The CYGNO/INITIUM experiment Amaro, F. D.; Baracchini, Elisabetta; Benussi, L. ...
SciPost physics proceedings,
07/2023
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The CYGNO project for the development of a high precision optical readout gaseous TPC for directional Dark Matter search and solar neutrino spectroscopy will be presented. It is to be hosted at ...Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. CYGNO peculiar features are the use of sCMOS cameras and PMTs coupled to GEMs amplification of a helium-based gas mixture at atmospheric pressure, in order to achieve 3D tracking with head tail capability and background rejection down to O(keV) energy, to boost sensitivity to low WIMP masses. The latest R&D results within the CYGNO project will be discussed along with the underground installation and operation of a 50 l prototype, soon to be followed by a O(1) m3 experiment demonstrator in 2024-2026. The latest results on the negative ion drift operation at atmospheric pressure within CYGNO optical readout approach will be illustrated, which is the aim of the ERC Consolidator Grant project INITIUM.
The goal of the CYGNO project is to deploy at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) an high resolution Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) amplification and ...optical 3D readout of an Helium/Fluorine based gas mixture for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches at low 1-10 GeV WIMP masses. The determination of the incoming direction of WIMP particles can in fact offer not only additional handles for discrimination of the annoying backgrounds, but especially an unique key for a positive, unambiguous identification of a DM signal.
The PADME experiment, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF), in Italy, will search for invisible decays of the hypothetical dark photon via the process e+e−→γA′, where the A′ escapes ...detection. The dark photon mass range sensitivity in a first phase will be 1 to 24 MeV. We report here on performance measurements and simulation studies of a prototype of the Small-Angle Calorimeter, a component of PADME’s detector dedicated to rejecting 2- and 3-gamma backgrounds. The crucial requirement is a timing resolution of less than 200 ps, which is satisfied by the choice of PbF2 crystals and the newly released Hamamatsu R13478UV photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). We find a timing resolution of 81 ps (with double-peak separation resolution of 1.8 ns) and a single-crystal energy resolution of 10% at 550 MeV with light yield of 2.05 photo-electrons per MeV, using 100 to 400 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility of LNF. We also propose the investigation of a two-PMT solution coupled to a single PbF2 crystal for higher-energy applications, which has potentially attractive features.
The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is an ideal candidate to finely study the charged particle ionization in a gaseous medium. Large volume TPCs can be readout with a suitable number of channels ...offering a complete 3D reconstruction of a charged particle track, that is the sequence of its energy releases in the TPC gas volume. Moreover, He-based TPCs are very promising to study keV energy particles as nuclear recoils, opening the possibility for directional searches of Dark Matter (DM) and the study of Solar Neutrinos (SN).
In this paper we report the analysis of the data acquired with a small TPC prototype (named LEMOn) built by the CYGNO collaboration that was exposed to a beam of 450 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility of National Laboratories of Frascati. LEMOn is operated with a He-CF4 mixture at atmospheric pressure and is based on a Gas Electron Multipliers amplification stage that produces visible light collected by the high granularity and very good sensitivity of scientific CMOS camera. This type of readout – in conjunction with a fast light detection – allows a 3D reconstruction of the electrons tracks. The electrons are leaving a trail of clusters of ionizations corresponding to a few keV energy release each. Their study leads to predict a keV energy threshold and 1–10 mm longitudinal and 0.1–0.3 mm transverse position resolution (sigma) for nuclear recoils, very promising for the application of optically read out TPC to DM searches and SN measurements.
CYGNO is an international collaboration with the aim of operating a ▪ optical time projection chamber (TPC) for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches and solar neutrino spectroscopy, to be deployed ...at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). A ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture is used, along with a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) cascade to amplify the ionisation signal. The scintillation produced in the electron avalanches is read out using a scientific complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (sCMOS) camera. This solution has proven to provide very high sensitivity to interactions in the few ▪ energy range. The inclusion of a hydrogen-based gas will offer an even lighter target, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer in a DM particle collision, and consequently, a lower detection threshold. Additionally, longer track lengths of light nuclear recoils are easier to detect with a clearer direction. However, the addition of such gas will contribute to quenching the scintillation, jeopardizing the TPC performance. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of adding 1% to 5% isobutane to the ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture by measuring the respective absolute scintillation yield output. The overall scintillation produced in the charge avalanches is not drastically suppressed by quenching due to the isobutane addition. The presence of Penning transfer from excited He atoms to isobutane molecules increases the number of electrons in the avalanches, partially compensating for the loss of scintillation due to quenching. For the highest applied GEM voltage, the total number of photons produced in the avalanche per ▪ deposited in the absorption region presents a decrease of only a factor of about three, from 2.30(20)×104 to 8.2(4)×103▪, as the isobutane content increases from 0 to 5%. The quantification of the visible component of the scintillation shows that isobutane quenches both visible and ultraviolet (UV) photons emitted by ▪/▪.
