GEM-based TPC with CCD imaging for directional dark matter detection |
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| Institution: | 1. Università di Genova and INFN, Genova, Italy;2. Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, United States;3. Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), Valencia, Spain;4. Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom;5. Université Paris-Sud and CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay, France;6. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States;7. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile;8. CERN, Geneva, Switzerland;1. Space Science Centre (ANGKASA), Institute of Climate Change (IPI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia;2. Department of Molecular and Atomic Physics, Faculty of Modern Science and Technology, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran;3. Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Modern Sciences and Technologies, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran;4. Centre for Applied Physics and Radiation Technologies, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia;5. Department of General Educational Development, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, Daffodil International University, DIU Rd, Dhaka, 1341, Bangladesh;1. Research Institute for Measurement and Analytical Instrumentation, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan;2. Nuclear Professional School, The University of Tokyo, Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki 319-1188, Japan;3. Radiment Lab. Inc., Setagaya, Tokyo 156-0044, Japan;4. XIT Co., Naruse, Machida, Tokyo 194-0045, Japan;5. Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan;1. Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea;2. Impurity and Edge Plasma Research Center, KAIST, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea;3. ENEA Unità Tecnica Fusione, Via E. Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati Roma, Italy;4. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Via E. Fermi, 40, 00044 Frascati Roma, Italy;5. National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34133, Republic of Korea |
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| Abstract: | The most mature directional dark matter experiments at present all utilize low-pressure gas Time Projection Chamber (TPC) technologies. We discuss some of the challenges for this technology, for which balancing the goal of achieving the best sensitivity with that of cost effective scale-up requires optimization over a large parameter space. Critical for this are the precision measurements of the fundamental properties of both electron and nuclear recoil tracks down to the lowest detectable energies. Such measurements are necessary to provide a benchmark for background discrimination and directional sensitivity that could be used for future optimization studies for directional dark matter experiments. In this paper we describe a small, high resolution, high signal-to-noise GEM-based TPC with a 2D CCD readout designed for this goal. The performance of the detector was characterized using alpha particles, X-rays, gamma-rays, and neutrons, enabling detailed measurements of electron and nuclear recoil tracks. Stable effective gas gains of greater than 1 × 105 were obtained in 100 Torr of pure CF4 by a cascade of three standard CERN GEMs each with a 140 µm pitch. The high signal-to-noise and sub-millimeter spatial resolution of the GEM amplification and CCD readout, together with low diffusion, allow for excellent background discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils down below ～10 keVee (～23 keVr fluorine recoil). Even lower thresholds, necessary for the detection of low mass WIMPs for example, might be achieved by lowering the pressure and utilizing full 3D track reconstruction. These and other paths for improvements are discussed, as are possible fundamental limitations imposed by the physics of energy loss. |
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