Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals
The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is developing a low pressure gas TPC for detecting Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP)-nucleon interactions. Optical readout with CCD cameras allows for the detection of the daily modulation of the direction of the dark matter wind...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Elsevier
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102203 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3226-787X https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4953-6397 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8667-5660 |
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| author | Ahlen, S. Inglis, A. Tomita, H. Wellenstein, H. Dujmic, Denis Battat, James Deaconu, Cosmin Monroe, Jocelyn Sciolla, Gabriella Fisher, Peter H Kaboth, Asher Cunningham Yamamoto, R. K. Henderson, Shawn Wesley Lopez, Jeremy Paul |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Ahlen, S. Inglis, A. Tomita, H. Wellenstein, H. Dujmic, Denis Battat, James Deaconu, Cosmin Monroe, Jocelyn Sciolla, Gabriella Fisher, Peter H Kaboth, Asher Cunningham Yamamoto, R. K. Henderson, Shawn Wesley Lopez, Jeremy Paul |
| author_sort | Ahlen, S. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is developing a low pressure gas TPC for detecting Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP)-nucleon interactions. Optical readout with CCD cameras allows for the detection of the daily modulation of the direction of the dark matter wind. In order to reach sensitivities required for WIMP detection, the detector needs to minimize backgrounds from electron recoils. This paper demonstrates that a simplified CCD analysis achieves 7.3 × 10[superscript −5] rejection of electron recoils while a charge analysis yields an electron rejection factor of 3.3 × 10[superscript −4] for events with [superscript 241]Am-equivalent ionization energy loss between 40 keV and 200 keV. A combined charge and CCD analysis yields a background-limited upper limit of 1.1 × 10[superscript −5] (90% confidence level) for the rejection of γγ and electron events. Backgrounds from alpha decays from the field cage are eliminated by introducing a veto electrode that surrounds the sensitive region in the TPC. CCD-specific backgrounds are reduced more than two orders of magnitude when requiring a coincidence with the charge readout. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:45:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/102203 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:45:30Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1022032023-02-26T11:28:36Z Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals Ahlen, S. Inglis, A. Tomita, H. Wellenstein, H. Dujmic, Denis Battat, James Deaconu, Cosmin Monroe, Jocelyn Sciolla, Gabriella Fisher, Peter H Kaboth, Asher Cunningham Yamamoto, R. K. Henderson, Shawn Wesley Lopez, Jeremy Paul Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Nuclear Science Lopez, Jeremy P. Dujmic, Denis Battat, James Deaconu, Cosmin Fisher, Peter H. Henderson, S. Kaboth, Asher Monroe, Jocelyn Sciolla, Gabriella Yamamoto, Richard The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is developing a low pressure gas TPC for detecting Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP)-nucleon interactions. Optical readout with CCD cameras allows for the detection of the daily modulation of the direction of the dark matter wind. In order to reach sensitivities required for WIMP detection, the detector needs to minimize backgrounds from electron recoils. This paper demonstrates that a simplified CCD analysis achieves 7.3 × 10[superscript −5] rejection of electron recoils while a charge analysis yields an electron rejection factor of 3.3 × 10[superscript −4] for events with [superscript 241]Am-equivalent ionization energy loss between 40 keV and 200 keV. A combined charge and CCD analysis yields a background-limited upper limit of 1.1 × 10[superscript −5] (90% confidence level) for the rejection of γγ and electron events. Backgrounds from alpha decays from the field cage are eliminated by introducing a veto electrode that surrounds the sensitive region in the TPC. CCD-specific backgrounds are reduced more than two orders of magnitude when requiring a coincidence with the charge readout. United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-05ER41360) United States. Dept. of Energy. Advanced Detector Research Program (Contract 6916448) Reed Award Program Ferry Fund MIT Department of Physics Pappalardo Program (Fellowship) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research MIT Bates Research and Engineering Center Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics 2016-04-08T14:23:23Z 2016-04-08T14:23:23Z 2012-08 2012-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 01689002 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102203 Lopez, J.P., D. Dujmic, S. Ahlen, J.B.R. Battat, C. Deaconu, P. Fisher, S. Henderson, et al. “Background Rejection in the DMTPC Dark Matter Search Using Charge Signals.” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 696 (December 2012): 121–128. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3226-787X https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4953-6397 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8667-5660 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2012.08.073 Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ application/pdf Elsevier Arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Ahlen, S. Inglis, A. Tomita, H. Wellenstein, H. Dujmic, Denis Battat, James Deaconu, Cosmin Monroe, Jocelyn Sciolla, Gabriella Fisher, Peter H Kaboth, Asher Cunningham Yamamoto, R. K. Henderson, Shawn Wesley Lopez, Jeremy Paul Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title | Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title_full | Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title_fullStr | Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title_short | Background rejection in the DMTPC dark matter search using charge signals |
| title_sort | background rejection in the dmtpc dark matter search using charge signals |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102203 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3226-787X https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4953-6397 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8667-5660 |
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