We have developed an efficient cryogenic system with heat exchange and associated gas purification system, as a prototype for the XENON1T experiment. The XENON1T detector will use about 3 ton of liquid xenon (LXe) at a temperature of 175K as target and detection medium for a dark matter search. In this paper we report results on the cryogenic system performance focusing on the dynamics of the gas circulation-purification through a heated getter, at flow rates above 50 Standard Liter per Minute (SLPM). A maximum flow of 114 SLPM has been achieved, and using two heat exchangers in parallel, a heat exchange efficiency better than 96% has been measured.
This paper describes results on R&D of an economical and efficient cryogenic system prototype for future liquid xenon detector. The test module of the prototype has a "cold head" attached to a copper rod, which is specially designed to transport heat loads to a free-boiling liquid nitrogen bath. The performance of the test module and commercial refrigerators is compared. The module with an optimized copper rod has demonstrated more than 1500W cooling power at 178K.The temperature of the "cold head" can be kept stable with an error of 0.02K, its fluctuation is within 0.1K.
A dedicated facility has been commissioned for Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) detector fabrication at Texas A&M University (TAMU). The fabrication process has been carefully tuned using this facility and its equipment. Production of successfully tested detectors has been demonstrated. Significant improvements in detector performance have been made using new fabrication methods/equipment and tuning of process parameters.
A prototype device capable of moving a radioactive calibration source to multiple positions was operated at millikelvin temperatures using a modified commercial stepper motor. It was developed as an in-situ calibration strategy for cryogenic dark matter detectors. Data taken by scanning a calibration source across multiple radial positions of a prototype dark matter detector demonstrated its functionality. Construction, heat load, and operation of the device are discussed, as is the effect of the motor on the detector operation. A sample dataset taken over multiple positions of a SuperCDMS det…
A method for calibration of cryogenic liquid argon detector response to recoils with certain energy -8.2 keV - is proposed. The method utilizes a process of inelastic scattering of monoenergetic neutrons produced by fusion DD neutron generator. Features of kinematics of inelastic scattering cause sufficient (forty times) increase in count rate of useful events relative to traditional scheme exploited elastic scattering with the same recoil energy and compatible energy resolution. The benefits of the proposed scheme of calibration most well implemented with the use of tagged neutron generator a…
Detectors for direct dark matter search using noble gases in liquid phase as detection medium need to be coupled to liquefaction, purification and recirculation systems. A dedicated cryogenic system has been assembled and operated at the INFN-Naples cryogenic laboratory with the aim to liquefy and purify the argon used as active target in liquid argon detectors to study the scintillation and ionization signals detected by large SiPMs arrays. The cryogenic system is mainly composed of a double wall cryostat hosting the detector, a purification stage to reduce the impurities below one part per b…
The Argonne MCP-based photo detector is an offshoot of the Large Area Pico-second Photo Detector (LAPPD) project, wherein 6 cm x 6 cm sized detectors are made at Argonne National Laboratory. We have successfully built and tested our first detectors for pico-second timing and few mm spatial resolution. We discuss our efforts to customize these detectors to operate in a cryogenic environment. Initial plans aim to operate in liquid argon. We are also exploring ways to mitigate wave length shifting requirements and also developing bare-MCP photodetectors to operate in a gaseous cryogenic environme…
A two-phase Cryogenic Avalanche Detector (CRAD) with electroluminescence (EL) gap, operated in argon doped with a minor (49$\pm$7 ppm) admixture of nitrogen, has been studied. The EL gap was optically read out using cryogenic PMTs located on the perimeter of the gap. We present the results of the measurements of the N$_2$ content, detector sensitivity to X-ray-induced signals, EL gap yield and electron lifetime in the liquid. The detector sensitivity, at a drift field in liquid Ar of 0.6 kV/cm, was measured to be 9 and 16 photoelectrons recorded at the PMTs per keV of deposited energy at 23 an…
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a dual-site experiment for long baseline neutrino oscillation studies, and for neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. The far detector is a 40-kton underground liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LAr TPC), in which the photon detector system adds precise timing capabilities. The ProtoDUNE dual phase detector will consist of a 6x6x6 m^3 LAr TPC to be operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform and the photon detection system will be formed by 8-inch cryogenic photomultipliers from Hamamatsu. The PMT model (R5912-20Mod) performance at cr…
