Aalbers, J;
Akerib, DS;
Al Musalhi, AK;
Alder, F;
Alsum, SK;
Amarasinghe, CS;
Ames, A;
... Linehan, R; + view all
(2022)
Cosmogenic production of {37}^Ar in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment.
Physical Review D
, 105
(8)
, Article 082004. 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.082004.
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Abstract
We estimate the amount of {37}^Ar produced in natural xenon via cosmic-ray-induced spallation, an inevitable consequence of the transportation and storage of xenon on the Earth’s surface. We then calculate the resulting {37}^Ar concentration in a 10-tonne payload (similar to that of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment) assuming a representative schedule of xenon purification, storage, and delivery to the underground facility. Using the spallation model by Silberberg and Tsao, the sea-level production rate of {37}^Ar in natural xenon is estimated to be 0.024 atoms/kg/day. Assuming the xenon is successively purified to remove radioactive contaminants in 1-tonne batches at a rate of 1 tonne/month, the average {37}^Ar activity after 10 tons are purified and transported underground is 0.058 - 0.090 μ Bq/kg, depending on the degree of argon removal during above-ground purification. Such cosmogenic {37}^Ar will appear as a noticeable background in the early science data, while decaying with a 35-day half-life. This newly noticed production mechanism of {37}^Ar should be considered when planning for future liquid-xenon-based experiments.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cosmogenic production of {37}^Ar in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.082004 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.105.082004 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| UCL classification: | 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 UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10148803 |
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