A New Concept for Kilotonne Scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers

We develop a novel Time Projection Chamber (TPC) concept suitable for deployment in kilotonne-scale detectors, with a charge-readout system free from reconstruction ambiguities, and a robust TPC design that reduces high-voltage risks while increasing the coverage of the light-collection system and maximizing the active volume. This novel concept could be used as a far detector module in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). For the charge-readout system, we used the charge-collection pixels and associated application-specific integrated circuits currently being developed for the liquid argon (LAr) component of the DUNE Near Detector design, ArgonCube. In addition, we divided the TPC into a number of shorter drift volumes, reducing the total voltage used to drift the ionization electrons, and minimizing the stored energy per TPC. Segmenting the TPC also contains scintillation light, allowing for precise trigger localization and a more expansive light-readout system. Furthermore, the design opens the possibility of replacing or upgrading components. These augmentations could substantially improve the reliability and the sensitivity, particularly for low-energy signals, in comparison to traditional monolithic LArTPCs with projective-wire charge readouts.

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Design, construction and operation of the ProtoDUNE-SP Liquid Argon TPC

Journal of Instrumentation ◽

10.1088/1748-0221/17/01/p01005 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (01) ◽

pp. P01005

Author(s):

A. Abed Abud ◽

B. Abi ◽

R. Acciarri ◽

M.A. Acero ◽

M.R. Adames ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Phase ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Particle Identification ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Successful Operation ◽

Active Volume ◽

Phase Liquid ◽

Deep Underground ◽

Time Projection ◽

Design Construction

Abstract The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) that was constructed and operated in the CERN North Area at the end of the H4 beamline. This detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be constructed at the Sandford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, U.S.A. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector incorporates full-size components as designed for DUNE and has an active volume of 7 × 6 × 7.2 m3. The H4 beam delivers incident particles with well-measured momenta and high-purity particle identification. ProtoDUNE-SP's successful operation between 2018 and 2020 demonstrates the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design. This paper describes the design, construction, assembly and operation of the detector components.

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Supernova neutrino burst detection with the deep underground neutrino experiment

The European Physical Journal C ◽

10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09166-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 81 (5) ◽

Author(s):

B. Abi ◽

R. Acciarri ◽

M. A. Acero ◽

G. Adamov ◽

D. Adams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrino Energy ◽

Electron Neutrino ◽

Core Collapse ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Spectral Parameters ◽

Deep Underground ◽

Supernova Neutrino ◽

Time Projection ◽

Insight Into

AbstractThe deep underground neutrino experiment (DUNE), a 40-kton underground liquid argon time projection chamber experiment, will be sensitive to the electron-neutrino flavor component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova. Such an observation will bring unique insight into the astrophysics of core collapse as well as into the properties of neutrinos. The general capabilities of DUNE for neutrino detection in the relevant few- to few-tens-of-MeV neutrino energy range will be described. As an example, DUNE’s ability to constrain the $$\nu _e$$ ν e spectral parameters of the neutrino burst will be considered.

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The SLAC RCE Platform for ProtoDUNE

EPJ Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/epjconf/201921401025 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 214 ◽

pp. 01025

Author(s):

K.V. Tsang ◽

M. Convery ◽

M. Graham ◽

R. Herbst ◽

J. Russell

Keyword(s):

Single Phase ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Processing Elements ◽

Industry Standard ◽

Wide Range ◽

Phase Liquid ◽

Deep Underground ◽

Time Projection ◽

Electronic Channels

The ProtoDUNE-SP is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Signals from 15,360 electronic channels are received by 60 Reconfigurable Cluster Elements (RCEs), which are processing elements designed at SLAC for a wide range of applications and are based upon the “system-onchip” Xilinx Zynq family of FPGAs. The RCEs are housed in industry-standard ATCA shelves on a custom blade, called the Cluster on Board (COB). The RCE platform and its processing functions for the ProtoDUNE-SP will be presented.

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Status of DUNE

10.21468/scipostphysproc.1.043 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandra Tonazzo

Keyword(s):

Time Projection Chamber ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Beyond The Standard Model ◽

Long Baseline ◽

The Standard Model ◽

The Usa ◽

Deep Underground ◽

Time Projection ◽

Baseline Detection

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation underground observatory, to be located in the USA, aiming at precise measurements of long-baseline neutrino oscillations over a 1300 km baseline, detection of supernova neutrinos and search for nucleon decay and other physics beyond the Standard Model. The far detector, a very large liquid argon time projection chamber, requires a dedicated prototyping effort (ProtoDUNE), currently ongoing at CERN.