Simulations of photon propagation in scintillation detectors were performed with the aim to find the optimal scintillator geometry, surface treatment, and shape of external reflector in order to achieve maximum light collection efficiency for detector configurations that avoid direct optical coupling, a situation that is commonly found in cryogenic scintillating bolometers in experimental searches for double beta decay and dark matter. To evaluate the light collection efficiency of various geometrical configurations we used the ZEMAX ray-tracing software. It was found that scintillators in the…
The multi-channel optical readout of a THGEM multiplier coupled to a matrix of 3x3 Geiger-mode APDs (GAPDs) was demonstrated in a two-phase Cryogenic Avalanche Detector (CRAD) in Ar. The GAPDs recorded THGEM-hole avalanches in the Near Infrared (NIR). At an avalanche charge gain of 160, the yield of the combined THGEM/GAPD-matrix multiplier amounted at ~80 photoelectrons per 20 keV X-ray absorbed in the liquid phase. A spatial resolution of 2.5 mm (FWHM) has been measured for the impinging X-rays. This technique has potential applications in coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering and dark matter…
Two-phase Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) with GEM and THGEM multipliers have become an emerging potential technique for charge recording in rare-event experiments. In this work we present the performance of two-phase CRADs operated in Ar and Ar+N2. Detectors with sensitive area of 10x10 cm2, reaching a litre-scale active volume, yielded gains of the order of 1000 with a double-THGEM multiplier. Higher gains, of about 5000, have been attained in two-phase Ar CRADs with a hybrid triple-stage multiplier, comprising of a double-THGEM followed by a GEM. The performance of two-phase CRADs in …
Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) are referred to as a new class of noble-gas detectors operated at cryogenic temperatures with electron avalanching performed directly in the detection medium, the latter being in gaseous, liquid or two-phase (liquid-gas) state. Electron avalanching is provided by Micro-Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD) multipliers, in particular GEMs and THGEMs, operated at cryogenic temperatures in dense noble gases. The final goal for this kind of detectors is the development of large-volume detectors of ultimate sensitivity for rare-event experiments and medical applications,…
The detection of gravitational-waves provides us with a deep insight into the universe. In order to increase the number of detectable gravitational-wave sources, several future gravitational-wave detectors will operate with cryogenic mirrors. Recent studies, however, showed residual gas molecules inside the vacuum chamber adhere to the cryogenic mirror surface and form a molecular layer which grows with time. The growing molecular layer introduces an additional optical loss in the mirror which can decrease the detector's performance. We theoretically estimate the optical loss by the molecular …
We demonstrate that Neganov-Luke amplified cryogenic light detectors with Transition Edge Sensor read-out can be applied for the background suppression in cryogenic experiments searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{130}\text{Te}$ with TeO$_{2}$ based bolometers. Electron and gamma induced events can be discriminated from $α$ events by detecting the Cherenkov light produced by the $β$ particles emitted in the decay. We use the Cherenkov light produced by events in the full energy peak of $^{208}\text{Tl}$ and by events from a $^{147}\text{Sm}$ source to show that at the Q-value…
The prevalent use of large volume liquid argon detectors strongly motivates the development of novel readout and monitoring technology which functions at cryogenic temperatures. This paper presents the development of a cryogenic CMOS camera system suitable for use inside a large volume liquid argon detector for online monitoring purposes. The characterisation of the system is described in detail. The reliability of such a camera system has been demonstrated over several months, and recent data from operation within the liquid argon region of the DUNE 35tcryostat is presented. The cameras were …
In some experiments and applications there is need for large-area photosensitive detectors to operate at cryogenic temperatures. Nowadays, vacuum PMs are usually used for this purpose. We have developed special designs of planar photosensitive gaseous detectors able to operate at cryogenic temperatures. Such detectors are much cheaper PMs and are almost insensitive to magnetic fields. Results of systematic measurements of their quantum efficiencies, the maximum achievable gains and long-term stabilities will be presented. The successful operation of these detectors open realistic possibilities…
Cryogenic phonon-scintillation detectors (CPSD) for rare event search experiments require reliable, efficient and robust photon detectors that can resolve individual photons in a scintillation event.
