Validation of techniques to mitigate copper surface contamination in CUORE
In this article we describe the background challenges for the CUORE experiment posed by surface contamination of inert detector materials such as copper, and present three techniques explored to mitigate these backgrounds. Using data from a dedicated test apparatus constructed to validate and compare these techniques we demonstrate that copper surface contamination levels better than 10(-7)- 10(-8) Bq/cm(2) are achieved for U-238 and Th-232. If these levels are reproduced in the final CUORE apparatus the projected 90% C.L. upper limit on the number of background counts in the region of interest is 0.02-0.03 counts/keV/kg/y depending on the adopted mitigation technique.

title: Sensitivity of CUORE to Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay
abstract: Sensitivity of CUORE to Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay b c,:L d e f F . Alessandria , E . A n d r e o t t i ' , R. A r d i t o , C. Arnaboldi , F . T. Avignone IIP , M . B a l a t a , I. Bandac , T. I. Banks ' ' , G . B a r f , J . Beeman , F . Bellini ' , A . Bersani , M . Biassoni ' , T. Bloxham , C. Brofferio ' , A . Bryant , C. B u c c i , X . Z. C a i , L . C a n o n i c a , S. C a p e l l i , L . Carbone , L . Cardani ' , M . Carrettoni , N . Casali ' , N . Chott , M . Clemenza ' , C. Cosmelli ' , O. Cremonesi , R. J . Creswick , I. Dafinei , A . Dally , A . De B i a s i , M . R Decowski ' ' , M . M . Deninno , A . de Waard , S. D i D o m i z i o ' , L . Ejzak '*, R. Faccini ' , D. Q. Fang , H . A . Farach , E . Ferri '°, F . Ferroni , E . F i o r i n i , L . F o g g e t t a ' ° , M . A . Franceschi*, S. J . Freedman G . Frossati , B . K . Fujikawa , A . Giachero , L . Gironi '°, A . Giuliani , P. G o r l a , C. G o t t i , E . Guardincerri , T. D . Gutierrez ,  H a l l e r ' , K . Han , K . M . Heeger , H . Z. Huang*', K . Ichimura , R. KadeP, K . K a z k a z , G .  Kogler ' , Y u . G . Kolomensky ' , S. K r a f t ' , D . Lenz , Y . L . L i , X . L i # , E . Longo ' , Y . G . M a . C. M a i a n o ' , G . M a i e r , M . M a i n o ' , C. Mancini ' , C. Martinez , M . M a r t i n e z , R. H . M a r u y a m a , N . Moggi , S. Morganti , T. Napolitano*, S. Newman ' , S. N i s i , C. N o n e s ' ' ,  Ouellet ' , M . Pallavicini ' , V . Palmieri , L . Pattavina , M . P a v a n ' , M . P e d r e t t i , G . Pessina , S. P i r r o , E . P r e v i t a l i , V . Rampazzo , F . R i m o n d i J , C. Rosenfeld , C. Rusconi , C. S a l v i o n i , S. Sangiorgio '*, D . Schaeffer ' , N . D . Scielzo , M . S i s t i ' , A . R. S m i t h , F . Stivanello , L . Taffarello , G . Terenziani , W . D . T i a n , C. Tornei , S. Trentalange*', G . V e n t u r a ' , M . Vignati ' , B . S. W a n g ' , H . W . W a n g , C. A . Whitten J r . - \ T. Wise . A . Woodcraft , N . X u , L . Z a n o t t i ' , C. Zarra , B . X . Zhu*', S. Zucchelli J k e j w k x c c e , c b e c ab ah c (CUORE e a a c a c j e c c m aa c b,c aa,q af e a c q a a f ae a8 c ad, aa aa c e c n v e f p d e,c b c e e e c f c e s e e,c c f p,n f v ad Collaboration) a INFN - Sezione di Milano, Milano 1-20133 - Italy di Fisica e Matematica, Universita dell'Insubria, Como 1-22100 - Italy INFN - Sezione di Milano Bicocca, Milano 1-20126 - Italy Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale, Politecnico di Milano, Milano 1-20133 - Italy Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Milano 1-20126 - Italy fDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 - USA INFN - Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi (L'Aquila) 1-67010 - Italy Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA 'Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94-720 - USA UN FN - Sezione di Bologna, Bologna 1-40127 - Italy Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 - USA 'Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Roma 1-00185 - Italy INFN - Sezione di Roma, Roma 1-00185 - Italy INFN - Sezione di Genova, Genova 1-16146 - Italy Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Shanghai 201800 - China Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, Genova I-I6I46 - Italy Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 - USA INFN - Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro (Padova) 1-35020 - Italy Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, Leiden University, Leiden, RA 2300 - The Netherlands INFN - Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Frascati (Roma) 1-00044 - Italy Centre de Spectrometrie Nucleaire et de Spectrometrie de Masse, 914-05 Orsay Campus - France b Dipartimento C d g h k M p q r f INFN - Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma 1-00133 - Italy ' 'Physics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 934-07 - USA ^Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94-720 - USA Department of Physics and Astronoma, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 - USA Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94-720 - USA Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94-550 - USA Laboratorio de Fisica Nuclear y Astroparticulas, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50009 - Spain Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94-720 - USA Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Bologna, Bologna 1-4-0127 - Italy EH&S Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94-720 - USA flNFN - Sezione di Padova, Padova 1-35131 - Italy Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Firenze, Firenze 1-50125 - Italy INFN - Sezione di Firenze, Firenze 1-50125 - Italy SUPA, Institute for Astronoma, University of Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ - UK v aa ab ac ad ae a ag ah al * C o r r e s p o n d i n g author Email addresses: e j z a k 8 w i s c . e d u ( L . E j z a k ) , s a n g i o r g i o l 8 1 1 n l . g o v (S. Sangiorgio) Presently at: Joint Research Center, Institute for Reference M a t e r i a l s and Measurements, 2440 Geel - B e l g i u m P r e s e n t l y at: Nikhef, 1098 X G A m s t e r d a m - T h e Netherlands P r e s e n t l y at: L o s A l a m o s N a t i o n a l L a b o r a t o r y , L o s A l a m o s , N M 87545 - U S A P r e s e n t l y at: C E A / Saclay, 91191 G i f - s u r - Y v e t t e - France Deceased Preprint submitted to Astroparticle Physics December

