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Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector

Akerib, DS; Alsum, S; Araújo, HM; Bai, X; Balajthy, J; Baxter, A; Bernard, EP; ... Zhang, C; + view all (2020) Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector. Physical Review D , 102 (9) , Article 092004. 10.1103/PhysRevD.102.092004. Green open access

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Abstract

Dual-phase xenon detectors, as currently used in direct detection dark matter experiments, have observed elevated rates of background electron events in the low energy region. While this background negatively impacts detector performance in various ways, its origins have only been partially studied. In this paper we report a systematic investigation of the electron pathologies observed in the LUX dark matter experiment. We characterize different electron populations based on their emission intensities and their correlations with preceding energy depositions in the detector. By studying the background under different experimental conditions, we identified the leading emission mechanisms, including photoionization and the photoelectric effect induced by the xenon luminescence, delayed emission of electrons trapped under the liquid surface, capture and release of drifting electrons by impurities, and grid electron emission. We discuss how these backgrounds can be mitigated in LUX and future xenon-based dark matter experiments.

Type: Article
Title: Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.102.092004
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.092004
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10115930
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