XeSAT2023 - International Workshop on Applications of Noble Gas Xenon to Science and Technology

5 juin 2023, 18:00 → 8 juin 2023, 18:00 Europe/Paris

Amphi KASTLER (Subatech-IMT Atlantique)

 

 

The 6th “International Workshop on Application of Noble Gas Xenon to Science and Technology” (XeSAT2023) will take place from 5 to 8 June 2023 at the SUBATECH laboratory in Nantes, France, hosted by the IMT Atlantique.  It will bring together physicists, chemists, and engineers to discuss the advances in noble gas technology and their applications in various fields.   The meeting will feature invited plenary talks covering topics of recent interest and it is intended to be a forum for experts of the sector as well as junior scientists, offering the possibility for discussions and exchanges.   XeSAT2023 will be jointly organized by SUBATECH Nantes, France and the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

                          
                    Nantes City and campus view

 

 

lun. 5 juin

18:00 → 19:30 Welcome Reception

mar. 6 juin

09:30 → 10:30 Opening session, Chair José Matias-Lopes & Dominique Thers

09:30 Welcome

Orateurs: Dominique Thers (Subatech/IN2P3/CNRS), José António Matias-Lopes (Physics Department, University of Coimbra)

09:40 Liquid Xenon TPCs for Dark Matter Direct Detection

Liquid Xenon TPCs for Dark Matter Direct Detection

Orateur: Elena Aprile

10:30 → 11:00 Direct Dark Matter - session 1, Chair Elisabetta Luigia Barberio

10:30 Status Update & Results from the XENONnT Project

The XENONnT dark matter detector is the latest and largest dual-phase time projection chamber in the XENON experiment series, operating at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. XENONnT hosts 5.9 tons of liquid xenon in its target mass and features multiple upgrades with respect to its predecessors. The detector has been collecting data since 2021, facilitating a wide range of scientific searches. In this talk, an update on the status of XENONnT, as well as its latest results will be presented.

Orateur: Alexey Elykov (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT))

XENONnT_XeSAT2023.pdf

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 → 12:30 Direct Dark Matter - session 1, Chair Elisabetta Luigia Barberio

11:30 Status and Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment

LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a direct dark matter detection experiment currently operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota. It uses the world’s largest dual-phase xenon time projection chamber, with 7 tonnes of active xenon, primarily to look for dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). LZ has released its first results last year, setting new limits on spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross-sections for WIMP masses above 9 GeV/c^2. This talk will provide an overview of the LZ detector, describe these first results and discuss the broad science programme that is now accessible.

Orateur: Paulo Bras

XeSAT2023 - Status and Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment.pdf

12:00 Overview of PandaX-4T experiment

The nature of dark matter has always been pursued in the fields of cosmology and particle physics. PandaX dark matter direct detection experiment established since 2009 has been operated for three phases with 120~kg to 4~ton target liquid xenon. The PandaX-4T experiment, located at China Jinping Underground Laboratory II (CJPL-II), started its data taking since 2020 and have been released the first commissioning result for the dark matter and neutrino analysis. In this talk, I will introduce the PandaX-4T experiment overview, its main technical improvements, operation conditions, and brief physical results.

Orateur: Yi Tao (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Overview of PandaX-4T experiment v3.pdf

12:30 → 13:00 Industrial - session 1, Chair Bernard Andrieu

12:30 Air Liquide, how rare gasses challenge us and allows us to open a new gate on Big Science - Rare Gasses: a critical challenge for Science and Industry - update on the situation

Air Liquide, how rare gasses challenge us and allows us to open a new gate on Big Science

Rare Gasses: a critical challenge for Science and Industry - update on the situation

Amandine Marc, Global Rare Gases Business Developer Air Liquide WBU Global Market and technologies - AL Maritime SAS - 508 Av. Henri Poincaré, 77550 Moissy-Cramayel, France
Luc Gaffet, Big Science market director WBU Global Market and technologies - Deep Tech Departement, 2 rue Clémencière 38360 Sassenage -France
Florent Chaffotte, General Manager Global Rare Gases - Air Liquide WBU Global Market and Technologies - AL Maritime SAS - 508 Av. Henri Poincaré, 77550 Moissy-Cramayel, France

The recent geopolitical crisis has underlined the weakness of the supply chain for several essential products but also for rare gasses.
This talk, presented by Amandine Marc and Florent Chaffotte from Air Liquide company will focus on the noble gas challenges and business. After a brief introduction on Air Liquide group and rare gasses activity, Amandine and Florent will give you some keys to understand the xenon market, and by comparison to other activities, the relatively weak position of the big science market in this game. More than one year after the Ukraine crisis, they will share the current situation on the market and perspective.

