The cross section of C13(a,n)O16 has recently been directly measured in the energy range 235 - 300 keV, for the first time reaching the astrophysical energy window of the s process for the generation of heavy isotopes. By measuring deep-underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), using clean He-3 counters and applying PSD techniques for the suppression of the intrinsic background...
Neutrons and gammas produced by alpha interactions with detector materials can hide the signal searched for in low-background neutrino experiments. Despite the high purity of the materials selected, alpha particles from the U and Th chain, and in particular from the decay of $^{222}$Rn, such as $^{210}$Po, can still have a high enough rate to produced a non-negligible amount of neutrons and...
Accurate estimates of (a,n) neutron production rates, neutron energy spectra, and correlated gamma-rays are fundamental to understanding backgrounds in current and future rare-event studies. Neutrons are highly penetrating, and single scattering nuclear recoils produced by radiogenic neutrons can pose irreducible backgrounds to dark matter searches. Extensive and time consuming assay...
For many of the deep underground experiments searching for dark matter some of the most concerning neutron backgrounds come from the ($\alpha$,n) process in the cavern or detector materials. Traditionally the focus of the dark matter community has been the calculation/simulation of the background based on ($\alpha$,n) reaction evaluations and U/Th material assays. Dark matter working groups...
Next generation low-background neutrino experiments and generation-3 dark matter experiments will not only have to be located deep underground to shield cosmic induced backgrounds, but the sheer size of these next generation detectors can bring forth unprecedentedly large excavation costs. Therefore, it will be challenging to have an abundantly large passive and/or active shield around these...
