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arXiv · 2210.00322

The DarkSide-20k TPC and Underground Argon Cryogenic System

T. N. Thorpe
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Abstract

DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) will exploit the physical and chemical properties of liquid argon housed within a large dual-phase time project chamber (TPC) in its direct search for dark matter. The TPC will utilize a compact, integrated design with many novel features to enable the \SI{20}{t} fiducial volume of underground argon. Underground Argon (UAr) is sourced from underground CO$_2$ wells and depleted in the radioactive isotope $^{39}$Ar, greatly enhancing the experimental sensitivity to dark matter interactions. Sourcing and transporting the $\mathcal{O}$(\SI{100}{t}) of UAr for DS-20k is costly, and a dedicated single-closed-loop cryogenic system has been designed, constructed, and tested to handle the valuable UAr. We present an overview of the DS-20k TPC design and the first results from the UAr cryogenic system.

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T. N. Thorpe. 2022-10-01. The DarkSide-20k TPC and Underground Argon Cryogenic System. https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.00322

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