At the end they will enhance 2 success stories that the Group Air Liquide participated or developed in connection with Big Science. Next to the Xemis project, the will present our recent development in the He3 activity which was mandatory for the group and a key element to develop a global strategy to address the emerging quantum computing market. This example could be inspiring to solve potential supply chain issues facing research activity. Then, Amandine and Florent will open a debate to better understand what are the challenges you face when it comes to sourcing rare gasses and, see how we could, together, imagine potential solutions to define a sustainable supply chain for noble gas.

Orateur: Mlle Amandine Marc (Air Liquide)

XeSAT 2023 - Rare Gases _ focus on Xe.pdf

13:00 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 16:00 Leptons and Neutrinos, Chair Francesc Montrabal

14:00 Liquid Xenon Electromagnetic Calorimeters of MEG and PIONEER

Liquid Xenon Electromagnetic Calorimeters of MEG and PIONEER

Orateur: Satoshi Mihara (KEK, IPNS)

XeSAT2023-SatoshiMihara.pptx

14:30 GanESS: Detecting coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering with noble gases.

The recent detection of the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) opens the possibility to use neutrinos to explore physics beyond standard model with small size detectors. However, the CEνNS process generates signals at the few keV level, requiring of very sensitive detecting technologies for its detection. The European Spallation Source (ESS) has been identified as an optimal source of low energy neutrinos offering an opportunity for a definitive exploration off all phenomenological applications of CEνNS.

GanESS will use of a high-pressure noble gas time projection chamber to measure CEνNS at ESS in gaseous Xe, Ar and Kr. Such technique appears extraordinarily promising for detecting the process albeit characterization of the response to few-keV nuclear recoils will be necessary. With this goal, we are currently comissioning GaP, a small prototype capable of operating up to 50 bar. GaP will serve to fully evaluate the low energy response of the technique, with a strong focus on measuring the quenching factor for the different noble gases that will later be used at GanESS.

In this talk I’ll give an overview of GanESS with a focus on the status of GaP and its short-term plans.

Orateur: Ander Simón (Donostia International Physics Center)

GanESS_Nantes_XeSat2023_v2.pdf

15:00 PIONEER : a next-generation pion decay experiment at PSI

A next-generation rare pion decay experiment, PIONEER, is motivated by several inconsistencies between Standard Model predictions and data pointing towards the potential violation of lepton flavor universality and tensions in the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix unitarity. PIONEER's first phase is focused on the measurement of the charged-pion branching ratio to electrons vs muons (R_pi). This quantity is very sensitive to a wide variety of new physics effects - including those at very high mass scales-. R_pi is theoretically predicted to a precision 15 times better (~0.012%) than current experimental average (~0.19%). In order to match the theoretical precision PIONEER's envisioned detector is based on a combination of new technologies: an LGAD silicon tracking target and a deep liquid xenon calorimeter with high solid angle coverage and high-speed electronics to optimize its energy and time resolution.
I’ll discuss recent results from previous measurements of R_pi, in particular from the PIENU experiment at TRIUMF. In light of those I'll present PIONEER’s experimental goals and initial detector designs.

Orateur: Chloé Malbrunot (TRIUMF)

PIONEER_Malbrunot_06June2023_XeSAT23.pdf

15:30 The MEG II Experiment

L. Gerritzen, on behalf of the MEG II collaboration

The MEG II experiment [1] searches for the charged lepton flavor-violating decay μ+→e+γ, building on the MEG experiment with enhanced detector performance and an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over the previous result [2].The 900-litre liquid xenon (LXe) calorimeter of MEG, used to detect 53 MeV photons, has been upgraded with 4092 large-area VUV-sensitive silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) [3] in addition to 668 photomultiplier tubes.
In 2022, MEG II achieved the longest run in the history of MEG and MEG II. In addition, successful annealing of the SiPMs could be demonstrated and was repeated in 2023. This talk will present the latest results from the MEG II experiment with a special focus on the LXe calorimeter.

