Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Alexander Murphy; The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Collaboration

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391

Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Alexander Murphy, The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Collaboration

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are aaffected by backgrounds from -rays emitted by 40K and the 238U and 232Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4,850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0{3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total ux in the cavern of 1:9 0:4
cm􀀀2s􀀀1. The resulting activity in the walls of the cavern
can be characterised as 220 60 Bq/kg of 40K, 29 15 Bq/kg of 238U, and 13 3 Bq/kg of 232Th.

Original language	English
Number of pages	11
Journal	Astroparticle Physics
Volume	116
Early online date	4 Oct 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391
Publication status	Published - 1 Mar 2020

Keywords

physics.ins-det
hep-ex

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10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391

1904.02112Accepted author manuscript, 2.59 MB

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The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Search
Murphy, A.
STFC
1/04/15 → 30/09/19
Project: Research

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@article{ac69bad86b634802b4e4da55fdeb10e3,

title = "Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility",

abstract = "Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are aaffected by backgrounds from -rays emitted by 40K and the 238U and 232Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4,850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0{3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total ux in the cavern of 1:9 0:4 cm􀀀2s􀀀1. The resulting activity in the walls of the caverncan be characterised as 220 60 Bq/kg of 40K, 29 15 Bq/kg of 238U, and 13 3 Bq/kg of 232Th.",

keywords = "physics.ins-det, hep-ex",

author = "Akerib, {D. S.} and Akerlof, {C. W.} and Alsum, {S. K.} and A. Angelides and Ara{\'u}jo, {H. M.} and Armstrong, {J. E.} and M. Arthurs and X. Bai and J. Balajthy and S. Balashov and A. Baxter and Bernard, {E. P.} and A. Biekert and Biesiadzinski, {T. P.} and Boast, {K. E.} and B. Boxer and P. Br{\'a}s and Buckley, {J. H.} and Bugaev, {V. V.} and S. Burdin and Busenitz, {J. K.} and C. Carels and C. Chan and A. Cole and Dobson, {J. E. Y.} and C. Ghag and Hall, {C. R.} and J. Harrison and J. Johnson and Leason, {E. A.} and J. Lee and J. Li and J. Liao and J. Lin and X. Liu and Marzioni, {M. F.} and J. McLaughlin and Y. Meng and E. Morrison and Alexander Murphy and A. Naylor and A. Nilima and S. Pal and Rodrigues, {J. P.} and A. Stevens and Taylor, {W. C.} and R. Taylor and Wang, {J. J.} and Watson, {J. R.} and White, {R. G.} and J. Yin and {The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Collaboration}",

note = "11 pages, 9 figures",

year = "2020",

month = mar,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391",

language = "English",

volume = "116",

journal = "Astroparticle Physics",

issn = "0927-6505",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

AU - Akerib, D. S.

AU - Akerlof, C. W.

AU - Alsum, S. K.

AU - Angelides, A.

AU - Araújo, H. M.

AU - Armstrong, J. E.

AU - Arthurs, M.

AU - Bai, X.

AU - Balajthy, J.

AU - Balashov, S.

AU - Baxter, A.

AU - Bernard, E. P.

AU - Biekert, A.

AU - Biesiadzinski, T. P.

AU - Boast, K. E.

AU - Boxer, B.

AU - Brás, P.

AU - Buckley, J. H.

AU - Bugaev, V. V.

AU - Burdin, S.

AU - Busenitz, J. K.

AU - Carels, C.

AU - Chan, C.

AU - Cole, A.

AU - Dobson, J. E. Y.

AU - Ghag, C.

AU - Hall, C. R.

AU - Harrison, J.

AU - Johnson, J.

AU - Leason, E. A.

AU - Lee, J.

AU - Li, J.

AU - Liao, J.

AU - Lin, J.

AU - Liu, X.

AU - Marzioni, M. F.

AU - McLaughlin, J.

AU - Meng, Y.

AU - Morrison, E.

AU - Murphy, Alexander

AU - Naylor, A.

AU - Nilima, A.

AU - Pal, S.

AU - Rodrigues, J. P.

AU - Stevens, A.

AU - Taylor, W. C.

AU - Taylor, R.

AU - Wang, J. J.

AU - Watson, J. R.

AU - White, R. G.

AU - Yin, J.

AU - The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Collaboration

N1 - 11 pages, 9 figures

PY - 2020/3/1

Y1 - 2020/3/1

N2 - Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are aaffected by backgrounds from -rays emitted by 40K and the 238U and 232Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4,850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0{3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total ux in the cavern of 1:9 0:4 cm􀀀2s􀀀1. The resulting activity in the walls of the caverncan be characterised as 220 60 Bq/kg of 40K, 29 15 Bq/kg of 238U, and 13 3 Bq/kg of 232Th.

AB - Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are aaffected by backgrounds from -rays emitted by 40K and the 238U and 232Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4,850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ -ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0{3300 keV) varied from 596 Hz to 1355 Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total ux in the cavern of 1:9 0:4 cm􀀀2s􀀀1. The resulting activity in the walls of the caverncan be characterised as 220 60 Bq/kg of 40K, 29 15 Bq/kg of 238U, and 13 3 Bq/kg of 232Th.

KW - physics.ins-det

KW - hep-ex

U2 - 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391

DO - 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2019.102391

M3 - Article

VL - 116

JO - Astroparticle Physics

JF - Astroparticle Physics

SN - 0927-6505

ER -

Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Abstract

Keywords

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The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Search

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