Reduction of Coincident Photomultiplier Noise Relevant to Astroparticle Physics Experiment

In low background and low threshold particle astrophysics experiments using observation of Cherenkov or scintillation light it is common to use pairs or arrays of photomultipliers operated in coincidence. In such circumstances, for instance in dark matter and neutrino experiments, unexpected PMT noise events have been observed, probably arising from generation of light from one PMT being detected by one or more other PMTs. We describe here experimental investigation of such coincident noise events and development of new techniques to remove them using novel pulse shape discrimination procedures. When applied to data from a low background NaI detector with facing PMTs the new procedures are found to improve noise rejection by a factor of 20 over conventional techniques, with significantly reduced loss of signal events.Comment: Submitted to NIM

Recent Results from LUX and Prospects for Dark Matter Searches with LZ †

Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) remains one of the most promising dark matter candidates. Many experiments around the world are searching for WIMPs and the best current sensitivity to WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross-section is about 10−10 pb. LUX has been one of the world-leading experiments in the search for dark matter WIMPs. Results from the LUX experiment on WIMP searches for different WIMP masses are summarised in this paper. The LUX detector will be replaced by its successor, the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) detector. With 50 times larger fiducial mass and an increased background rejection power due to specially-designed veto systems, the LZ experiment (due to take first data in 2020) will achieve a sensitivity to WIMPs exceeding the current best limits by more than an order of magnitude (for spin-independent interactions and for WIMP masses exceeding a few GeV). An overview of the LZ experiment is presented and LZ sensitivity is discussed based on the accurately modelled background and the high-sensitivity material screening campaign

Cosmogenic Activation: Recent Results

Activation of materials is known to cause background events in underground experiments that may affect the sensitivity of these experiments to rare event searches. The most common source of activation is the exposure of materials to cosmic rays at the surface of the Earth but other various sources of neutrons may also be dangerous. Different computer codes provide estimates of production rates of radioactive isotopes due to activation but their results are sometimes inconsistent. High-sensitivity experiments looking for dark matter, neutrino-less double-beta decay or neutrinos from various sources, although affected by activation, provide crucial tests of models used in the codes. Recent calculations and measurements of activation rates are discussed in this paper

Muon-induced neutron production and detection with GEANT4 and FLUKA

We report on a comparison study of the Monte Carlo packages GEANT4 and FLUKA for simulating neutron production by muons penetrating deep underground. GEANT4 is found to generate fewer neutrons at muon energies above ~100 GeV, by at most a factor of 2 in some materials, which we attribute mainly to lower neutron production in hadronic cascades. As a practical case study, the muon-induced neutron background expected in a 250 kg liquid-xenon WIMP dark matter detector was calculated and good agreement was found for the recoil event rates. The detailed model of neutron elastic scattering in GEANT4 was also shown to influence the nuclear recoil spectrum observed in the target, which is presently a shortcoming of FLUKA. We conclude that both packages are suited for this type of simulation, although further improvements are desirable in both cases.Comment: (23 pages, 14 figures) To appear in Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A v2: Changes to format only; v3: Corrected typo in front matter; v4: Looked up additional experimental data for comparison with simulation

Cosmogenic activation of materials used in rare event search experiments

We evaluate the cosmogenic production rates in some materials that are commonly used as targets and shielding/supporting components for detecting rare events. The results from Geant4 simulations and the calculations of ACTIVIA are compared with the available experimental data. We demonstrate that the production rates from the Geant4-based simulations agree with the available data reasonably well. As a result, we report that the cosmogenic production of several isotopes in various materials can generate potential backgrounds for direct detection of dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay

Muon simulation codes MUSIC and MUSUN for underground physics

The paper describes two Monte Carlo codes dedicated to muon simulations: MUSIC (MUon SImulation Code) and MUSUN (MUon Simulations UNderground). MUSIC is a package for muon transport through matter. It is particularly useful for propagating muons through large thickness of rock or water, for instance from the surface down to underground/underwater laboratory. MUSUN is designed to use the results of muon transport through rock/water to generate muons in or around underground laboratory taking into account their energy spectrum and angular distribution.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, to be published in Computer Physics Communication

Geant4 simulation study of low-Z material detection using muon tomography

Traditional X-ray scanning systems for cargo use ionising radiation which can be harmful to operators and the environment and requires shielding. Fully passive muon tomography is a promising alternative or a complementary approach to X-ray scanners. Muon tomography is a non-invasive technique that uses naturally occurring cosmic-ray muons and their scattering in various materials to create images of cargo in trucks or containers without applying ionising radiation. Muons are high-energy particles that are produced when primary cosmic rays collide with the Earth's atmosphere. These muons can penetrate through thick materials, such as concrete or metal, and are therefore useful for detecting hidden objects, including contraband. Muon tomography is expected to be used for detection of a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and organic materials like drugs or cigarettes, as well as weapons and explosives. In this work we have used the GEANT4 toolkit to simulate the performance of muon tomography in identifying the contraband hidden inside the legal cargo. We have used the Point of Closest Approach (PoCA) reconstruction algorithm to reconstruct the three-dimensional image of a loaded truck

Low energy neutron propagation in MCNPX and GEANT4

Simulations of neutron background from rock for underground experiments are presented. Neutron propagation through two types of rock, lead and hydrocarbon material is discussed. The results show a reasonably good agreement between GEANT4, MCNPX and GEANT3 in transporting low-energy neutrons.Comment: 9 Figure

Neutron production in (α,n) reactions in SOURCES4

Neutrons produced in spontaneous fission and (α,n) reactions can induce background events in underground experiments looking for rare processes. A number of computer codes are available to calculate cross-sections of (α,n) reactions, branching ratios to various states and neutron yields. SOURCES4 code has been used in this work to calculate neutron yields and energy spectra with input cross-sections and branching ratios taken from experimental data and models from EMPIRE2.19/3.2.3 and TALYS1.9 codes. A comparison of SOURCES4 calculations with experimental data from alpha beams and radioactive decay chains is presented

A Three-Dimensional Code for Muon Propagation through the Rock: MUSIC

We present a new three-dimensional Monte-Carlo code MUSIC (MUon SImulation Code) for muon propagation through the rock. All processes of muon interaction with matter with high energy loss (including the knock-on electron production) are treated as stochastic processes. The angular deviation and lateral displacement of muons due to multiple scattering, as well as bremsstrahlung, pair production and inelastic scattering are taken into account. The code has been applied to obtain the energy distribution and angular and lateral deviations of single muons at different depths underground. The muon multiplicity distributions obtained with MUSIC and CORSIKA (Extensive Air Shower simulation code) are also presented. We discuss the systematic uncertainties of the results due to different muon bremsstrahlung cross-sections.Comment: 24 pages, 11 Postscript figures, LaTeX, to be published in Astroparticle Physic