Achieving low backgrounds in a variety of situations
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
To be sufficiently interesting, a physics experiment must measure a process that is relatively rare. The process may be rare due to small cross sections, low detector mass, or low detector efficiency. In any case, the process of interest must compete with processes in the detector`s environment that are much more prolific. Although these processes may have been of interest last year, they serve only to hide signals of interest today. The most common method of background reduction is to construct a lead shield around the detector. A less common technique is to reconstruct a detector apparatus with materials with a lower specific activity. The effects of cosmic rays are also frequently reduced by using an active veto system or relocating underground. However, the judicious use of these and other techniques requires some knowledge of the vulnerability of the detector and the relative sizes of potential backgrounds. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory-University of South Carolina (PNL-USC) double beta-decay collaboration and more recently the International Germanium Experiment (IGEX) collaboration have accrued a great deal of experience with semiconductor detectors operated above ground, in shallow below-ground locations (36 m), and in several deep underground locations. The effect of low-background materials, coincidence techniques, cosmic neutrons, and ubiquitous uranium and thorium decay products will be discussed as a function of depth and specifically for above-ground experiments.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 10168243
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-24509; CONF-940494-1; ON: DE94015208
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International workshop on superconductivity and particle detection,Toledo (Spain),20-24 Apr 1994; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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