arXiv subjects

L. Scotto-Lavina

Publications and source records attributed to L. Scotto-Lavina.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2015

Scintillation efficiency of liquid argon in low energy neutron-argon scattering

Experiments searching for weak interacting massive particles with noble gases such as liquid argon require very low detection thresholds for nuclear recoils. A determination of the scintillation efficiency is crucial to quantify the response of the detector at low energy. We report the results obtained with a small liquid argon cell using a monoenergetic neutron beam produced by a deuterium-deuterium fusion source. The light yield relative to electrons was measured for six argon recoil energies between 11 and 120 keV at zero electric drift field.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

EUROnu-WP6 2010 Report

This is a summary of the work done by the Working Package 6 (Physics) of the EU project "EUROnu" during the second year of activity of the project.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Improvement of xenon purification system using a combination of a pulse tube refrigerator and a coaxial heat exchanger

We have developed a compact cryogenic system with a pulse tube refrigerator and a coaxial heat exchanger. This liquefaction-purification system not only saves the cooling power used to reach high gaseous recirculation rate, but also reduces the impurity level with high speed. The heat exchanger operates with an efficiency of 99%, which indicates the possibility for fast xenon gas recirculation in a highpressurized large-scale xenon storage with much less thermal losses.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

Measurement of the transverse diffusion coefficient of charge in liquid xenon

Liquid xenon (LXe) is a very attractive material as a detection medium for ionization detectors due to its high density, high atomic number, and low energy required to produce electron-ion pairs. Therefore it has been used in several applications, like γ detection or direct detection of dark matter. Now Subatech is working on the R & D of LXe Compton telescope for 3γ medical imaging, which can make precise tridimensional localization of a (β+, γ) radioisotope emitter. The diffusion of charge carriers will directly affect the spatial resolution of LXe ionization signal. We will report how we measure the transverse diffusion coefficient for different electric field (0.5 ~ 1.2 kV/cm) by observing the spray of charge carriers on drift length varying until 12cm. With very-low-noise front-end electronics and complete Monte-Carlo simulation of the experiment, the values of transverse diffusion coefficient are measured precisely.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2010

ArDM: a ton-scale LAr detector for direct Dark Matter searches

The Argon Dark Matter (ArDM-1t) experiment is a ton-scale liquid argon (LAr) double-phase time projection chamber designed for direct Dark Matter searches. Such a device allows to explore the low energy frontier in LAr with a charge imaging detector. The ionization charge is extracted from the liquid into the gas phase and there amplified by the use of a Large Electron Multiplier in order to reduce the detection threshold. Direct detection of the ionization charge with fine spatial granularity, combined with a measurement of the amplitude and time evolution of the associated primary scintillation light, provide powerful tools for the identification of WIMP interactions against the background due to electrons, photons and possibly neutrons if scattering more than once. A one ton LAr detector is presently installed on surface at CERN to fully test all functionalities and it will be soon moved to an underground location. We will emphasize here the lessons learned from such a device for the design of a large LAr TPC for neutrino oscillation, proton decay and astrophysical neutrinos searches.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2010

First results on light readout from the 1-ton ArDM liquid argon detector for dark matter searches

ArDM-1t is the prototype for a next generation WIMP detector measuring both the scintillation light and the ionization charge from nuclear recoils in a 1-ton liquid argon target. The goal is to reach a minimum recoil energy of 30\,keVr to detect recoiling nuclei. In this paper we describe the experimental concept and present results on the light detection system, tested for the first time in ArDM on the surface at CERN. With a preliminary and incomplete set of PMTs, the light yield at zero electric field is found to be between 0.3-0.5 phe/keVee depending on the position within the detector volume, confirming our expectations based on smaller detector setups.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2010

The ArDM experiment

The aim of the ArDM project is the development and operation of a one ton double-phase liquid argon detector for direct Dark Matter searches. The detector measures both the scintillation light and the ionization charge from ionizing radiation using two independent readout systems. This paper briefly describes the detector concept and presents preliminary results from the ArDM R&D program, including a 3 l prototype developed to test the charge readout system.

physics.ins-det↗