We study the performance of gaseous and two-phase (liquid-gas) cryogenic detectors of ionizing radiation, based on gas electron multipliers (GEMs). For the first time, high gas gains, exceeding 10^4, were obtained in pure He, Ar and Kr at low temperatures and the stable avalanche mode of operation was observed in the two-phase cryogenic detector in Kr. The electron avalanching at low temperatures, in the range of 120-300 K, is systematically studied.
Cryogenic rare event searches based on heat and light composite calorimeters have a common need for large area photon detectors with high quantum efficiency, good radiopurity and high sensitivity. By employing the Neganov-Trofimov-Luke effect (NTLE), the phonon signal of particle interactions in a semiconductor absorber operated at cryogenic temperatures can be amplified by drifting the photogenerated electrons and holes in an electric field. We present here the last results of a Neganov-Trofimov-Luke effect light detector with an electric field configuration optimized to improve the charge co…
We have demonstrated that hole-type gaseous detectors, GEMs and capillary plates, can operate up to 77 K. For example, a single capillary plate can operate at gains of above 10E3 in the entire temperature interval between 300 until 77 K. The same capillary plate combined with CsI photocathodes could operate perfectly well at gains (depending on gas mixtures) of 100-1000. Obtained results may open new fields of applications for capillary plates as detectors of UV light and charge particles at cryogenic temperatures: noble liquid TPCs, WIMP detectors or LXe scintillating calorimeters and cryogen…
Cryogenic test facilities are critical infrastructure for physics experiments in a variety of fields, perhaps most notably for particle detection with noble liquid detectors, low-temperature device development, and quantum information research. However, considerable investment and technical knowledge are required to construct and operate such facilities. This white paper discusses proposals for user facilities aimed at broadening the availability of testing capabilities for the scientific community.
The EDELWEISS-II experiment uses cryogenic heat-and-ionization detectors in order to detect the rare interactions from possible WIMP dark matter particles on Germanium nuclei. Recently, new-generation detectors with an interleaved electrode geometry were developped and validated, enabling an outstanding rejection of gamma-rays and surface interactions. We present here preliminary results of a one-year WIMP search carried out with ten of such detectors in the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane. A sensitivity to the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section of 5 \times 10-8 pb was achieved using…
We study the performances of gaseous and two-phase (liquid-gas) cryogenic detectors of ionizing radiation based on gas electron multipliers (GEMs) and operated in an avalanche mode in pure noble gases. The gas amplification in He, Ar and Kr is systematically studied at low temperatures, using triple-GEM multipliers. High gains, exceeding 10^4, were obtained in these gases in the range of 120-300 K. Stable electron avalanching was demonstrated in a saturated Kr vapor in the two-phase mode. These results are relevant for understanding basic mechanisms of electron avalanching at low temperatures …
The CALDER project aims at developing cryogenic light detectors with high sensitivity to UV and visible light, to be used for particle tagging in massive bolometers. Indeed the sensitivity of CUORE can be increased by a factor of 3, thanks to the reduction of the $α$-background, obtained by detecting the Cherenkov light (100 eV) emitted by $β/γ$ events. Currently used light detectors have not the features required to address this task, so we decided to develop a new light detector using Kinetic Inductance Detector as a sensor. This approach is very challenging and requires an intensive R$\&$D …
The MicroBooNE detector, to be located on axis in the Booster Neutrino Beamline (BNB) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), consists of two main components: a large liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC), and a light collection system. Thirty 8-inch diameter Hamamatsu R5912-02mod cryogenic photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) will detect the scintillation light generated in the liquid argon (LAr). This article first describes the MicroBooNE PMT performance test procedures, including how the light collection system functions in the detector, and the design of the PMT base. The…
Cryogenic semiconductor detectors operated at temperatures below 100 mK are commonly used in particle physics experiments searching for dark matter. The largest such germanium and silicon detectors, with diameters of 100 mm and thickness of 33 mm, are planned for use by the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment at SNOLAB, Canada. In order to scale up the sensitive mass of future experiments, larger individual detectors are being investigated. We present here the first results of testing two prototype 150 mm diameter silicon ionization detectors. The detectors are 25 mm and …
