Characterisation of NEXT-DEMO using xenon KαX-rays

The Next Collaboration

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30 Scopus citations

Abstract

The NEXT experiment aims to observe the neutrinoless double beta decay of 136Xe in a high-pressure xenon gas TPC using electroluminescence (EL) to amplify the signal from ionization. Understanding the response of the detector is imperative in achieving a consistent and well understood energy measurement. The abundance of xenon K-shell X-ray emission during data taking has been identified as a multitool for the characterisation of the fundamental parameters of the gas as well as the equalisation of the response of the detector. The NEXT-DEMO prototype is a ∼ 1.5 kg volume TPC filled with natural xenon. It employs an array of 19 PMTs as an energy plane and of 256 SiPMs as a tracking plane with the TPC light tube and SiPM surfaces being coated with tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) which acts as a wavelength shifter for the VUV scintillation light produced by xenon. This paper presents the measurement of the properties of the drift of electrons in the TPC, the effects of the EL production region, and the extraction of position dependent correction constants using KαX-ray deposits. These constants were used to equalise the response of the detector to deposits left by gammas from 22Na.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberP10007
JournalJournal of Instrumentation
Volume9
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Charge transport, multiplication and electroluminescence in rare gases and liquids
  • Double-beta decay detectors
  • Time projection chambers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Instrumentation
  • Mathematical Physics

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