Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2610.18223

Cryogenic characterisation of the FBK NUV-HD-cryo Silicon Photomultipliers for the DarkSide-20k dark matter experiment

F. Acerbi·P. Adhikari·P. Agnes·I. Ahmad·S. Albergo·I. F. Albuquerque·T. Alexander·A. K. Alton·P. Amaudruz·G. A. Anastasi·M. Angiolilli·E. Aprile·D. J. Auty·M. Ave Pernas·O. Azzolini·H. O. Back·Z. Balmforth·A. Barrado Olmedo·P. Barrillon·G. Batignani·S. Bharat·P. Bhowmick·S. Blua·V. Bocci·W. Bonivento·B. Bottino·M. G. Boulay·T. Braun·A. Buchowicz·J. Busto·M. Cadeddu·M. Cadoni·R. Calabrese·V. I. Calì·A. Caminata·N. Canci·M. Caravati·M. Cardenas-Montes·N. Cargioli·M. Carlini·L. Castellani·P. Castello·D. F. F. S. Cavalcante·P. Cavalcante·S. Cebrian·A. Chepurnov·L. Cifarelli·Y. Coadou·I. Coarasa·V. Cocco·E. Conde Vilda·L. Consiglio·H. Coombes·A. F. V. Cortez·B. S. Costa·P. A. Costa e Silva·M. Czubak·S. D'Auria·M. D. Da Rocha Rolo·A. Dainty·G. Darbo·S. Davini·R. de Asmundis·S. De Cecco·M. De Napoli·G. Dellacasa·A. Derbin·L. Di Noto·P. Di Stefano·D. Díaz Mairena·C. Dionisi·G. Dolganov·F. Dordei·A. Elersich·E. Ellingwood·T. Erjavec·N. Fearon·M. Fernandez Diaz·L. Ferro·A. Ficorella·G. Fiorillo·D. Fleming·L. Flores·P. Franchini·D. Franco·H. Frandini Gatti·F. Gabriele·D. Gahan·C. Galbiati·G. Galiński·G. Gallina·M. Garbini·P. Garcia Abia·A. Gawdzik·G. K. Giovanetti·A. Gola·L. Grandi·G. Grauso·G. Grilli di Cortona·A. Grobov
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) are highly promising detectors for dark matter searches due to their uniform response, scalability to large target masses, and compatibility with ultra-low background conditions. The DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) experiment, currently under construction at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), aims to achieve unprecedented sensitivity to Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), approaching the neutrino fog. At the heart of the detector is a dual-phase TPC filled and surrounded by low-radioactivity argon from underground sources (i.e. Underground Argon (UAr)), functioning both as the WIMP target and detection medium. The experiment employs Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) NUV-HD-cryo Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) as the chosen photon sensors for its optical planes. Key SiPM properties such as dark noise rate, gain and direct crosstalk were measured using specialized test setups at 77 K. The photon detection efficiency (PDE) was measured under vacuum at 77 K over the wavelength range 350-820 nm. Secondary photon emission, which can give rise to external optical crosstalk, was measured under vacuum at 86 K over the wavelength range 550-1020 nm.

Explore related subjects

physics.ins-dethep-ex

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

F. Acerbi, P. Adhikari, P. Agnes, I. Ahmad, S. Albergo, I. F. Albuquerque, T. Alexander, A. K. Alton, P. Amaudruz, G. A. Anastasi, M. Angiolilli, E. Aprile, D. J. Auty, M. Ave Pernas, O. Azzolini, H. O. Back, Z. Balmforth, A. Barrado Olmedo, P. Barrillon, G. Batignani, S. Bharat, P. Bhowmick, S. Blua, V. Bocci, W. Bonivento, B. Bottino, M. G. Boulay, T. Braun, A. Buchowicz, J. Busto, M. Cadeddu, M. Cadoni, R. Calabrese, V. I. Calì, A. Caminata, N. Canci, M. Caravati, M. Cardenas-Montes, N. Cargioli, M. Carlini, L. Castellani, P. Castello, D. F. F. S. Cavalcante, P. Cavalcante, S. Cebrian, A. Chepurnov, L. Cifarelli, Y. Coadou, I. Coarasa, V. Cocco, E. Conde Vilda, L. Consiglio, H. Coombes, A. F. V. Cortez, B. S. Costa, P. A. Costa e Silva, M. Czubak, S. D'Auria, M. D. Da Rocha Rolo, A. Dainty, G. Darbo, S. Davini, R. de Asmundis, S. De Cecco, M. De Napoli, G. Dellacasa, A. Derbin, L. Di Noto, P. Di Stefano, D. Díaz Mairena, C. Dionisi, G. Dolganov, F. Dordei, A. Elersich, E. Ellingwood, T. Erjavec, N. Fearon, M. Fernandez Diaz, L. Ferro, A. Ficorella, G. Fiorillo, D. Fleming, L. Flores, P. Franchini, D. Franco, H. Frandini Gatti, F. Gabriele, D. Gahan, C. Galbiati, G. Galiński, G. Gallina, M. Garbini, P. Garcia Abia, A. Gawdzik, G. K. Giovanetti, A. Gola, L. Grandi, G. Grauso, G. Grilli di Cortona, A. Grobov. 2026-10-13. Cryogenic characterisation of the FBK NUV-HD-cryo Silicon Photomultipliers for the DarkSide-20k dark matter experiment. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.18223