Displacement sensors have a variety of applications within gravitational wave detectors. The seismic isolation chain of the LIGO core optics utilises optical shadow sensors for their stabilisation. Future upgrades, such as LIGO Voyager, plan to operate at cryogenic temperatures to reduce their thermal noise and will require cryogenic displacement sensors. We present the results of simulations and experimental tests of the shadow sensors embedded in the Birmingham Optical Sensors and Electromagnetic Motors (BOSEMs). We determine that the devices can reliably viability operate at 100 K. We also …
The superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) is a leading technology for quantum information science applications using photons, and they are finding increasing uses in photon-starved classical imaging applications. Critical detector characteristics, such as timing resolution (jitter), reset time and maximum count rate, are heavily influenced by the readout electronics that sense and amplify the photon detection signal. We describe a readout circuit for SNSPDs using commercial off-the-shelf amplifiers operating at cryogenic temperatures. Our design demonstrates a 35 ps timing re…
We demonstrate that substantial power gain can be obtained with superconducting transition detectors. We describe the properties of the detector as a power amplifier theoretically. In our first experiments power gain of 23 was reached in a good agreement with the theory. The gain facilitates noise matching of the readout circuit to the detectors in the case of time division multiplexing.
Characterization and Optimization of a Cryogenic Pure CsI Detector with Remarkable Light Yield and Unprecedented Energy Resolution for CLOVERS Experiment
Institute of High Energy Physics（高能物理研究所）；Austrian Academy of Sciences（奥地利科学院）
In high-background or calibration measurements with cryogenic particle detectors, a significant share of the exposure is lost due to pile-up of recoil events. We propose a method for the separation of pile-up events with an LSTM neural network and evaluate its performance on an exemplary data set. Despite a non-linear detector response function, we can reconstruct the ground truth of a severely distorted energy spectrum reasonably well.
We present a novel approach to the readout of ionization detectors. The solution allows to minimize the number of components and the space occupation close to the detector. This way a minimal impact is added on the radioactive background in those experiments where very low signal rates are expected, such as GERDA and MAJORANA. The circuit consists in a JFET transistor and a remote second stage. The DC feedback path is closed using a diode. Two signal cables are only necessary for biasing and readout.
Cryogenic solid state detectors are widely used in dark matter and neutrino experiments, and require a sensible raw data analysis. For this purpose, we present Cait, an open source Python package with all essential methods for the analysis of detector modules fully integrable with the Python ecosystem for scientific computing and machine learning. It comes with methods for triggering of events from continuously sampled streams, identification of particle recoils and artifacts in a low signal-to-noise ratio environment, the reconstruction of deposited energies, and the simulation of a variety o…
We present the measured baseline ionization resolution of a HEMT-based cryogenic charge amplifier coupled to a CDMS-II detector. The amplifier has been developed to allow massive semiconductor dark matter detectors to retain background discrimination at the low recoil energies produced by low-mass WIMPs. We find a calibrated baseline ionization resolution of $σ_E = 91\,\text{eV}_{ee}$. To our knowledge, this is the best direct ionization resolution achieved with such massive ($\approx$150 pF capacitance) radiation detectors.
Characteristic properties of a Geiger Mode APD (G-APD) in a THGEM-based cryogenic two-phase Ar avalanche detector were studied in view of potential applications in rare-event experiments. G-APD signal amplitude and noise characteristics at cryogenic temperatures turned out to be superior to those at room temperature. The effective detection of avalanche scintillations from THGEM-multiplier holes in two-phase Ar has been demonstrated using a G-APD without wavelength shifter. At an avalanche gain of 60, the avalanche scintillation yield measured by the G-APD was as high as 0.9 photoelectrons per…
Two-phase Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) with combined THGEM/GAPD multiplier have become an emerging potential technique for dark matter search and coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering experiments. In such a multiplier the THGEM hole avalanches are optically recorded in the Near Infrared (NIR) using a matrix of Geiger-mode APDs (GAPDs). To select the proper sensor, the performances of six GAPD types manufactured by different companies, namely by Hamamatsu (MPPCs), CPTA (MRS APDs) and SensL (SiPMs), have been comparatively studied at cryogenic temperatures when operated in two-phase CRAD…
BiDAQ is a custom filtering and data acquisition system designed for next-gen bolometric experiments dedicated to the search of neutrinoless double beta decay. The system is composed of 12-channel analog-to-digital boards interfaced with FPGA SoC modules that collect and transmit the 24-bit data to the storage computers with a sampling rate up to 25 kHz. Low noise, low power, high modularity and configurability, and an easy interface with Gigabit Ethernet are the main characteristics of the BiDAQ system.
