557 research outputs found
A Study of the LXeGRIT Detection Efficiency for MeV Gamma-Rays during the 2000 Balloon Flight Campaign
LXeGRIT - Liquid Xenon Gamma-Ray Imaging Telescope - is the first prototype
of a Compton telescope for \MeV \g-ray astrophysics based on a LXe time
projection chamber. One of the most relevant figures of merit for a Compton
telescope is the detection efficiency for \g-rays, which depends on diverse
contributions such as detector geometry and passive materials, trigger
efficiency, dead time, etc. A detailed study of the efficiency of the LXeGRIT
instrument, based both on laboratory measurements and Monte Carlo simulations,
is presented in this paper.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures; submitted to NIM
Effect of CH addition on excess electron mobility in liquid Kr
The excess electrons mobility has been measured recently in liquid
mixtures of Kr and CH as a function of the electric field up to and of the CH concentration up to at
temperatures fairly close to the normal boiling point of Kr
(folegani). We present here new data which extend the
previous set in the region of low electric field. The experimental results are
interpreted in terms of a kinetic model previously proposed to explain the
concentration dependent behavior of in liquid Ar--Kr and Ar--Xe mixtures.
The main result is that CH is more effective in enhancing
energy--transfer rather than momentum--transfer in comparison with mixtures of
liquified noble gases. The field dependence of is quite complicate. In
particular, at intermediate values of the field, there appears to be a
crossover between two different electric--field dependent behaviors of
The electric field strength at crossover is well correlated with the
concentration of CH This fact suggests that different excitations of the
molecular solute might be involved in the momentum-- and energy--transfer
processes for different values of the mean electron energy.Comment: 17, pages,7 figures, RevTeX4, submitted to J.Chem.Phy
Performance and Fundamental Processes at Low Energy in a Two-Phase Liquid Xenon Dark Matter Detector
We extend the study of the performance of a prototype two-phase liquid xenon
WIMP dark matter detector to recoil energies below 20 keV. We demonstrate a new
method for obtaining the best estimate of the energies of events using a
calibrated sum of charge and light signals and introduce the corresponding
discrimination parameter, giving its mean value at 4 kV/cm for electron and
nuclear recoils up to 300 and 100 keV, respectively. We show that fluctuations
in recombination limit discrimination for most energies, and reveal an
improvement in discrimination below 20 keV due to a surprising increase in
ionization yield for low energy electron recoils. This improvement is crucial
for a high-sensitivity dark matter search.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, submitted to DM06 conference proceedings in Nucl
Phys
A test of the Feynman scaling in the fragmentation region
The result of the direct measurement of the fragmentation region will be presented. The result will be obtained at the CERN proton-antiproton collider, being exposured the Silicon calorimeters inside beam pipe. This experiment clarifies a long riddle of cosmic ray physics, whether the Feynman scaling does villate at the fragmentation region or the Iron component is increasing at 10 to the 15th power eV
Demonstration of a Lightguide Detector for Liquid Argon TPCs
We report demonstration of light detection in liquid argon using an acrylic
lightguide detector system. This opens the opportunity for development of an
inexpensive, large-area light collection system for large liquid argon time
projection chambers. The guides are constructed of acrylic, with TPB embedded
in a surface coating with a matching index of refraction. We study the response
to early scintillation light produced by a 5.3 MeV alpha. We measure coating
responses from 7 to 8 PE on average, compared to an ideal expectation of 10 PE
on average. We estimate the attenuation length of light along the lightguide
bar to be greater than 0.5 m. The coating response and the attenuation length
can be improved; we show, however, that these results are already sufficient
for triggering in a large detector
High-Temperature Superconducting Level Meter for Liquid Argon Detectors
Capacitive devices are customarily used as probes to measure the level of
noble liquids in detectors operated for neutrino studies and dark matter
searches. In this work we describe the use of a high-temperature
superconducting material as an alternative to control the level of a cryogenic
noble liquid. Lab measurements indicate that the superconductor shows a linear
behaviour, a high degree of stability and offers a very accurate determination
of the liquid volume. This device is therefore a competitive instrument and
shows several advantages over conventional level meters.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in JINS
Gamma Ray Spectroscopy with Scintillation Light in Liquid Xenon
Scintillation light from gamma ray irradiation in liquid xenon is detected by
two Hamamatsu R9288 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) immersed in the liquid. UV
light reflector material, PTFE, is used to optimize the light collection
efficiency. The detector gives a high light yield of 6 photoelectron per keV
(pe/keV), which allows efficient detection of the 122 keV gamma-ray line from
Co-57, with a measured energy resolution of (8.8+/-0.6)% (sigma). The best
achievable energy resolution, by removing the instrumental fluctuations, from
liquid xenon scintillation light is estimated to be around 6-8% (sigma) for
gamma-ray with energy between 662 keV and 122 keV
Absorption of Scintillation Light in a 100 Liquid Xenon Ray Detector and Expected Detector Performance
An 800L liquid xenon scintillation ray detector is being developed
for the MEG experiment which will search for decay
at the Paul Scherrer Institut. Absorption of scintillation light of xenon by
impurities might possibly limit the performance of such a detector. We used a
100L prototype with an active volume of 372x372x496 mm to study the
scintillation light absorption. We have developed a method to evaluate the
light absorption, separately from elastic scattering of light, by measuring
cosmic rays and sources. By using a suitable purification technique,
an absorption length longer than 100 cm has been achieved. The effects of the
light absorption on the energy resolution are estimated by Monte Carlo
simulation.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures (eps). Submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.
Liquid Xenon Detectors for Positron Emission Tomography
PET is a functional imaging technique based on detection of annihilation
photons following beta decay producing positrons. In this paper, we present the
concept of a new PET system for preclinical applications consisting of a ring
of twelve time projection chambers filled with liquid xenon viewed by avalanche
photodiodes. Simultaneous measurement of ionization charge and scintillation
light leads to a significant improvement to spatial resolution, image quality,
and sensitivity. Simulated performance shows that an energy resolution of <10%
(FWHM) and a sensitivity of 15% are achievable. First tests with a prototype
TPC indicate position resolution <1 mm (FWHM).Comment: Paper presented at the International Nuclear Physics Conference,
Vancouver, Canada, 201
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