References
[1] Baldini, A, et al., Eur. Phys. J. C 78, 380 (2018).
[2] Baldini, A. et al., Eur. Phys. J. C 76, 434 (2016).
[3]. Ieki, K. et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods. Phys. Res. A925, 148 (2019)

Orateurs: Lukas Gerritzen (The University of Tokyo), Lukas Gerritzen (ICEPP, The University of Tokyo)

MEG_II_Lukas_Gerritzen_XeSAT2023.pdf

16:00 → 16:30 Coffee Break

16:30 → 18:00 Industrial - session 2, Chairs José Matias-Lopes and Dominique Thers

16:30 Special Event - Round Table at the Institut Mines-Telecom Forum - Subject: Isotopes and Markets

Subject: Isotopes and Markets
Invited speakers: ORANO and AIR LIQUIDE managers

Orateur: ORANO and AIR LIQUIDE managers

mer. 7 juin

09:10 → 09:50 Opening session, Chair José Matias-Lopes & Dominique Thers

09:10 Looking into the heart of darkness - dark matter searches with future noble liquid experiments

The fundamental nature of dark or invisible matter remains one of the great mysteries of our time. A leading hypothesis is that dark matter is made of new elementary particles, with proposed masses and interaction cross sections spanning an enormous range. Amongst the technologies developed to search for dark matter particles, detectors based on liquefied noble gases are currently leading the field, providing unprecedented sensitivities and a large discovery potential. After briefly presenting results from multi-tonne detectors currently taking data deep underground, I will also discuss the ongoing R&D and the physics potential of next-generation noble liquid experiments.

Orateur: Laura Baudis (University of Zurich)

baudis_xesat2023.pdf

09:50 → 10:50 Direct Dark Matter - session 2, Chair Sara Diglio

09:50 Title: The DARWIN Experiment: Status, Design and Science reach

The DARWIN (Dark Matter WImp Search with Noble Liquids) experiment is a proposed next-generation dark matter search experiment that aims to achieve unprecedented sensitivity to weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), one of the leading candidates for dark matter. The experiment will use a multi-ton scale liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC) to detect the rare interactions of WIMPs with atomic nuclei.
In this talk, we will present the design and plans for the DARWIN experiment, including its detector technology, background reduction techniques, and expected sensitivity. The DARWIN experiment will employ advanced techniques in detector calibration and background modeling to achieve an unprecedented background level and a sensitivity to WIMP-nucleon cross sections down to the neutrino-nucleus background at WIMP masses above 50 GeV/c^2.
We will also discuss the status of the DARWIN project, including its international collaboration, current R&D efforts, and future timeline. We will present XLZD, a new consortium with the LZ collaboration, aiming at a combined experiment.

Orateur: Ranny Budnik (Weizmann Institute of Science)

Darwin_XeSat_2023_R_Budnik.pdf

10:20 XLZD: A Next-Generation Liquid Xenon Observatory For Rare Event Searches

Dual phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chambers (TPCs) lead the field of direct dark matter searches, with particular sensitivity to Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). This is a well established technology, proven to be scalable from a few tens of kg of target mass to the current multi-tonne detectors LZ and XENONnT. These detectors have recently announced their first, world leading WIMP search results [1,2], and are expected to further improve WIMP-nucleon cross-section sensitivity by up to two orders of magnitude relatively to the previous generation. Despite the exciting prospects for these experiments, there is broad consensus in the community of the need for a larger detector, able to probe the WIMP parameter space down to the irreducible "neutrino fog”. Should the current generation of instruments provide evidence of a signal, a large detector will be essential as the nature of dark matter becomes open to exploration.

With this goal in mind, the XENON, LZ and DARWIN collaborations recently formed the XLZD Consortium aiming to build and operate a xenon TPC with 40-80 tonnes of active mass, expected to start operating by the start of the next decade. The extremely low background of this detector will allow it to serve as an observatory in astroparticle physics, with high sensitivity to many other physics channels, including alternative dark matter candidates, and neutrino physics through to neutrinoless double beta decay and a variety of astrophysical sources.

In this talk, I will present an overview of the XLZD detector concept and timeline, and its initial sensitivity projections to multiple science cases, particularly focusing on WIMP and neutrinoless double beta decay searches.

