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Proportional electroluminescence (EL) in noble gases is used in two-phase detectors for dark matter searches to record (in the gas phase) the ionization signal induced by particle scattering in the liquid phase. The “standard” EL mechanism is considered to be due to noble gas excimer emission in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV). In addition, there are two alternative mechanisms, producing light in the visible and near infrared (NIR) ranges. The first is due to bremsstrahlung of electrons scattered on neutral atoms (“neutral bremsstrahlung”, NBrS). The second, responsible for electron avalanche scintillation in the NIR at higher electric fields, is due to transitions between excited atomic states. In this work, we have for the first time demonstrated two alternative techniques of the optical readout of two-phase argon detectors, in the visible and NIR range, using a silicon photomultiplier matrix and electroluminescence due to either neutral bremsstrahlung or avalanche scintillation. The amplitude yield and position resolution were measured for these readout techniques, which allowed to assess the detection threshold for electron and nuclear recoils in two-phase argon detectors for dark matter searches. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first practical application of the NBrS effect in detection science.

Design and construction of a new detector to measure ultra low radioactiveisotope contamination of argon Article (Accepted Version) http://sro.sussex.ac.uk

The microstructure evolution in a 7055 aluminum alloy subjected to thermomechanical processing (TMP) was studied at 450 • C anḋ ε = 1.7 × 10 −3 s −1 at which the material exhibits superplastic behavior with a total elongation of 720% and the coefficient m = 0.58. Partially recrystallized initial structure of the as-processed 7055 Al consisted of bands of recrystallized grains with a mean size of 11 µm alternating with bands of recovered subgrains with a mean size of 2 µm. The true stress-true strain curve exhibits a well-defined peak stress, followed by gradual strain softening. The coefficient of strain rate sensitivity, m, remains unchanged at ε ≤ 1 and tends to decrease with strain at ε > 1. The initial microstructure persists near the peak strain. Following strain leads to evolution of initial partially recrystallized structure into uniform fully recrystallized structure due to occurrence of continuous dynamic reactions, i.e. continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX). The data of microstructural observation and misorientation analysis show that low-angle boundaries (LAB) gradually convert to high-angle boundaries (HAB) resulting in an extensive flow softening. It was shown that grain boundary sliding (GBS) provides superplastic flow at all strains. Concurrently, GBS plays an important role in the dynamic evolution of new grains facilitating conversion of LABs to HABs.

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Aria is a plant hosting a $${350}\,\hbox {m}$$ 350 m cryogenic isotopic distillation column, the tallest ever built, which is being installed in a mine shaft at Carbosulcis S.p.A., Nuraxi-Figus (SU), Italy. Aria is one of the pillars of the argon dark-matter search experimental program, lead by the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration. It was designed to reduce the isotopic abundance of $${^{39}\hbox {Ar}}$$ 39 Ar in argon extracted from underground sources, called Underground Argon (UAr), which is used for dark-matter searches. Indeed, $${^{39}\hbox {Ar}}$$ 39 Ar is a $$\beta $$ β -emitter of cosmogenic origin, whose activity poses background and pile-up concerns in the detectors. In this paper, we discuss the requirements, design, construction, tests, and projected performance of the plant for the isotopic cryogenic distillation of argon. We also present the successful results of the isotopic cryogenic distillation of nitrogen with a prototype plant.