Light yield in DarkSide-10: A prototype two-phase argon TPC for dark matter searches

Alexander, T.; Alton, D.; Arisaka, K.; Back, H. O.; Beltrame, P.; Benziger, J.; Bonfini, G.; Brigatti, A.; Brodsky, J.; Cadonati, L.; Calaprice, F.; Candela, A.; Cao, H.; Cavalcante, P.; Chavarria, A.; Chepurnov, A.; Cline, D.; Cocco, A. G.; Condon, C.; D'Angelo, D.; Davini, S.; Haas, E. D.; Derbin, A.; Pietro, G. D.; Dratchnev, I.; Durben, D.; Empl, A.; Etenko, A.; Fan, A.; Fiorillo, Giuliana; Fomenko, K.; Gabriele, F.; Galbiati, C.; Gazzana, S.; Ghag, C.; Ghiano, C.; Goretti, A.; Grandi, L.; Gromov, M.; Guan, M.; Guo, C.; Guray, G.; Hungerford, E. V.; Ianni, A.; Ianni, A.; Kayunov, A.; Keeter, K.; Kendziora, C.; Kidner, S.; Kobychev, V.; Koh, G.; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Shields, E.; Li, P.; Loer, B.; Lombardi, P.; Love, C.; Ludhova, L.; Lukyanchenko, L.; Lund, A.; Lung, K.; Ma, Y.; Machulin, I.; Maricic, J.; Martoff, C. J.; Meng, Y.; Meroni, E.; Meyers, P. D.; Mohayai, T.; Montanari, D.; Montuschi, M.; Mosteiro, P.; Mount, B.; Muratova, V.; Nelson, A.; Nemtzow, A.; Nurakhov, N.; Orsini, M.; Ortica, F.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantic, E.; Parmeggiano, S.; Parsells, R.; Pelliccia, N.; Perasso, L.; Perfetto, F.; Pinsky, L.; Pocar, A.; Pordes, S.; Ranucci, G.; Razeto, A.; Romani, A.; Rossi, N.; Saggese, P.; Saldanha, R.; Salvo, C.; Sands, W.; Seigar, M.; Semenov, D.; Skorokhvatov, M.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Sukhotin, S.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Tatarowicz, J.; Testera, G.; Teymourian, A.; Thompson, J.; Unzhakov, E.; Vogelaar, R. B.; Wang, H.; Westerdale, S.; Wojcik, M.; Wright, A.; Xu, J.; Yang, C.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zehfus, M.; Zhong, W.; Zuzel, G.

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.08.004

As part of the DarkSide program of direct dark matter searches using two-phase argon TPCs, a prototype detector with an active volume containing 10 kg of liquid argon, DarkSide-10, was built and operated underground in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. A critically important parameter for such devices is the scintillation light yield, as photon statistics limits the rejection of electron-recoil backgrounds by pulse shape discrimination. We have measured the light yield of DarkSide-10 using the readily-identifiable full-absorption peaks from gamma ray sources combined with single-photoelectron calibrations using low-occupancy laser pulses. For gamma lines of energies in the range 122-1275 keV, we get light yields averaging 8.887 +/- 0.003(stat)+/- 0.444(sys) p.e./keV(ee). With additional purification, the light yield measured at 511 key increased to 9.142 +/- 0.006(stat) p.e./keV(ee). Published by Elsevier B.V.

Light yield in DarkSide-10: A prototype two-phase argon TPC for dark matter searches / Alexander, T., Alton, D., Arisaka, K., Back, H.O., Beltrame, P., Benziger, J., Bonfini, G., Brigatti, A., Brodsky, J., Cadonati, L., Calaprice, F., Candela, A., Cao, H., Cavalcante, P., Chavarria, A., Chepurnov, A., Cline, D., Cocco, A.G., Condon, C., D'Angelo, D., et al.. - In: ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS. - ISSN 0927-6505. - 49:(2013), pp. 44-51. [10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.08.004]