CYGNO is an international collaboration with the aim of operating a Image 3 optical time projection chamber (TPC) for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches and solar neutrino spectroscopy, to be ...deployed at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). A Image 1/Image 2 (60/40) mixture is used, along with a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) cascade to amplify the ionisation signal. The scintillation produced in the electron avalanches is read out using a scientific complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (sCMOS) camera. This solution has proven to provide very high sensitivity to interactions in the few Image 4 energy range. The inclusion of a hydrogen-based gas will offer an even lighter target, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer in a DM particle collision, and consequently, a lower detection threshold. Additionally, longer track lengths of light nuclear recoils are easier to detect with a clearer direction. However, the addition of such gas will contribute to quenching the scintillation, jeopardizing the TPC performance. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of adding 1% to 5% isobutane to the Image 1/Image 2 (60/40) mixture by measuring the respective absolute scintillation yield output. The overall scintillation produced in the charge avalanches is not drastically suppressed by quenching due to the isobutane addition. The presence of Penning transfer from excited He atoms to isobutane molecules increases the number of electrons in the avalanches, partially compensating for the loss of scintillation due to quenching. For the highest applied GEM voltage, the total number of photons produced in the avalanche per Image 4 deposited in the absorption region presents a decrease of only a factor of about three, from 2.30(20)×104 to 8.2(4)×103 Image 5, as the isobutane content increases from 0 to 5%. The quantification of the visible component of the scintillation shows that isobutane quenches both visible and ultraviolet (UV) photons emitted by Image 1/Image 2.
The CYGNO project aims to study rare events, as low-mass (few GeV) Dark Matter (DM) particle or solar neutrino interactions, exploiting the approach of the optical readout of the scintillation light ...produced in the amplification in a multiple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) structure, of the primary ionization originated in large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPCs).
The volume is filled with an He:CF4 gas mixture at atmospheric pressure. The 3D topology, and therefore direction of the recoils, is reconstructed thanks to the combined use of high-granularity, high sensitivity sCMOS cameras, for the precise tracking of the projection of the recoils on the GEM plane, and of fast light sensors in order to obtain the coordinate perpendicular to the camera plane.
To conclude the R&D phase, the 50 L prototype, called Long Imaging ModulE (LIME), was moved underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in order to study the performance of the CYGNO experimental approach in a low background environment and to assess the contributions to the background from different sources, also comparing with Monte Carlo simulations.
Stability studies and the effects of environmental condition on the light yield will be discussed, focusing on the effect of humidity on the detector response and stability amount and rate of self-sustaining micro-discharges. This is a crucial step towards the development of a large demonstrator.
•A TPC filled with a gas mixture based on light atoms as target.•The combined usage of PMTs and sCMOS camera enables the 3D tracks reconstruction.•Studies on the effects of environmental condition on the light yield.
50 litres TPC with sCMOS-based optical readout for the CYGNO project Mazzitelli, G.; Domingues, F. Amaro; Baracchini, E. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
01/2023, Letnik:
1045
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The CYGNO project aims at realizing a one cubic meter gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) equipped with Scientific CMOS (sCMOS) commercial cameras to optically readout Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) ...to be operated at the underground of Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS).
The purpose of the project is to study the technology needed for a large size gaseous TPC (30–100 m3) operated at atmospheric pressure for the directional search of low mass O(GeV) dark matter and low energy (eg solar) neutrinos astronomy. The roadmap of the project foresees the underground operation of a 50 litres TPC prototype, called LIME, the largest TPC realized with this technology, fully equipped with copper and water shielding. LIME is equivalent to about a 1/20 of the CYGNO demonstrator and aims to validate: The construction materials, the Monte Carlo simulations, the data reconstruction and the particle identification performances at low energy threshold. LIME is under installation at the LNGS and it is supposed to start data taking at the beginning of 2022. The detector description and installation will be presented, as well as the overground performance and limitations that require underground characterization.
PDF
