Xenon Gas TPCs for zero-neutrino double beta decay and WIMP Searches
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Europe/Stockholm
FA32
FA32
David Nygren(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & Stockholm University)
Description
Zero-neutrino double beta decay and direct-detection WIMP searches remain central topics of contemporary astro-particle physics, and xenon has played a major role in both of these efforts. For the zero-neutrino double beta decay search, the best possible energy resolution is desired, and for the WIMP experiments the best possible resolution in the ratio of the ionization to scintillation signals is desired to discriminate between electron and nuclear recoils. In these experiments, xenon in the liquid phase (LXe) has been the preferred approach. This is curious, since the Fano factor, a measure of fluctuations in the ionization and scintillation signals, is ~two orders of magnitude larger in LXe than in gaseous xenon. A high-pressure xenon gas (HPXe) detector can thus offer the prospect of much better energy resolution for a zero-neutrino double beta decay search and improvement in the discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils for direct WIMP searches. With this insight, a new collaboration in Spain, “NEXT”, has been formed for a 0-neutrino double beta decay search in 136Xe. NEXT will develop and construct a novel HPXe TPC, based on electroluminescent gain. I will describe this approach, how it has developed and may evolve, and suggest how pathways for R&D might also lead to new opportunities for the WIMP search.