title: First results from the MuLan and MuCap experiments
abstract: MuLan and MuCap are ongoing experiments at the Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland, that use the muon lifetime to determine fundamental weak interaction parameters. The goal of MuLan is a 1 ppm measurement of the positive muon lifetime τμ+ to determine the Fermi constant GF to 0.5 ppm. The goal of MuCap is to make a 1% determination of the rate ΛS of the process of nuclear muon capture by the proton, μp→nν, by measuring the μ− disappearance rate in hydrogen gas to 10 ppm and subtracting the world average for the μ+ decay rate. A 1% determination of the capture rate ΛS is of interest because it would enable a 7% determination of gP, the induced pseudoscalar coupling of the nucleon. In 2007, both experiments published first results based upon data collected by each in 2004. MuLan reported an 11 ppm μ+ lifetime measurement, τμ+ = 2.197 013(24) μs, resulting in a new, 9.6 ppm world average, τμ+ = 2.197 019(21) μs, which determines the Fermi constant, GF = 1.166 371(6)×10−5 GeV−2, to 5 ppm. MuCap reported a 3%...

title: Measurement of the 8B solar neutrino flux with the KamLAND liquid scintillator detector
abstract: We report a measurement of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering rate from ^8B solar neutrinos based on a 123 kton-day exposure of KamLAND. The background-subtracted electron recoil rate, above a 5.5-MeV analysis threshold is 1.49 ± 0.14(stat) ± 0.17(syst) events per kton-day. Interpreted as due to a pure electron flavor flux with a ^8B neutrino spectrum, this corresponds to a spectrum integrated flux of 2.77 ± 0.26(stat) ± 0.32(syst) ×10^6 cm^(−2_s^(−1). The analysis threshold is driven by ^(208)Tl present in the liquid scintillator, and the main source of systematic uncertainty is due to background from cosmogenic ^(11)Be. The measured rate is consistent with existing measurements and with standard solar model predictions which include matter-enhanced neutrino oscillation.

title: Improved measurement of the positive-muon lifetime and determination of the Fermi constant.
abstract: The mean life of the positive muon has been measured to a precision of 11 ppm using a low-energy, pulsed muon beam stopped in a ferromagnetic target, which was surrounded by a scintillator detector array. The result, tau(micro)=2.197 013(24) micros, is in excellent agreement with the previous world average. The new world average tau(micro)=2.197 019(21) micros determines the Fermi constant G(F)=1.166 371(6)x10(-5) GeV-2 (5 ppm). Additionally, the precision measurement of the positive-muon lifetime is needed to determine the nucleon pseudoscalar coupling g(P).

