Large-scale detector testing for the GAPS Si(Li) Tracker

Mengjiao Xiao; Achim Stoessl; Brandon Roach; Cory Gerrity; Ian Bouche; Gabriel Bridges; Philip von Doetinchem; Charles J. Hailey; Derik Kraych; Anika Katt; Michael Law; Alexander Lowell; Evan Martinez; Kerstin Perez; Maggie Reed; Chelsea Rodriguez; Nathan Saffold; Ceaser Stringfield; Hershel Weiner; Kelsey Yee

doi:10.1109/tns.2023.3291235

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arXiv · 2305.00283

Large-scale detector testing for the GAPS Si(Li) Tracker

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Abstract

Lithium-drifted silicon [Si(Li)] has been used for decades as an ionizing radiation detector in nuclear, particle, and astrophysical experiments, though such detectors have frequently been limited to small sizes (few cm$^2$) and cryogenic operating temperatures. The 10-cm-diameter Si(Li) detectors developed for the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) balloon-borne dark matter experiment are novel particularly for their requirements of low cost, large sensitive area (~10 m$^2$ for the full 1440-detector array), high temperatures (near -40$\,^\circ$C), and energy resolution below 4 keV FWHM for 20--100-keV x-rays. Previous works have discussed the manufacturing, passivation, and small-scale testing of prototype GAPS Si(Li) detectors. Here we show for the first time the results from detailed characterization of over 1100 flight detectors, illustrating the consistent intrinsic low-noise performance of a large sample of GAPS detectors. This work demonstrates the feasibility of large-area and low-cost Si(Li) detector arrays for next-generation astrophysics and nuclear physics applications.

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Mengjiao Xiao, Achim Stoessl, Brandon Roach, Cory Gerrity, Ian Bouche, Gabriel Bridges, Philip von Doetinchem, Charles J. Hailey, Derik Kraych, Anika Katt, Michael Law, Alexander Lowell, Evan Martinez, Kerstin Perez, Maggie Reed, Chelsea Rodriguez, Nathan Saffold, Ceaser Stringfield, Hershel Weiner, Kelsey Yee. 2023-04-29. Large-scale detector testing for the GAPS Si(Li) Tracker. https://doi.org/10.1109/tns.2023.3291235

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