Neutron background in large-scale xenon detectors for dark matter searches

CARSON, M

doi:10.1016/s0927-6505(04)00075-1

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…This flux is comparable to measurements and simulations of the (α, n) neutron flux in other underground labs [63,64]. No attempt was made to measure the intrinsic background of the detector, but based on its material composition and an estimate of the intrinsic radioactivity, the contribution is expected to be very small.…”

Section: Underground Measurementsupporting

confidence: 73%

Fast neutron detection with a segmented spectrometer

Langford

Bass

Beise

et al. 2015

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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A fast neutron spectrometer consisting of segmented plastic scintillator and 3 He proportional counters was constructed for the measurement of neutrons in the energy range 1 MeV to 200 MeV. We discuss its design, principles of operation, and the method of analysis. The detector is capable of observing very low neutron fluxes in the presence of ambient gamma background and does not require scintillator pulse-shape discrimination. The spectrometer was characterized for its energy response in fast neutron fields of 2.5 MeV, 14 MeV, and the results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations. Measurements of the fast neutron flux and energy response at 120 m above sea-level (39.130 • N, 77.218• W) and at a depth of 560 m in a limestone mine are presented. Finally, the design of a spectrometer with improved sensitivity and energy resolution is discussed.

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Section: Underground Measurementsupporting

confidence: 73%

Fast neutron detection with a segmented spectrometer

Langford

Bass

Beise

et al. 2015

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

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“…The soft- Table 6: Calculated contaminations for a sample of resistors screened using both Chaloner and Lunehead. A high level of agreement is seen across the 238 U chain with the exception of 210 Pb which has a measured specific activity 58× higher than those isotopes above it in the chain (determined using the combined Lunehead/Chaloner measurement of 226 ware has been modified to extend the energies of α-particles from the original energy cut of 6.5 MeV to 10 MeV [31], and to improve the cross-section library for a large number of materials [32,33,34], with newly added cross-sections calculated using the EMPIRE-2.19 code [35]. In the worst case scenario, we assume that all the measured contamination in the surface mount resistors is confined to the ceramic.…”

Section: Significant Disequilibrium At 210 Pbmentioning

confidence: 90%

Low-background gamma spectroscopy at the Boulby Underground Laboratory

Scovell

Meehan²,

Araújo

et al. 2018

Astroparticle Physics

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The Boulby Underground Germanium Suite (BUGS) comprises three low-background, high-purity germanium detectors operating in the Boulby Underground Laboratory, located 1.1 km underground in the north-east of England, UK. BUGS utilises three types of detector to facilitate a high-sensitivity, high-throughput radio-assay programme to support the development of rare-event search experiments. A Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector delivers sensitivity to low-energy gamma-rays such as those emitted by 210 Pb and 234 Th. A Small Anode Germanium (SAGe) well-type detector is employed for efficient screening of small samples. Finally, a standard p-type coaxial detector provides fast screening of standard samples. This paper presents the steps used to characterise the performance of these detectors for a variety of sample geometries, including the corrections applied to account for cascade summing effects. For low-density materials, BUGS is able to radio-assay to specific activities down to 3.6 mBq kg −1 for 234 Th and 6.6 mBq kg −1 for 210 Pb both of which have uncovered some significant equilibrium breaks in the 238 U chain. In denser materials, where gamma-ray self-absorption increases, sensitivity is demonstrated to specific activities of 0.9 mBq kg −1 for 226 Ra, 1.1 mBq kg −1 for 228 Ra, 0.3 mBq kg −1 for 224 Ra, and 8.6 mBq kg −1 for 40 K with all upper limits at a 90% confidence level. These meet the requirements of most screening campaigns presently under way for rare-event search experiments, such as the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment. We also highlight the ability of the BEGe detector to probe the X-ray fluorescence region which can be important to identify the presence of radioisotopes associated with neutron production; this is of particular relevance in experiments sensitive to nuclear recoils.

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Neutron background in large-scale xenon detectors for dark matter searches

Cited by 2 publications

References 13 publications

Fast neutron detection with a segmented spectrometer

Fast neutron detection with a segmented spectrometer

Low-background gamma spectroscopy at the Boulby Underground Laboratory

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