title: White paper: CeLAND - Investigation of the reactor antineutrino anomaly with an intense $^{144}Ce-^{144}Pr$ antineutrino source in KamLAND
abstract: Author(s): Gando, A; Gando, Y; Hayashida, S; Ikeda, H; Inoue, K; Ishidoshiro, K; Ishikawa, H; Koga, M; Matsuda, R; Matsuda, S; Mitsui, T; Motoki, D; Nakamura, K; Oki, Y; Otani, M; Shimizu, I; Shirai, J; Suekane, F; Suzuki, A; Takemoto, Y; Tamae, K; Ueshima, K; Watanabe, H; Xu, BD; Yamada, S; Yamauchi, Y; Yoshida, H; Banks, T; Berger, BE; Cribier, M; Decowski, P; Detwiler, JA; Durero, M; Dwyer, D; Efremenko, Y; Enomoto, S; Fischer, V; Fujikawa, BK; Gaffiot, J; Gelis, VM; Karwowski, HJ; Kolomensky, YG; Kozlov, A; Kornoukhov, VN; Lasserre, T; Learned, JG; Letourneau, A; Lhuillier, D; Maricic, J; Markoff, DM; Matsuno, S; Mention, G; Milincic, R; ODonnell, T; Saldikov, IS; Scola, L; Tikhomirov, GV; Veyssiere, C; Vivier, M; Yoshida, S |  We propose to test for short baseline neutrino oscillations, implied by the recent reevaluation of the reactor antineutrino flux and by anomalous results from the gallium solar neutrino detectors. The test will consist of producing a 75 kCi 144Ce - 144Pr antineutrino source to be deployed in the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector (KamLAND). KamLAND's 13m diameter target volume provides a suitable environment to measure energy and position dependence of the detected neutrino flux. A characteristic oscillation pattern would be visible for a baseline of about 10 m or less, providing a very clean signal of neutrino disappearance into a yet-unknown, "sterile" state. Such a measurement will be free of any reactor-related uncertainties. After 1.5 years of data taking the Reactor Antineutrino Anomaly parameter space will be tested at g 95% C.L.

title: Cosmological SUSY Breaking and the Pyramid Scheme

title: Time-varying alpha and particle physics.
abstract: We argue that models in which an observable variation of the fine structure constant is explained by motion of a cosmic scalar field are not stable under renormalization and require massive fine-tuning that cannot be explained by any known mechanism.

title: Locality and the classical limit of quantum systems
abstract: I argue that conventional estimates of the criterion for classical behavior of a macroscopic body are incorrect in most circumstances,because they do not take into account the locality of interactions, which characterizes the behavior of all systems described approximately by local quantum field theory. The deviations from classical behavior of a macroscopic body, except for those that can be described as classical uncertainties in the initial values of macroscopic variables,are {\it exponentially} small as a function of the volume of the macro-system in microscopic units. Conventional estimates are correct only when the internal degrees of freedom of the macrosystem are in their ground state, and the classical motion of collective coordinates is adiabatic. Otherwise, the system acts as its own environment and washes out quantum phase correlations between different classical states of its collective coordinates. I suggest that it is likely that we can only achieve meso-scopic superpositions, for systems which have topological variables, and for which we can couple to those variables without exciting phonons.

title: Holographic Fluctuations from Unitary de Sitter Invariant Field Theory
abstract: We continue the study of inflationary fluctuations in Holographic Space Time models of inflation. We argue that the holographic theory of inflation provides a physical context for what is often called dS/CFT. The holographic theory is a quantum theory which, in the limit of a large number of e-foldings, gives rise to a field theory on $S^3$, which is the representation space for a unitary representation of SO(1,4). This is not a conventional CFT, and we do not know the detailed non-perturbative axioms for correlation functions. However, the two- and three-point functions are completely determined by symmetry, and coincide up to a few constants (really functions of the background FRW geometry) with those calculated in a single field slow-roll inflation model. The only significant deviation from slow roll is in the tensor fluctuations. We predict zero tensor tilt and roughly equal weight for all three conformally invariant tensor 3-point functions (unless parity is imposed as a symmetry). We discuss the relation between our results and those of Maldacena, McFadden, Skenderis, and others. Current data can be explained in terms of symmetries and a few general principles, and is consistent with a large class of models, including HST.

title: An Upper bound on the number of e-foldings
abstract: If the present acceleration of the universe is due to an asymptotically de Sitter universe with small cosmological constant, and the principle of Cosmological Complementarity is valid, then the number of e-foldings during inflation is bounded.