References

[1] J. Aalbers et al. (LZ Collaboration), arXiv:2207.03764 (2022)
[2] E. Aprile et al. (XENON Collaboration), arXiv:2303.14729 (2023)

Orateur: Alexandre Lindote (LIP)

ALindote_XeSAT2023.pdf

10:50 → 11:20 Coffee Break

11:20 → 11:50 Direct Dark Matter - session 2, Chair Sara Diglio

11:20 Dark Matter Detection in Liquid Argon with DarkSide-20k Dual Phase Time Projection Chamber

Dark Matter Detection in Liquid Argon with DarkSide-20k Dual Phase Time Projection Chamber

T. Hessel1, on behalf of the DarkSide-20k collaboration

1APC, Université Paris-Cité

hessel@apc.in2p3.fr

DarkSide-20k is the next generation dual-phase TPC of the DarkSide programme with 50 ton underground argon target, currently under construction at LNGS (Italy). With data taking to begin in 2026, DarkSide-20k will achieve cross-section discovery sensitivity of 10-47 cm2 searching for interactions of WIMPs with 0.1 TeV/c2 mass. The sensitivity projection relies on innovative technologies such as novel low-noise, high efficiency SiPM and Gd-loaded acrylic neutron veto, and on the extraordinary background rejection power of liquid argon. In this talk, a broad overview will be provided with some recent updates on the experiment.

Orateur: Timothée Hessel (APC)

DS20k_XeSAT_Hessel.pdf

11:50 → 13:20 0vbb - session 1, Chair Julien Masbou

11:50 Neutrinoless double decay with the nEXO experiment

The nEXO experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) using a 5-tonne scale LXe time projection chamber (TPC), enriched to 90 % in Xe136, reaching a half-life sensitivity greater than $10^{28}$ years after 10 years of lifetime. The observation 0νββ decay would imply new physics due to the lepton number non-conservation, and the Majorana nature of the neutrino. The nEXO TPC measures the energy through ionization and scintillation light, which allows to reach energy resolution smaller than 1 % at the Qββ endpoint value. The design was improved so that the background would be reduced; electroformed copper, and the search for low activity materials are few of the areas of improvement. In this talk we will provide an overview of the nEXO experiment and the various design choices that lead to our current
sensitivity.

Orateur: Dr Vidal Marie

camilleVidal_XeSat2023_Vidal_vers2.pdf

12:20 Searching for neutrinoless double beta decay with NEXT

The NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) project is an international collaboration aimed at finding evidence of neutrinoless double beta decay using gaseous xenon. After its initial phase of research and development, the team was able to run a small-scale experiment called NEXT-White, which took place from 2016 to 2021 at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc, an underground facility in the Spanish Pyrenees. The current phase of the project involves the construction and operation of a larger experiment, NEXT-100, which will employ 100 kg of xenon. The data taking phase is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023. In this talk, we will discuss the most recent results of the experiment and the plans to extend the technology towards the ton-scale for fully exploring the inverse hierarchy of neutrino masses.

Orateur: Stefano Roberto Soleti (Donostia International Physics Center)

next_xesat.key

next_xesat.pdf

12:50 AXEL: high pressure xenon gas time projection chamber for neutrinoless double beta decay search

The AXEL (A Xenon ELectroluminescence) experiment aims to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 136Xe using xenon gas time projection chamber. Electroluminescence (EL) mode is used to readout the ionization signal in order to achieve high energy resolution. We have developed a new modularized cellular readout method called “Electroluminescence Light Collection Cell (ELCC)”. Ionization electrons are drifted and pulled into the cells by the electric field and generate EL lights, then EL photons are detected by VUV-sensitive SiPMs attached to that cell. Its rigid structure is an advantage to enlarge the detector.

The performance of the AXEL detector was demonstrated with the 180 L prototype detector: The energy resolution and track patters were measured at up to 2.6 MeV.

Towards the construction of a detector with 1000 L, R&D has been perfomed : HV generation inside the chamber, resistive electrode with diamond-like carbon coating and large-area SiPM and higher-density readout electronics board.

Status and prospect of the 180L-protototype evaluation and 1000L-detector construction will be reported in this talk.

Orateur: Junya Hikida (Kyoto univercity)

2023XeSAT_AXEL_hikida.pdf

13:20 → 14:20 Lunch

14:20 → 17:50 Social program (more details in description)

Transport from IMT to city center meeting point :
- Catch the C6 Bus at "Chantrerie" stop
- Get down at "Place du cirque" bus stop
- Then, take the tram line T2 ("Gare de pont Rousseau" direction) up to "Hotel Dieu" stop.

