Related papers: Calculation of neutron background for underground …
The XENON100 experiment, installed underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), aims to directly detect dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) via their elastic scattering off xenon nuclei.…
In experiments for direct dark matter searches, neutrinos coherently scattering off nuclei can produce similar events as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). To reach sensitivities better than about 10^-10 pb for the elastic WIMP…
Dark matter direct-detection searches for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are commonly limited in sensitivity by neutron and gamma backgrounds from the decay of radioactive isotopes. Several common radioisotopes in detector…
Background induced by neutrons in deep underground laboratories is a critical issue for all experiments looking for rare events, such as dark matter interactions or neutrinoless 2-beta decay. Neutrons can be produced either by natural…
As direct dark matter experiments continue to increase in size, they will become sensitive to neutrinos from astrophysical sources. For experiments that do not have directional sensitivity, coherent neutrino scattering (CNS) from several…
Low-threshold dark matter detectors, in particular cryogenic detectors based on dielectric materials, are among the best tools for probing sub-GeV dark matter masses. In the coming years detectors of this type will become sensitive to solar…
The EDELWEISS-II collaboration has completed a direct search for WIMP dark matter using cryogenic Ge detectors (400 g each) and 384 kg$\times$days of effective exposure. A cross-section of $4.4 \times 10^{-8}$ pb is excluded at 90% C.L. for…
Neutron spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for many scientific and industrial applications, including underground Dark Matter searches. Neutron-induced backgrounds produced by cosmic ray muons and the cavern radioactivity can mimic the…
Coherent scattering of solar, atmospheric and diffuse supernovae neutrinos creates an irreducible background for direct dark matter experiments with sensitivities to WIMP-nucleon spin-independent scattering cross-sections of…
We show data from a new type of detector that can be used to determine neutron flux, energy distribution, and direction of neutron motion for both fast and thermal neutrons. Many neutron detectors are plagued by large backgrounds from…
Research reactors host a wide range of activities that make use of the intense neutron fluxes generated at these facilities. Recent interest in performing measurements with relatively low event rates, e.g. reactor antineutrino detection, at…
Neutrino coherent scattering cross sections can be as large as 10^{-39} cm^2, while current dark matter experiments have sensitivities to WIMP coherent scattering cross sections five orders of magnitude smaller; future experiments plan to…
Precise in-situ measurements of the neutron flux in underground laboratories is crucial for direct dark matter searches, as neutron induced backgrounds can mimic the typical dark matter signal. The development of a novel neutron…
CRESST II is an experiment for direct WIMP search, using cryogenic detectors. The ratio of the two signals (temperature rise and scintillation light) measured for each interaction is an excellent parameter for discrimination of radioactive…
Recent developments of the nuclear emulsion technology led to the production of films with nanometric silver halide grains suitable to track low energy nuclear recoils with submicrometric length. This improvement opens the way to a…
Dark matter detectors require calibrations of their energy scale and efficiency to detect nuclear recoils in the $1-50$ keV range. Most calibrations use neutron scattering and require MCNP or Geant4 simulations of neutron propagation…
While cosmic ray muons themselves are relatively easy to veto in underground detectors, their interactions with nuclei create more insidious backgrounds via: (i) the decays of long-lived isotopes produced by muon-induced spallation…
In this paper we describe the development and first tests of a neutron spectrometer designed for high flux environments, such as the ones found in fast nuclear reactors. The spectrometer is based on the conversion of neutrons impinging on…
Dark matter search experiments demand low to ultralow radiation background to operate. It is very important to understand the nature of the radiation background including knowledge about the sources contributing to it. Sometimes, evaluation…
Experiments that use liquid noble gasses as target materials, such as argon and xenon, play a significant role in direct detection searches for WIMP(-like) dark matter. As these experiments grow in size, they will soon encounter a new…