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Periodic Variations of the Radon Concentration Measured by the Large Volume Detector at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory

  • NUCLEI, PARTICLES, FIELDS, GRAVITATION, AND ASTROPHYSICS
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Abstract

Time series of gamma-ray photons from natural radioactivity measured with the Large Volume Detector (LVD) at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy) have been analyzed. The instrument is used to detect neutrinos from gravitational collapses of stellar cores in the Galaxy. The background of the experiment is due to neutrons and gamma-ray photons from the decays of daughter nuclei of uranium and thorium. An analysis of periodic variations of the number of gamma-ray photons caused by the radon concentration in the underground laboratory has shown the presence of diurnal, weekly, monthly, and annual modulations. Data collected from 2004 to 2021, including a period of low activity in the hall of the Gran Sasso laboratory during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been reported.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 23-22-00048, https://rscf.ru/project/23-22-00048/).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312, Moscow, Russia

    N. Yu. Agafonova, E. A. Dobrynina, N. A. Filimonova & I. R. Shakiryanova

  2. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), 141701, Dolgoprudny, Moscow oblast, Russia

    N. A. Filimonova

Authors
  1. N. Yu. Agafonova
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  2. E. A. Dobrynina
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  3. N. A. Filimonova
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  4. I. R. Shakiryanova
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Contributions

The members of the LVD Collaboration:

N. Yu. Agafonovaa, M. Agliettab,c, P. Antoniolid, V. V. Ashikhmina, G. Barid, G. Brunoe, f, E. A. Dobryninaa, R. I. Enikeeva, W. Fulgionec,e, P. Galeottib,c, M. Garbinid,g, P. L. Ghiah, P. Giustid, E. Kempi, A. S. Malgina, A. Molinarioe,j, R. Persianid, I. A. Plessk, O. G. Ryazhskayaa, G. Sartorellid, I. R. Shakiryanovaa, M. Selvid, G. C. Trincherob,c, C. F. Vigoritob, V. F. Yakusheva, and A. Zichichid,g

a Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117312 Russia

b Department of Physic, University of Turin and INFN, Turin, 10125 Italy

c INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Turin, 10025 Italy

d University of Bologna and INFN, Bologna, 40127 Italy

e INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, L’Aquila, 67100 Italy

f New York University Abu Dhabi, NYUAD, Abu Dhabi, 129188 United Arab Emirates

g Centro Enrico Fermi, Roma, 00184 Italy

h Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Ir’ene Joliot Curie, CNRS, Orsay, 91406 France

i University of Campinas, Campinas, 13083 Brazil

j Gran Sasso Science Institute, L’Aquila, 67100 Italy

k Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139 USA

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to N. Yu. Agafonova, E. A. Dobrynina or N. A. Filimonova.

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The authors of this work declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Translated by R. Tyapaev

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Agafonova, N.Y., Dobrynina, E.A., Filimonova, N.A. et al. Periodic Variations of the Radon Concentration Measured by the Large Volume Detector at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 137, 333–341 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106377612309008X

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