Demonstration of Surface Electron Rejection with Interleaved Germanium Detectors for Dark Matter Searches

Journal Article · Thu Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4826093· OSTI ID:1158502

Agnese, R.; Anderson, A. J.; Balakishiyeva, D.; Basu Thakur, R.; Bauer, D. A.; Borgland, A.; Brandt, D.; Brink, P. L.; Bunker, R.; Cabrera, B.; Caldwell, D. O.; Cerdeno, D. G.; Chagani, H.; Cherry, M.; Cooley, J.; Cornell, B.; Crewdson, C. H.; Cushman, Priscilla B.; Daal, M.; Di Stefano, P. C. ; Doughty, T.; Esteban, L.; Fallows, S.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Fox, J.; Fritts, M.; Godfrey, G. L.; Golwala, S. R.; Hall, Jeter C.; Harris, H. R.; Hasi, J.; Hertel, S. A.; Hines, B. A.; Hofer, T.; Holmgren, D.; Hsu, L.; Huber, M. E.; Jastram, A.; Kamaev, O.; Kara, B.; Kelsey, M. H.; Kenany, S.; Kennedy, A.; Kenney, C. J.; Kiveni, M.; Koch, K.; Loer, B.; Lopez Asamar, E.; Mahapatra, R.; Mandic, V.; Martinez, C.; McCarthy, K. A.; Mirabolfathi, N.; Moffatt, R. A.; Moore, D. C.; Nadeau, P.; Nelson, R. H.; Novak, L.; Page, K.; Partridge, R.; Pepin, M.; Phipps, A.; Prasad, K.; Pyle, M.; Qiu, H.; Radpour, R.; Rau, W.; Redl, P.; Reisetter, A.; Resch, R. W.; Ricci, Y.; Saab, T.; Sadoulet, B.; Sander, J.; Schmitt, R.; Schneck, K.; Schnee, Richard; Scorza, S.; Seitz, D.; Serfass, B.; Shank, B.; Speller, D.; Tomada, A.; Villano, A. N.; Welliver, B.; Wright, D. H.; Yellin, S.; Yen, J. J.; Young, B. A.; Zhang, J.

The SuperCDMS experiment in the Soudan Underground Laboratory searches for dark matter with a 9-kg array of cryogenic germanium detectors. Symmetric sensors on opposite sides measure both charge and phonons from each particle interaction, providing excellent discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils, and between surface and interior events. Furthermore, surface event rejection capabilities were tested with two ²¹⁰Pb sources producing ~130 beta decays/hr. We found that in ~800 live hours, no events leaked into the 8–115 keV signal region, giving upper limit leakage fraction 1.7 x 10^-5 at 90% C.L., corresponding to<0.6 surface event background in the future 200-kg SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Contributing Organization: SuperCDMS Collaboration
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1158502
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-96263
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 16; ISSN 0003-6951
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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