Abstract:The aim of the MIMAC project is to detect non-baryonic Dark Matter with a directional TPC using a high precision Micromegas readout plane. We will describe in detail the recent developments done with bulk Micromegas detectors as well as the characterisation measurements performed in an Argon(95%)-Isobutane(5%) mixture. Track measurements with alpha particles will be shown.
“…13). This energy resolution is closer to the best value measured by a 128 m-gap bulk Micromegas readout in an argon + 5 % isobutane mixture (11.9 % FWHM at 22.1 keV, calculated from a 23 % FWHM at 5.9 keV [53], supposing only an energy dependence).Fig. 8Dependence of the absolute gain with the amplification field in units of kV/cm in Ar+2%iCH between 1.2 and 10 bar (in steps of 1 bar) for the MM1 ( circles ) and MM2 ( squares ) readouts.…”
Section: Detector Characterization At Low Energysupporting
confidence: 74%
“…The role of the quencher quantity will be further studied in the near future. A better performance has been observed with a 5 % isobutane at atmospheric pressure [53, 86] but so much quencher may degrade the detector performance at high pressure. Neon-based mixtures will be also studied, which are expected to show higher gains and a better energy resolution, as theoretically shown in [74] and practically shown in [47, 86].…”
If Dark Matter is made of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with masses below GeV, the corresponding nuclear recoils in mainstream WIMP experiments are of energies too close, or below, the experimental threshold. Gas Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) can be operated with a variety of target elements, offer good tracking capabilities and, on account of the amplification in gas, very low thresholds are achievable. Recent advances in electronics and in novel radiopure TPC readouts, especially micro-mesh gas structure (Micromegas), are improving the scalability and low-background prospects of gaseous TPCs. Here we present TREX-DM, a prototype to test the concept of a Micromegas-based TPC to search for low-mass WIMPs. The detector is designed to host an active mass of kg of Ar at 10 bar, or alternatively kg of Ne at 10 bar, with an energy threshold below 0.4 keVee, and is fully built with radiopure materials. We will describe the detector in detail, the results from the commissioning phase on surface, as well as a preliminary background model. The anticipated sensitivity of this technique may go beyond current experimental limits for WIMPs of masses of 2–8 GeV.
“…13). This energy resolution is closer to the best value measured by a 128 m-gap bulk Micromegas readout in an argon + 5 % isobutane mixture (11.9 % FWHM at 22.1 keV, calculated from a 23 % FWHM at 5.9 keV [53], supposing only an energy dependence).Fig. 8Dependence of the absolute gain with the amplification field in units of kV/cm in Ar+2%iCH between 1.2 and 10 bar (in steps of 1 bar) for the MM1 ( circles ) and MM2 ( squares ) readouts.…”
Section: Detector Characterization At Low Energysupporting
confidence: 74%
“…The role of the quencher quantity will be further studied in the near future. A better performance has been observed with a 5 % isobutane at atmospheric pressure [53, 86] but so much quencher may degrade the detector performance at high pressure. Neon-based mixtures will be also studied, which are expected to show higher gains and a better energy resolution, as theoretically shown in [74] and practically shown in [47, 86].…”
If Dark Matter is made of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with masses below GeV, the corresponding nuclear recoils in mainstream WIMP experiments are of energies too close, or below, the experimental threshold. Gas Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) can be operated with a variety of target elements, offer good tracking capabilities and, on account of the amplification in gas, very low thresholds are achievable. Recent advances in electronics and in novel radiopure TPC readouts, especially micro-mesh gas structure (Micromegas), are improving the scalability and low-background prospects of gaseous TPCs. Here we present TREX-DM, a prototype to test the concept of a Micromegas-based TPC to search for low-mass WIMPs. The detector is designed to host an active mass of kg of Ar at 10 bar, or alternatively kg of Ne at 10 bar, with an energy threshold below 0.4 keVee, and is fully built with radiopure materials. We will describe the detector in detail, the results from the commissioning phase on surface, as well as a preliminary background model. The anticipated sensitivity of this technique may go beyond current experimental limits for WIMPs of masses of 2–8 GeV.
“…The measurement of the third dimension, along the electric field, is achieved thanks to sampling of the primary electron cloud that is projected onto the grid of a bulk micromegas [80,81] with a read-out at a frequency of 50 MHz by a self-triggered electronics [82,83]. The gas mixture chosen is 70 % CF 4 + 28 % CHF 3 + 2 % C 4 H 10 , which enables sensitivity to SD interaction with a sufficient gain and reduced drift velocity [84,85].…”
“…On the other hand, micro-pattern gaseous detectors promise a low material cost, a flexible readout pattern and high radio-purity [3] which may open a new way for constructing the detector for the next generation experiments for rare event searches [4]- [6]. The fabrication of a Micromegas usually only involves attaching a micro-mesh on an anode board, much simpler than the fabrication of a PMT.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…An excellent energy resolution is not crucial for dark matter detection, but will benefit the simultaneous search for neutrinoless double beta decay using the Xe detector. Micromegas can also perform precise tracking when integrated with fine readout structures [4].…”
Abstract-Micromegas is a type of micro-pattern gaseous detector currently under R&D for applications in rare event search experiments. Here we report the performance of a Micromegas structure constructed with a micromesh thermo-bonded to a readout plane, motivated by its potential application in two-phase xenon detectors for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. The study is carried out in pure xenon at room temperature. Measurements with alpha particles from the Americium-241 source showed that gas gains larger than 200 can be obtained at xenon pressure up to 3 atm. Gamma rays down to 8 keV were observed with such a device.
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