Development of a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber prototype for the RELICS experiment
Abstract
The RELICS (REactor neutrino LIquid xenon Coherent elastic Scattering) experiment aims to detect coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering from reactor antineutrinos using a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber. To validate the detector concept and ensure technical reliability for the full-scale experiment, a dedicated prototype was designed, constructed, and operated. This work presents an overview of the design, construction, and operational performance of the prototype, with emphasis on its major subsystems, including the TPC, cryogenic and xenon purification systems, slow control, and data acquisition. During operation, the detector demonstrated the capability to achieve a sub-keV energy threshold required for the RELICS physics program, as reflected by a measured single electron gain of 34.30~~0.01~(stat.)~PE/e and the successful detection of 0.27~keV L-shell decay events from Ar. In addition, essential data analysis techniques and simulation frameworks were developed and validated, establishing the methodological foundation for future RELICS operations. The successful construction and operation of this prototype confirm the feasibility of the core technologies and provide a crucial experimental basis for the final RELICS detector.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2511.18693,
title = {Development of a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber prototype for the RELICS experiment},
author = {Lingfeng Xie and Jiajun Liu and Yifei Zhao and Chang Cai and Guocai Chen and Jiangyu Chen and Huayu Dai and Rundong Fang and Hongrui Gao and Fei Gao and Jingfan Gu and Xiaoran Guo and Jiheng Guo and Chengjie Jia and Gaojun Jin and Fali Ju and Yanzhou Hao and Xu Han and Yang Lei and Kaihang Li and Meng Li and Minhua Li and Ruize Li and Shengchao Li and Siyin Li and Tao Li and Qing Lin and Sheng Lv and Guang Luo and Yuanyuan Ren and Chuanping Shen and Mingzhuo Song and Lijun Tong and Yuhuang Wan and Xiaoyu Wang and Wei Wang and Xiaoping Wang and Zihu Wang and Yuehuan Wei and Liming Weng and Xiang Xiao and Yikai Xu and Jijun Yang and Litao Yang and Long Yang and Jingqiang Ye and Jiachen Yu and Qian Yue and Yuyong Yue and Tianyuan Zha and Bingwei Zhang and Yuming Zhang and Chenhui Zhu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.18693},
year = {2026}
}