Related papers: A Facility for Low-Radioactivity Underground Argon
Radon is one of the most important sources of background in rare event search experiments, such as those searching for Dark Matter and neutrinos, due to its unavoidable production from natural uranium. In low-background experiments, radon…
We discuss the possibility of new generation neutrino and astroparticle physics experiments exploiting the liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) technique, following a graded strategy that envisions applications with increasing…
The half-life of $^{39}$Ar is measured using the DEAP-3600 detector located 2 km underground at SNOLAB. Between 2016 and 2020, DEAP-3600 used a target mass of (3269 $\pm$ 24) kg of liquid argon distilled from the atmosphere in a…
Accurate understanding of the subsurface production rate of the radionuclide $^{39}$Ar is necessary for argon dating techniques and noble gas geochemistry of the shallow and the deep Earth, and is also of interest to the WIMP dark matter…
On-Site Inspection (OSI) is a key component of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Measurements of radionuclide isotopes created by an underground nuclear explosion are a valuable signature of a…
We explore the feasibility of using current generation, off-the-shelf, indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) near-infrared (NIR) detectors for astronomical observations. Light-weight InGaAs cameras, developed for the night vision industry and…
A brief outline of Dark Matter detection experiments using liquid argon technology is presented. The Pulse Shape background discrimination method (PSD) is described and the example of its use in 2.3 l R&D detector is given. Methods of…
Measuring the argon purity is critical for all Ar-based rare event research experiments. Mass spectrometry is typically used to assess the uranium and thorium contamination in samples of the materials used to build low-background detectors;…
This study develops low radioactive molecular sieves (MS) for ultra-low background particle physics experiment. The manufactured MS is of type 4A. $^{226}$Ra and $^{232}$Th have concentrations of about 57 and 198 mBq/kg, respectively,…
We describe a new instrument, the Argonne Auger Radioisotope Microscope (ARM), capable of characterizing the Auger electron emission of radionuclides, including candidates relevant in nuclear medicine. Our approach relies on event-by-event…
A novel liquid argon (LAr) purity monitor was developed with a sensitivity to electronegative impurities of the order of ppb (O$_2$ equivalent). Such a high purity is e.g. needed in a LAr drift chamber. The principle is to measure the…
Underground detectors measure the directions of up-coming muons of neutrino origin. They can also observe down-going muons made by gamma rays in the Earth's atmosphere. Although gamma ray showers are muon-poor, they produce a sufficient…
The WARP programme is a graded programme intended to search for cold Dark Matter in the form of WIMP's. These particles may produce via weak interactions nuclear recoils in the energy range 10-100 keV. A cryogenic noble liquid like argon,…
Large liquid argon (LAr) detectors, up to 100 kton scale, are presently being considered for proton decay searches and neutrino astrophysics as well as far detectors for the next generation of long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments,…
We report the first results of DarkSide-50, a direct search for dark matter operating in the underground Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) and searching for the rare nuclear recoils possibly induced by weakly interacting massive…
We investigate the potential of Liquid Argon (LAr) neutrino detectors to search for millicharged particles, a well-motivated extension of the standard model. Detectors located downstream of an intense proton beam that is striking a target…
Rare event searches such as neutrinoless double beta decay and Weakly Interacting Massive Particle detection require ultra-low background detectors. Radon contamination is a significant challenge for these experiments, which employ highly…
A hypothesis is proposed to explain the long-standing DAMA/LIBRA puzzle. Introduced into the DAMA/LIBRA shielding is a purge gas of nominally high-purity nitrogen, which under this hypothesis contains argon impurities. Argon is introduced…
The goal of the Pierre Auger Observatory is to determine the still unknown nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The study of these elusive particles probes astrophysical sites of particle acceleration as well as fundamental…
Long-lived particles (LLPs) arise in many theories beyond the Standard Model. These may be copiously produced from meson decays (or through their mixing with the LLP) at neutrino facilities and leave a visible decay signal in nearby…