The aim of the SELENDIS project within the EDELWEISS collaboration is to observe single $e^- h^+$ pairs in lightweight (3.3 g) cryogenic germanium bolometers with charge and phonon readout at biases up to $\sim 100$ V. These devices are ideal to characterize in detail the mechanism of charge creation and collection in cryogenic germanium detectors. Electron-hole pairs are produced in the bulk of the detector either by the injection of pulsed IR laser or by neutron activation of germanium inducing the K, L and M lines from $^{71}$Ge electron capture decays. Low-energy laser pulses are also used…
We have used a single-particle detector system, based on secondary electron emission, for counting low-energetic (~keV/u) massive products originating from atomic and molecular ion reactions in the electrostatic Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR). The detector is movable within the cryogenic vacuum chamber of CSR, and was used to measure production rates of a variety of charged and neutral daughter particles. In operation at a temperature of ~6 K, the detector is characterised by a high dynamic range, combining a low dark event rate with good high-rate particle counting capability. On-line measureme…
The NOvA project is a long-baseline neutrino experiment. It utilizes the NuMI neutrino beam at Fermilab and consists of two functionally-identical liquid scintillator filled detectors. The detectors are placed 14 milliradians off-axis from the beam and 810 km apart. A 209 ton prototype detector, the Near Detector On the Surface (NDOS), was built and began taking initial neutrino data in December 2010. NDOS is 110 milliradians off-axis from the NuMI beam and also records neutrinos from the Booster Neutrino Beam. As NDOS is in the commissioning phase, metrics are being developed to improve under…
We present results on quasidiffusion studies in large, 3 inch diameter, 1 inch thick [100] high purity germanium crystals, cooled to 50 mK in the vacuum of a dilution refrigerator, and exposed with 59.5 keV gamma-rays from an Am-241 calibration source. We compare data obtained in two different detector types, with different phonon sensor area coverage, with results from a Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo includes phonon quasidiffusion and the generation of phonons created by charge carriers as they are drifted across the detector by ionization readout channels.
In this work we report the realization of the first low-threshold cryogenic detector that uses diamond as absorber for astroparticle physics applications. We tested two 0.175$\,$g CVD diamond samples, each instrumented with a W-TES. The sensors showed transitions at about 25 mK. We present the performance of the diamond detectors and we highlight the best performing one, where we obtained an energy threshold as low as 16.8 eV. This promising result lays the foundation for the use of diamond for different fields of applications where low threshold and excellent energy resolution are required, a…
Neutrons are a particularly dangerous background for direct WIMP dark matter searches; their nuclear recoils with the target nucleus are often indistinguishable from nuclear recoils produced by WIMP-nuclear collisions. In this study, we explore the concept of a liquid scintillator neutron veto detector that would allow direct dark matter detectors to potentially reject neutrons with greater than 99% efficiency. Here we outline the construction and testing of a small prototype detector and the potential implications of this technology for future dark matter detectors.
An efficient cryogenic distillation system was designed and constructed for PandaX-4T dark matter detector based on the McCabe-Thiele (M-T) method and the conservation of mass and energy. This distillation system is designed to reduce the concentration of krypton in commercial xenon from 5X$10^{-7}$ mol/mol to $10^{-14}$ mol/mol with 99% xenon collection efficiency at a maximum flow rate of 10 kg/h. The offline distillation operation has been completed and 5.75 tons of ultra-high purity xenon was produced, which is used as the detection medium in PandaX-4T detector. The krypton concentration o…
