On the critical energy required for homogeneous nucleation in bubble chambers employed in dark matter searches

In the framework of the search for dark matter in the form of WIMPs using superheated liquids, a study is conducted to establish a computational procedure aimed at determining how the thermodynamic conditions kept inside a particle detector affect the acoustic signal produced by bubble nucleation. It is found that the acoustic energy injected into the liquid by the growing vapour bubble increases as the liquid pressure is decreased and the superheat degree is increased, the former effect being crucial for the generation of a well-intelligible signal. A good agreement is met between the results of the present study and some experimental data available in the literature for the amplitude of the acoustic signal. Additionally, the higher loudness of the alpha-decay events compared with those arising from neutron-induced nuclear recoils is described in terms of multiple nucleations.

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Effective exploitation of a geyser bubble-chamber equipment as a background-free fast neutron detector

Bertoni

Bruno

Burgio

et al. 2021

Eur. Phys. J. C

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The MOSCAB equipment, a geyser-concept bubble-chamber originally thought for the search of dark matter in the form of WIMPs, is employed for the detection of fast neutrons. Once the background-free operating conditions are determined such that the detector is sensitive only to neutrons, which occurs when the neutron energy threshold required for nucleation is higher than approximately 2.5 MeV, the detector response to fast neutrons is investigated using a $${^{241}}$$ 241 AmBe neutron source. Sets of detection efficiency functions are then produced via Monte Carlo simulations and post-processing, their validation being performed experimentally and discussed. Finally, the use of the detector to measure the fast neutron activity of very weak n-sources in low neutron background environments, as well as to monitor the cosmic ray variations through the neutron component of the Extensive Air Showers, is considered.

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On the critical energy required for homogeneous nucleation in bubble chambers employed in dark matter searches

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References 36 publications

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Modulation of capacitive energy storage performance in 0.9(Na0.5Bi0.5)(Fe0.02Ti0.98)O3-0.1SrTiO3 relaxor ferroelectric thin film via sol-gel optimizing strategy

Effects of the thermodynamic conditions on the acoustic signature of bubble nucleation in superheated liquids used in dark matter search experiments

Effective exploitation of a geyser bubble-chamber equipment as a background-free fast neutron detector

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