Call numbers in case of difficulties :
Yajing Xing (XEMIS2) : +33 7 58 45 52 03
Nicolas Beaupère (XEMIS2) : +33 6 82 63 88 18
XEMIS2 room phone : +33 2 53 52 62 36

Sara Diglio (City tour 15h45) : +33 7 81 52 64 72
Julien Masbou (City tour 14h45) : +33 6 95 59 90 20

19:30 → 22:30 Conference diner

jeu. 8 juin

09:10 → 09:50 Opening session, Chair José Matias-Lopes & Dominique Thers

09:10 Purification of xenon from radioactive noble gases

With the installation of rare event search experiments in underground laboratories, very good passive and active shielding measures, and careful material selection, radioactive noble gases in xenon become the main underground source in rare event searches, along with solar and atmospheric neutrinos. In particular, these include the isotopes $^\mathrm{39}$Ar, $^\mathrm{85}$Kr, $^\mathrm{136}$Xe and $^\mathrm{222}$Rn, which cannot be removed by normal getters. In this talk, various methods for removal of these radioactive noble gases from xenon will be presented. The special case $^\mathrm{136}$Xe will not be discussed because the neutrinoless double beta decay of $^\mathrm{136}$Xe is mostly a wanted signal. In particular, new records in purity of $^\mathrm{39}$Ar, $^\mathrm{85}$Kr and $^\mathrm{222}$Rn have been achieved with cryogenic ``online distillation'' in the dark matter experiment XENONnT.
The talk will also provide an outlook on how these methods can be further developed to achieve the required purity of radioactive noble gases for the next generation of experiments such as DARWIN/XLZD. In particular, the just started developments within the ERC Advanced Grant project \emph{LowRad} with an intended radon purity of 1 radon atom per 100 mol xenon also aim at integrating the necessary very sensitive online diagnostic methods.

Orateur: Christian Weinheimer (Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany)

weinheimer_XeSAT2023.pdf

09:50 → 11:00 Medical Imaging, Chair Nicolas Beaupère

09:50 Status and perspectives of the PETALO project

PETALO (Positron Emission TOF Apparatus with Liquid xenOn) is a project that uses liquid xenon (LXe) together with a SiPM-based readout and fast electronics to provide a significant improvement in PET-TOF technology. Liquid xenon allows one to build a continuous detector with a high stopping power for 511-keV gammas. In addition, SiPMs enable a fast and accurate measurement of the energy with a small dark count rate at the low temperatures required from LXe. PETit, the first PETALO prototype built at IFIC (Valencia), consists of an aluminum box with one volume of LXe and two planes of SiPMs, which register the scintillation light emitted in xenon by the gammas coming from a Na22 radioactive source placed in the middle. The LXe volume is divided in small, highly reflective cells to enhance light collection.
In this talk I will review the potential of the LXe technology for full-body PET scanners and present the first measurement of the energy resolution attainable with LXe, performed with PETit.

Orateur: Dr Paola Ferrario (Donostia International Physics Center)

xesat23_Ferrario.pdf

10:20 3DΠ: A Novel Total-Body PET Scanner Using Xenon-Doped Liquid Argon Scintillator for Outstanding Detection Sensitivity

The 3DΠ project is an application in medical physics of the ongoing R&D from the DarkSide collaboration, which is aimed at the direct detection of dark matter particles via Liquid Argon (LAr) targets. The collaboration has demonstrated the power of LAr detector technology and has made significant strides in low-radioactivity argon procurement and cryogenic photosensor development and fabrication, which have been applied in the development of the 3DΠ scanner.

The 3DΠ project is a novel design of a Total-Body (TB), Time Of Flight (TOF), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner that uses a scintillator system of Xenon-doped Liquid Argon (LAr+Xe) and silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) panels. The Xenon doping of the LAr scintillator suppresses the long-lifetime component of the LAr scintillation light, allowing for higher data rate and hence higher patient doses if required for a given application. As the de-excitation process in the mixture allows for direct energy transfer from argon excimers to xenon and direct emission of xenon light, it is expected to be faster compared to fluorescence processes of a wavelength shifter (WLS). Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that lowering the operating temperature of SiPMs to match the temperature of LAr substantially decreases the dark count rate within the SiPM.

Based on current simulations, the 3DΠ scanner will have an axial length of 2 m, an inner radius of 45 cm, and an outer radius of 64 cm. The outer and inner surfaces, as well as the end-caps, are 4 mm sheets of titanium, which form the cryostat and enclose 9 concentric, annular layers of PTFE, each containing two arrays of SiPMs.

The initial findings from the NEMA tests indicate that the spatial resolution of the 3Dπ detector is on par with that of commercial detectors. The TOF resolution was measured as 160 ps. Additionally, the sensitivity of the detector is measured at 564.02 kcps/MBq at the center and 501.13 kcps/MBq at a 10 cm offset. The noise-equivalent count rate (NECR) reaches up to 1.5 Mcps at an activity concentration of 5.3 kBq/mL and increases to 3 Mcps at 21.2 kBq/mL. These preliminary results suggest that our scanner's system performance is comparable to, if not superior to, other commercial scanners.