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Scintillation light detection in the 6-m drift length ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid argon TPC

Journal of Instrumentation ◽

10.1088/1748-0221/17/01/c01012 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (01) ◽

pp. C01012

Author(s):

I. Gil‐Botella

Keyword(s):

Detection System ◽

Leading Edge ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Dual Phase ◽

Scintillation Light ◽

Light Production ◽

Long Baseline ◽

Drift Length ◽

Time Projection

Abstract The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a leading-edge experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE-Dual Phase (DP) is a 6 × 6 × 6 m3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019–2020 as a prototype of the DUNE far detector. In ProtoDUNE-DP, the scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7 m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, we present the performance of the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system, comparing different wavelength-shifting techniques and the use of xenon-doped LAr as a promising option for future large LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and compared to simulations, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties.

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Predicting transport effects of scintillation light signals in large-scale liquid argon detectors

The European Physical Journal C ◽

10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09119-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Diego Garcia-Gamez ◽

Patrick Green ◽

Andrzej M. Szelc

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Light Propagation ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Equivalent Model ◽

Neutrino Beam ◽

Scintillation Light ◽

Arrival Times ◽

Light Detector ◽

Transport Effects ◽

Time Projection

AbstractLiquid argon is being employed as a detector medium in neutrino physics and Dark Matter searches. A recent push to expand the applications of scintillation light in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber neutrino detectors has necessitated the development of advanced methods of simulating this light. The presently available methods tend to be prohibitively slow or imprecise due to the combination of detector size and the amount of energy deposited by neutrino beam interactions. In this work we present a semi-analytical model to predict the quantity of argon scintillation light observed by a light detector with a precision better than $$10\%$$ 10 % , based only on the relative positions between the scintillation and light detector. We also provide a method to predict the distribution of arrival times of these photons accounting for propagation effects. Additionally, we present an equivalent model to predict the number of photons and their arrival times in the case of a wavelength-shifting, highly-reflective layer being present on the detector cathode. Our proposed method can be used to simulate light propagation in large-scale liquid argon detectors such as DUNE or SBND, and could also be applied to other detector mediums such as liquid xenon or xenon-doped liquid argon.

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The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

Advances in High Energy Physics ◽

10.1155/2015/256351 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Maury Goodman

Keyword(s):

Neutrino Oscillation ◽

High Precision ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrino Experiment ◽

Research Facility ◽

Long Baseline ◽

The Status ◽

Deep Underground ◽

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory ◽

Sanford Underground Research Facility

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a worldwide effort to construct a next-generation long-baseline neutrino experiment based at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. It is a merger of previous efforts and other interested parties to build, operate, and exploit a staged 40 kt liquid argon detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility 1300 km from Fermilab, and a high precision near detector, exposed to a 1.2 MW, tunableνbeam produced by the PIP-II upgrade by 2024, evolving to a power of 2.3 MW by 2030. The neutrino oscillation physics goals and the status of the collaboration and project are summarized in this paper.

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Detection of scintillation light in coincidence with ionizing tracks in a liquid argon time projection chamber

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment ◽

10.1016/s0168-9002(99)00519-7 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 432 (2-3) ◽

pp. 240-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

P Cennini ◽

J.P Revol ◽

C Rubbia ◽

F Sergiampietri ◽

A Bueno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Projection Chamber ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Scintillation Light ◽

Time Projection

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First Operation of a Resistive Shell Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber: A New Approach to Electric-Field Shaping

Instruments ◽

10.3390/instruments3020028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 28 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Roman Berner ◽

Yifan Chen ◽

Antonio Ereditato ◽

Patrick P. Koller ◽

Igor Kreslo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electric Field ◽

Noble Gas ◽

New Technology ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Film Structure ◽

Field Cage ◽

Active Volume ◽

Term Operation ◽

Background Events ◽

Time Projection

We present a new technology for the shaping of the electric field in Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) using a carbon-loaded polyimide foil. This technology allows for the minimisation of passive material near the active volume of the TPC and, thus, is capable to reduce background events originating from radioactive decays or scattering on the material itself. Furthermore, the high and continuous electric resistivity of the foil limits the power dissipation per unit area and minimizes the risks of damages in the case of an electric field breakdown. Replacing the conventional field cage with a resistive plastic film structure called “shell” decreases the number of components within the TPC and, therefore, reduces the potential points of failure when operating the detector. A prototype liquid argon (LAr) TPC with such a resistive shell and with a cathode made of the same material was successfully tested for long-term operation with electric field values up to 1.6 k V cm − 1 . The experiment shows that it is feasible to successfully produce and shape the electric field in liquefied noble-gas detectors with this new technology.

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