385 research outputs found
Introduction to dark matter experiments
This is a set of four lectures presented at the Theoretical Advanced Study
Institute (TASI-09) in June 2009. I provide an introduction to experiments
designed to detect WIMP dark matter directly, focusing on building intuitive
understanding of the characteristics of potential WIMP signals and the
experimental techniques. After deriving the characteristics of potential
signals in direct-detection experiments for standard WIMP models, I summarize
the general experimental methods shared by most direct-detection experiments
and review the advantages, challenges, and status of such searches (as of late
2009). Experiments are already probing SUSY models, with best limits on the
spin-independent coupling below 10^-7 pb.Comment: 64 pages, 25 figures, based on lectures at 2009 Theoretical Advanced
Study Institute in Elementary Particle Physics (TASI), Boulder, Colorado.
This posted version benefits from some editing relative to the version in the
published proceeding
Construction and measurements of a vacuum-swing-adsorption radon-mitigation system
Long-lived alpha and beta emitters in the Rn decay chain on (and
near) detector surfaces may be the limiting background in many experiments
attempting to detect dark matter or neutrinoless double-beta decay, and in
screening detectors. In order to reduce backgrounds from radon-daughter
plate-out onto the wires of the BetaCage during its assembly, an
ultra-low-radon cleanroom is being commissioned at Syracuse University using a
vacuum-swing-adsorption radon-mitigation system. The radon filter shows
~20 reduction at its output, from 7.470.56 to 0.370.12
Bq/m, and the cleanroom radon activity meets project requirements, with a
lowest achieved value consistent with that of the filter, and levels
consistently < 2 Bq/m.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT)
2013, Gran Sasso, Italy, April 10-12, 201
Radon Emanation Techniques and Measurements for LZ
Radon emanation was projected to account for % of the electron recoil
background in the WIMP region of interest for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment.
To mitigate the amount of radon inside the detector volume, materials with
inherently low radioactivity content were selected for LZ construction through
an extensive screening campaign. The SD Mines radon emanation system was one of
four emanation facilities utilized to screen materials during construction of
LZ. SD Mines also employed a portable radon collection system for equipment too
large or delicate to move to a radon emanation facility. This portable system
was used to assay the Inner Cryostat Vessel in-situ at various stages of
detector construction, resulting in the inference that the titanium cryostat is
the source of significant radon emanation. Assays of a Th source
confirmed that its Rn emanation is low enough for it to be used, and
that 14% of the Rn emanates from the source at room temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to LRT 2022 Conference Proceeding
Status of BetaCage: an Ultra-sensitive Screener for Surface Contamination
BetaCage, a gaseous neon time-projection chamber, has been proposed as a viable screener for emitters of low-energy alphas and electrons to which commercial radioactivity counting techniques are insensitive. Using radiopure materials for construction, active and passive shielding from extrinsic backgrounds, large counting area and minimal detector mass, BetaCage will be able to achieve sensitivities of 10^(−5) counts keV^(−1) kg^(−1) day^(−1) in a few days of running time. We report on progress in prototype development work since the last meeting of this workshop
Construction and Measurements of an Improved Vacuum-Swing-Adsorption Radon-Mitigation System
In order to reduce backgrounds from radon-daughter plate-out onto detector
surfaces, an ultra-low-radon cleanroom is being commissioned at the South
Dakota School of Mines and Technology. An improved vacuum-swing-adsorption
radon mitigation system and cleanroom build upon a previous design implemented
at Syracuse University that achieved radon levels of
0.2Bqm. This improved system will employ a better pump and
larger carbon beds feeding a redesigned cleanroom with an internal HVAC unit
and aged water for humidification. With the rebuilt (original) radon mitigation
system, the new low-radon cleanroom has already achieved a 300
reduction from an input activity of Bqm to a
cleanroom activity of Bqm.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT)
2015, Seattle, WA, March 18-20, 201
Screening Surface Contamination with BetaCage
Existing screening facilities are insufficiently sensitive to meet the needs of rare‐event experiments for low‐energy electron emitters and alpha‐decaying isotopes. To provide such screening, the BetaCage will be a low‐background, atmospheric‐pressure neon drift chamber with unprecedented sensitivity to emitters of low‐energy electrons and alpha particles. Minimization of the detector mass and use of radiopure materials reduce background events. The chamber design accepts nearly all alphas and low‐energy electrons from the sample surface while allowing excellent rejection of residual backgrounds. A non‐radiopure prototype is under construction to test the design. The BetaCage will provide new infrastructure for rare‐event science as well as for a wider community that uses radioactive screening for areas including archaeology, biology, climatology, environmental science, geology, planetary science, and integrated‐circuit quality control
Determining the Mass of Dark Matter Particles with Direct Detection Experiments
In this article I review two data analysis methods for determining the mass
(and eventually the spin-independent cross section on nucleons) of Weakly
Interacting Massive Particles with positive signals from direct Dark Matter
detection experiments: a maximum likelihood analysis with only one experiment
and a model-independent method requiring at least two experiments.
Uncertainties and caveats of these methods will also be discussed.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, 1 reference added, typos fixed, published
version, to appear in the NJP Focus Issue on "Dark Matter and Particle
Physics
The BetaCage, an ultra-sensitive screener for surface contamination
Material screening for identifying low-energy electron emitters and
alpha-decaying isotopes is now a prerequisite for rare-event searches (e.g.,
dark-matter direct detection and neutrinoless double-beta decay) for which
surface radiocontamination has become an increasingly important background. The
BetaCage, a gaseous neon time-projection chamber, is a proposed ultra-sensitive
(and nondestructive) screener for alpha- and beta-emitting surface contaminants
to which existing screening facilities are insufficiently sensitive.
Sensitivity goals are 0.1 betas per keV-m-day and 0.1 alphas per m-day,
with the former limited by Compton scattering of photons in the screening
samples and (thanks to tracking) the latter expected to be signal-limited;
radioassays and simulations indicate backgrounds from detector materials and
radon daughters should be subdominant. We report on details of the background
simulations and detector design that provide the discrimination, shielding, and
radiopurity necessary to reach our sensitivity goals for a chamber with a
9595 cm sample area positioned below a 40 cm drift region and
monitored by crisscrossed anode and cathode planes consisting of 151 wires
each.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT)
2013, Gran Sasso, Italy, April 10-12, 201
Constraining Radon Backgrounds in LZ
The LZ dark matter detector, like many other rare-event searches, will suffer
from backgrounds due to the radioactive decay of radon daughters. In order to
achieve its science goals, the concentration of radon within the xenon should
not exceed Bq/kg, or 20 mBq total within its 10 tonnes. The LZ
collaboration is in the midst of a program to screen all significant components
in contact with the xenon. The four institutions involved in this effort have
begun sharing two cross-calibration sources to ensure consistent measurement
results across multiple distinct devices. We present here five preliminary
screening results, some mitigation strategies that will reduce the amount of
radon produced by the most problematic components, and a summary of the current
estimate of radon emanation throughout the detector. This best estimate totals
mBq, sufficiently low to meet the detector's science goals.Comment: Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT) 2017 Workshop Proceedings. 6
pages; 3 figure
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