Here, building on the successful experience in operating the DarkSide-50 detector, the DarkSide Collaboration is going to construct DarkSide-20k, a direct WIMP search detector using a two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) with an active (fiducial) mass of 23 t (20 t). The DarkSide-20k LArTPC will be deployed within a shield/veto with a spherical Liquid Scintillator Veto (LSV) inside a cylindrical Water Cherenkov Veto (WCV). Operation of DarkSide-50 demonstrated a major reduction in the dominant $$^{39}$$Ar background when using argon extracted from an underground source, before applying pulse shape analysis. Data from DarkSide-50, in combination with MC simulation and analytical modeling, shows that a rejection factor for discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils of $$\gt3\times10^9$$ is achievable. This, along with the use of the veto system, is the key to unlocking the path to large LArTPC detector masses, while maintaining an "instrumental background-free" experiment, an experiment in which less than 0.1 events (other than $$\nu$$-induced nuclear recoils) is expected to occur within the WIMP search region during the planned exposure. DarkSide-20k will have ultra-low backgrounds than can be measured in situ. This will give sensitivity to WIMP-nucleon cross sections of $$1.2\times10^{-47}$$ cm$^2$ ($$1.1\times10^{-46}$$ cm$^2$) for WIMPs of $$1$$ TeV$/c^2$ ($10$ TeV$/c^2$) mass, to be achieved during a 5 yr run producing an exposure of 100 t yr free from any instrumental background. DarkSide-20k could then extend its operation to a decade, increasing the exposure to 200 t yr, reaching a sensitivity of $$7.4\times10^{-48}$$ cm$^2$ ($$6.9\times10^{-47}$$ cm$^2$) for WIMPs of $$1$$ TeV$/c^2$ ($10$ TeV$/c^2$) mass.
Aalseth, C. E., et al. "DarkSide-20k: A 20 tonne two-phase LAr TPC for direct dark matter detection at LNGS." European Physical Journal Plus, vol. 133, no. 3, Mar. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-11973-4
Aalseth, C. E., Acerbi, F., Agnes, P., Albuquerque, I. F. M., Alexander, T., Alici, A., Alton, A. K., Antonioli, P., Arcelli, S., Ardito, R., Arnquist, I. J., Asner, D. M., Ave, M., Back, H. O., Barrado Olmedo, A. I., Batignani, G., Bertoldo, E., Bettarini, S., ... Zuzel, G. (2018). DarkSide-20k: A 20 tonne two-phase LAr TPC for direct dark matter detection at LNGS. European Physical Journal Plus, 133(3). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-11973-4
Aalseth, C. E., Acerbi, F., Agnes, P., et al., "DarkSide-20k: A 20 tonne two-phase LAr TPC for direct dark matter detection at LNGS," European Physical Journal Plus 133, no. 3 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-11973-4
@article{osti_1375727,
author = {Aalseth, C. E. and Acerbi, F. and Agnes, P. and Albuquerque, I. F. M. and Alexander, T. and Alici, A. and Alton, A. K. and Antonioli, P. and Arcelli, S. and Ardito, R. and others},
title = {DarkSide-20k: A 20 tonne two-phase LAr TPC for direct dark matter detection at LNGS},
annote = {Here, building on the successful experience in operating the DarkSide-50 detector, the DarkSide Collaboration is going to construct DarkSide-20k, a direct WIMP search detector using a two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) with an active (fiducial) mass of 23 t (20 t). The DarkSide-20k LArTPC will be deployed within a shield/veto with a spherical Liquid Scintillator Veto (LSV) inside a cylindrical Water Cherenkov Veto (WCV). Operation of DarkSide-50 demonstrated a major reduction in the dominant $^{39}$Ar background when using argon extracted from an underground source, before applying pulse shape analysis. Data from DarkSide-50, in combination with MC simulation and analytical modeling, shows that a rejection factor for discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils of $\gt3\times10^9$ is achievable. This, along with the use of the veto system, is the key to unlocking the path to large LArTPC detector masses, while maintaining an "instrumental background-free" experiment, an experiment in which less than 0.1 events (other than $\nu$-induced nuclear recoils) is expected to occur within the WIMP search region during the planned exposure. DarkSide-20k will have ultra-low backgrounds than can be measured in situ. This will give sensitivity to WIMP-nucleon cross sections of $1.2\times10^{-47}$ cm$^2$ ($1.1\times10^{-46}$ cm$^2$) for WIMPs of $1$ TeV$/c^2$ ($10$ TeV$/c^2$) mass, to be achieved during a 5 yr run producing an exposure of 100 t yr free from any instrumental background. DarkSide-20k could then extend its operation to a decade, increasing the exposure to 200 t yr, reaching a sensitivity of $7.4\times10^{-48}$ cm$^2$ ($6.9\times10^{-47}$ cm$^2$) for WIMPs of $1$ TeV$/c^2$ ($10$ TeV$/c^2$) mass.},
doi = {10.1140/epjp/i2018-11973-4},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1375727},
journal = {European Physical Journal Plus},
issn = {ISSN 2190-5444},
number = {3},
volume = {133},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Springer},
year = {2018},
month = {03}}
Kapustinsky, J. S.; DeVries, R. M.; DiGiacomo, N. J.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 241, Issue 2-3https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(85)90622-9
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 265, Issue 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(88)91076-5
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 330, Issue 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(93)91327-J
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 460, Issue 2-3https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(00)01082-2
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 498, Issue 1-3https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(02)01981-2
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 421, Issue 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(98)01204-2
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 449, Issue 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(99)01450-3
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 449, Issue 1-2https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(99)01469-2
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 560, Issue 2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2005.12.213
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 572, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2006.10.219
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 574, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2007.01.106
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 579, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2007.04.101
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 582, Issue 2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2007.08.176
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 586, Issue 2https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2007.12.008
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 591, Issue 3https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2008.03.001
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 600, Issue 3https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2008.11.076
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 622, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2010.07.037
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 644, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.009
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 654, Issue 1https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.06.088
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 676https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.12.043
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 732https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.07.043
Chang, Zheng; Okoye, Nkemakonam C.; Urffer, Matthew J.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 769https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.09.066
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 775https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.11.052
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 797https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2015.07.003
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 828https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.05.038
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 241, Issue 1-4https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2005.07.128
LOW RADIOACTIVITY TECHNIQUES 2013 (LRT 2013): Proceedings of the IV International Workshop in Low Radioactivity Techniques, AIP Conference Proceedingshttps://doi.org/10.1063/1.4818064
LOW RADIOACTIVITY TECHNIQUES 2015 (LRT 2015): Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop in Low Radioactivity Techniques, AIP Conference Proceedingshttps://doi.org/10.1063/1.4928027
2011 2nd International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and their Applications (ANIMMA)https://doi.org/10.1109/animma.2011.6172838