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Performance and Radiation Damage of the Heavy-Ion Silicon Beam Tracker in the BM@N Experiment

The Silicon Beam Tracker (SiBT) of the BM@N experiment at the NICA complex (JINR, Dubna) is designed to reconstruct trajectories of beam ions upstream of the target. It consists of three stations based on double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSDs) installed directly in the relativistic heavy-ion beam. The SiBT performance and radiation damage were studied using data from the 2026 experimental run with $^{124}$Xe beams at~$1.6$,~$2.2$, and~$3.0$~AGeV. During the run, the leakage current of the DSSD of the third station of SiBT increased by $28.95~μ\mathrm{A}$, while the charge collection efficiency in the beam center decreased to approximately $68\%$ at the nominal bias voltage of 30~V. Increasing the bias voltage to 90~V restored the charge collection efficiency to approximately $95\%$. Despite the radiation-induced signal degradation, the tracking efficiency remained close to $99\%$. The accumulated radiation damage was also used to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the integrated beam fluence from strip-by-strip leakage-current measurements, yielding an average fluence of approximately $1.3\times10^{12}~\mathrm{n_{eq}/cm^2}$.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2026

The Energetic Particle Detector Instrument on ELFIN

We present the design methodology, implementation, and data products of the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) instrument on-board the Electron Losses and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) dual SmallSat mission. ELFIN was designed to study the time-evolution of energetic particle distributions in Earth's magnetosphere, having operated in polar Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from 2018 to 2022. Each satellite's instrument payload contained a pair of detector heads to sense differential-directional fluxes of 50 keV to $\sim$5 MeV electrons (EPDE), and 50 keV to $\sim$2 MeV atomic ions (EPDI), with an energy resolution better than 50% ($ΔE/E<0.5$). The satellites were spinning with a nominal period of 2.8 s in a plane containing Earth's background magnetic field, with particle counting intervals subdivided into 16 consecutive spin sectors. Each EPD was paired with a three-axis Fluxgate Magnetometer (FGM) sampled at 80 Hz for local pitch-angle determination. Each detector head operated on the principle of pulse-height analysis (PHA) in solid state media, collimated by a rectangular 22.5$^\circ$ field of view and entrance aperture. The EPDE contained a stack of 6 silicon detectors (0.7 cm total thickness) with 0.15 cm$^2$ str geometric factor, with ion contamination mitigated by an aperture foil and digital coincidence logic. The EPDI contained a stack of 2 silicon detectors (0.1 cm total thickness) with 0.03 cm$^2$ str geometric factor, with electron contamination mitigated by a magnetic broom stage and digital anti-coincidence logic. The total assembled mass, volume, and power required for the EPD detector heads and circuit boards were 939 g, 10$\times$9.8$\times$8.4 cm$^3$, and 2.3 W, respectively. We describe each EPD design element alongside instrument data products and processing.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2026

Energy, vertex, and time response of a LiquidO detector with an opaque-scintillator target to Compton-tagged electrons

LiquidO detectors confine scintillation light near its point of production by stochastic scattering in an opaque medium and collect it with a lattice of wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers. The elementary signal of such a detector is the point-like sub-MeV energy deposition, yet the response to that signal at the center of the detector volume has not been measured against an event-by-event ground truth. To close this gap, we couple BPULSE, a 4-liter prototype LiquidO detector, to a Compton-coincidence calibration setup that selects electron recoils of known energy on a constrained beam axis. The prototype is a 160 mm cube of opaque scintillator with 64 WLS fibers in alternating orthogonal layers at a 20 mm pitch, read out by silicon photomultipliers. Compton scatters of collimated gamma-ray beams from $^{137}$Cs and $^{60}$Co sources are tagged by a NaI(Tl) spectrometer. For 373.4 keV electrons, tagged from $90^{\circ}$ scatters of the $^{137}$Cs beam, the detector collects $19.04 \pm 0.07$ photoelectrons (p.e.). Across four operating points, the two sources at two scattering angles, it responds linearly at $48.3 \pm 1.5$ p.e./MeV. The energy resolution of $(23.4 \pm 0.4)\%$ matches the Poisson statistics of the detected photoelectrons. Collection at both fiber ends and larger sensors would raise the light yield of this target to an estimated 108-124 p.e./MeV. Center-of-mass reconstruction locates each recoil to the width of the delivered 20 mm beam spot, which bounds the intrinsic localization of the detector from above. The arrival time response sets a lower bound of 1.5 ns on the single-scatter start time at the observed $\approx 19$ p.e. light level. This single-scatter response is the building block for reconstructing multi-site events. It constrains the light collection, confinement, and timing models on which reconstruction in future LiquidO detectors will rest.

physics.ins-det↗