P. Adhikari

Tests on NaI(Tl) crystals for WIMP search at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory

Abstract Among the direct searches for WIMP-type dark matter, the DAMA experiment is unique in that it has consistently reported a positive signal for an annual-modulation signal with a large (9.3σ) statistical significance. This result is controversial because if it is interpreted as a signature for WIMP interactions, it conflicts with other direct search experiments that report null signals in the regions of parameter space that are allowed by the DAMA observation. This necessitates an independent verification of the origin of the observed modulation signal using the same technique as that employed by the DAMA experiment, namely low-background NaI(Tl) crystal detectors. Here, we report first results of a program of NaI(Tl) crystal measurements at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory aimed at producing NaI(Tl) crystal detectors with lower background levels and higher light yields than those used for the DAMA measurements.

Pulse-shape discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils in a NaI(Tl) crystal

A bstractWe report on the response of a high light-output NaI(Tl) crystal to nuclear recoils induced by neutrons from an Am-Be source and compare the results with the response to electron recoils produced by Compton-scattered 662 keV γ-rays from a 137Cs source. The measured pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) power of the NaI(Tl) crystal is found to be significantly improved because of the high light output of the NaI(Tl) detector. We quantify the PSD power with a quality factor and estimate the sensitivity to the interaction rate for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with nucleons, and the result is compared with the annual modulation amplitude observed by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. The sensitivity to spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interactions based on 100 kg·year of data from NaI detectors is estimated with simulated experiments, using the standard halo model.

Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experiment

The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment has started taking physics data with the goal of performing an independent measurement of the annual modulation signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. A muon detector was constructed by using plastic scintillator panels in the outermost layer of the shield surrounding the COSINE-100 detector. It detects cosmic ray muons in order to understand the impact of the muon annual modulation on dark matter analysis. Assembly and initial performance tests of each module have been performed at a ground laboratory. The installation of the detector in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L) was completed in the summer of 2016. Using three months of data, the muon underground flux was measured to be 328 ± 1(stat.)± 10(syst.) muons/m2/day. In this report, the assembly of the muon detector and the results from the analysis are presented.

Background model for the NaI(Tl) crystals in COSINE-100

The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment is an array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors located in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L). To understand measured backgrounds in the NaI(Tl) crystals we have performed Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit and developed background models for each crystal that consider contributions from both internal and external sources, including cosmogenic nuclides. The background models are based on comparisons of measurement data with Monte Carlo simulations that are guided by a campaign of material assays and are used to evaluate backgrounds and identify their sources. The average background level for the six crystals (70 kg total mass) that are studied is 3.5 counts/day/keV/kg in the (2–6) keV energy interval. The dominant contributors in this energy region are found to be

Pulse Shape Discrimination of Nuclear Recoil and Electron Recoil Events With a NaI(Tl) Crystal for Dark Matter Search

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Understanding NaI(Tl) crystal background for dark matter searches

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Performance of a prototype active veto system using liquid scintillator for a dark matter search experiment

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