a signal for Lorentz non-invariance in existing radioactive decay data?

Abstract: Measurements of the beta decay rates of nuclei have revealed annual periodicities with approximately the same relative amplitude even though the half-lives range over nine orders of magnitude. Here we show that this can be explained if the emitted neutrinos behave as if they propagate in a medium with a refractive index which varies as the Earth orbits the sun. This refractive index may be due to fundamental Lorentz non-invariance (LNI), or apparent LNI arising from interactions with solar or relic neutrinos, or dark matter. Additionally, this medium could have consequences for experiments attempting to measure the neutrino mass.

Instrument for Exotic Particles Search in Cosmic Rays (INSTEPS)

Abstract: An Instrument for an exotic particle search (INSTEPS) in cosmic rays is proposed for detailed investigation of cosmic ray flux in the charge region 0.5 - 2 minimum-ionizing particles (mip), where a few strange results have been registered. These results could not be understood because of poor charge resolution. There is also 0.1 - 0.5 mip region, which is practically unknown because of a limited signal to noise ratio. The instrument includes a set of self-triggered modules with 6 layers of 1 mm thick silicon microstrip detectors 10 x 10 cm^2 size for precise charge measurements. Every module can be also used as a separate device in many other experiments where precise charge determination is required. For exotic particle search a group of the charge measuring modules is placed on the top of a scintillator calorimeter. The calorimeter will measure particle energy and trajectory and generate a special trigger for the charge modules when the energy is above 50 GeV. This serves to decrease particle flux, because the already mentioned anomalies have been observed between high energy hadrons. We plan to expose the instrument at mountain level where it can register the particles that have arrived from space as well as those generated in the atmosphere.