A highly efficient neutron veto for dark matter experiments

Wright, A.; Mosteiro, P.; Loer, B.; Calaprice, F.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.009

Cited by 36 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…If a neutron scatters in the TPC but captures on detector components, this capture reaction may produce a y-ray that can later be detected in the LSV on a timescale up to 6 0 us after the scatter in the TPC, as shown in Monte Carlo simulations [5].…”

Section: Neutron Detection Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This veto system serves both as shielding and as a tag for radiogenic and cosmogenic neutrons, cosmic muons, and у -rays. The key concepts and the design goals of this kind of active neutron veto system for dark matter searches are described in [5]. The DarkSide-50 experimental apparatus consist of three nested detectors (see figure 1).…”

Section: Darkside-50 and Its Neutron Vetomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also possible for neutrons to capture on 56Fe in the stainless steel cryostat and produce a 7.6 MeV y-ray [12]. The thermal capture cross sections of 19F and 56Fe are 0.01 and 2.5 barns, respectively [5].…”

Section: Neutron Detection Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…TMB, B(OCH3)3, is an organic molecule containing one boron atom. 10B, with a natural abundance of 19.9%, has a very high thermal neutron capture cross section of 3837(9) barn [5].…”

Section: Organic Liquid Scintillatormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Results from the first use of low radioactivity argon in a dark matter search

Agnes¹,

Agostino²,

Albuquerque³

et al. 2016

Phys. Rev. D

184

239

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A b s tra c t: Nuclear recoil events produced by neutron scatters form one of the most important classes of background in WIMP direct detection experiments, as they may produce nuclear recoils that look exactly like W IMP interactions. In DarkSide-50, we both actively suppress and measure the rate of neutron-induced background events using our neutron veto, composed of a boron-loaded liquid scintillator detector within a water Cherenkov detector. This paper is devoted to the description of the neutron veto system of DarkSide-50, including the detector structure, the fundamentals of event reconstruction and data analysis, and basic performance parameters.

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Section: Neutron Detection Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Darkside-50 and Its Neutron Vetomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neutron Detection Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…TMB, B(OCH3)3, is an organic molecule containing one boron atom. 10B, with a natural abundance of 19.9%, has a very high thermal neutron capture cross section of 3837(9) barn [5].…”

Section: Organic Liquid Scintillatormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Results from the first use of low radioactivity argon in a dark matter search

Agnes¹,

Agostino²,

Albuquerque³

et al. 2016

Phys. Rev. D

184

239

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The LAB scintillator will also be loaded with a high neutron-capture cross section element, which will significantly decrease the capture time of thermal neutrons. This would help reduce the necessary size and time window of the neutron veto detector [74]. The current plan is to load LAB with 30% w/w trimethyl borate (TMB), which will result in ∼ 3% boron by weight.…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Energy Neutron Backgrounds for Underground Dark Matter Experiments

Chen¹

2016

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A B S T R A C TDirect dark matter detection experiments usually have excellent capability to distinguish nuclear recoils, expected interactions with Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter, and electronic recoils, so that they can efficiently reject background events such as gamma-rays and charged particles. However, both WIMPs and neutrons can induce nuclear recoils. Neutrons are then the most crucial background for direct dark matter detection. It is important to understand and account for all sources of neutron backgrounds when claiming a discovery of dark matter detection or reporting limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross section. One type of neutron background that is not well understood is the cosmogenic neutrons from muons interacting with the underground cavern rock and materials surrounding a dark matter detector.The Neutron Multiplicity Meter (NMM) is a water Cherenkov detector capable of measuring the cosmogenic neutron flux at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, which has an overburden of 2090 meters water equivalent. The NMM consists of two 2.2-tonne gadolinium-doped water tanks situated atop a 20-tonne lead target. It detects a high-energy (>∼ 50 MeV) neutron via moderation and capture of the multiple secondary neutrons released when the former interacts in the lead target. The multiplicity of secondary neutrons for the high-energy neutron provides a benchmark for comparison to the current Monte Carlo predictions. Combining with the Monte Carlo simulation, the muon-induced high-energy neutron flux above 50 MeV is measured to be (1.3 ± 0.2) × 10 −9 cm −2 s −1 , in reasonable agreement with the model prediction. The measured multiplicity spectrum agrees well with that of Monte Carlo simulation for multiplicity below 10, but shows an excess of approximately a factor of three over Monte Carlo prediction for multiplicities ∼ 10 − 20.In an effort to reduce neutron backgrounds for the dark matter experiment SuperCDMS SNO-LAB, an active neutron veto was developed. It is estimated that the current design of the neutron veto with a 40 cm thick layer of boron-doped liquid scintillator can achieve a > 90% efficiency for tagging the single-scatter neutrons. In addition, a one-quarter scale prototype detector for neutron veto has been built and tested. H I G H -E N E R G Y N E U T R O N B A C K G R O U N D S F O R U N D E R G R O U N D D A R K M A T T E R E X P E R I M E N T S Y U C H E N B . S . , B E I J I N G I N S T I T U T E O F T E C H N O L O G Y , B E I J I N G , C H I N A ( 2 0 0 6 ) M . S . , B E I J I N G N O R M A L U N I V E R S I T Y , B E I J I N G , C H I N A ( 2 0 0 9 ) D I S S E R T A T I O N S U B M I T T E D I N P A R T I A L F U L F I L L M E N T O F T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S F O R T H E D E G R E E O F D O C T O R O F P H I L O S O P H Y I N P H Y S I C S S Y R A C U S E U N I V E R S I T Y D E C E M B E Dark MatterThere is compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter from astronomical and cosmological observations. In this chater, I will briefly present modern cos...

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Searching Dark Matter: The Quest for the Missing Mass

Kluck

2015

Production Yield of Muon-Induced Neutrons in Lead

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A highly efficient neutron veto for dark matter experiments

Cited by 36 publications

References 28 publications

Results from the first use of low radioactivity argon in a dark matter search

Results from the first use of low radioactivity argon in a dark matter search

High-Energy Neutron Backgrounds for Underground Dark Matter Experiments

Searching Dark Matter: The Quest for the Missing Mass

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