Overall, the 3DΠ project shows promise in developing a cost-effective and competitive PET scanner that can potentially reduce PET scanning time or patient dose due to its outstanding detection sensitivity.

Orateur: Dr Azam Zabihi (Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, ASTROCENT, Warsaw, Poland)

Xe2023-AzamZabihi.pdf

10:40 Feasibility evaluation of nuclear fuel homogeneity control with Liquid Xenon Medical Imaging System

E. Semenov1*, N. Beaupere1, A. Charre2, A. Ndiaye2, A. Spiteri2, D. Thers1

1 SUBATECH, IMT Atlantique - Université de Nantes - CNRS/IN2P3, Nantes 44307, France
2 Orano – MELOX, Marcoule Nuclear Site, France

E-mail: semenov@subatech.in2p3.fr
*corresponding author

The non-destructive control and imaging with γ-rays is well-known and is widely used in medicine and in nuclear industry. The forthcoming presentation is centered on new application of a state-of-the-art detector, based on a LXe single-phase 24-cm long field-of-view (FOV) camera, XEMIS2. It is constructed in Nantes, France, and is currently undergoing its testing phase. Originally conceived for medical 3γ-imaging, the camera is now being scrutinized to explore additional area of its’ application in non-destructive control and imaging of high-density (> 10 g/cm2) objects that emit a wider spectrum of γ-rays, which is a quite relevant and ambitious goal [1,2]. It was shown that for medicine purposes it can work with relatively small activities [3] to produce images using γ-rays. High activity is expected for dense and emitting objects containing U or Pu isotopes, but the useful high-energy region of interest for high-density in-depth scan presents a challenge due to small statistics.

The talk will expound on the different methods being developed and assessed for such sources control. Notwithstanding the challenges of density and statistics of the measured objects, XEMIS2 holds the potential to unveil imaging and control capabilities in this new application thanks to its’ large FOV, unique design features and LXe properties.

References

[1] Kayani, J., & Rhodes, N. J. (2016). Non-destructive testing of nuclear fuel using gamma rays. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 470, 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.11.025

[2] Ohkawa, Y., Yoshida, T., Takada, J., Fujita, T., & Kato, K. (2013). Development of a gamma ray tomography system for non-destructive testing of high-density materials. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 729, 596-601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.08.017

[3] J.P. Cussonneau, et al., 3 Medical Imaging with a Liquid Xenon Compton Camera and 44Sc Radionuclide, Acta Phys. Pol. B Vol. 48, No. 10, Oct. (2017).

Orateur: Eugene SEMENOV (Subatech)

xesat2023_orano_subatech_XEMIS2.pdf

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 → 13:00 0vbb - session 2, Chair Yajing Xing

11:30 Development of a high pressure single-anode radial TPC for the search of 2β0ν decays

The objective of R&D R2D2 is to develop a very simple TPC filled with pressurized xenon for the search of neutrinoless double beta decays (2β0ν). We tested several chamber concepts - spherical (SPC) or cylindrical (CPC) geometries - with an argon-methane gas mixture at pressures up to 8 bars. We report the results obtained in ionization and proportional modes, especially in terms of signal shape and energy resolution. Furthermore, based on both an in-house simulation for the signal formation and our experimental observations, we have studied the possibilities of localization and discrimination of the interaction tracks within these detectors. Future developments will also be presented.

Orateur: Pascal Lautridou (CNRS-IN2P3)

Pres_PL_XeSAT_2.pdf

12:00 Recent results from KamLAND-Zen, a neutrinoless double-beta decay search experiment using 136Xe

Neutrinoless double-beta (0ν2β) decay is physics beyond the Standard Model. If discovered, it would demonstrate that neutrinos are their own antiparticles, a property known as Majorana nature.

KamLAND-Zen is a project to search for the 0ν2β decay of 136Xe. It uses an organic liquid scintillator with dissolved xenon gas as both the source and detector. The experimental apparatus is located in the Kamioka Mine in Gifu, Japan, 1,000 m below Mt. Ikenoyama. At this depth, the cosmic ray muon arrival rate is ~10^{-5} that of the surface. The current phase (KamLAND-Zen 800) uses 750 kg of xenon (136Xe is 91% enriched) and has been running since January 2019.

This presentation will cover recent results from KamLAND-Zen, including the search for the 0ν2β decay [1] and the measurement of muon spallation products in the xenon-loaded liquid scintillator [2].

References
[1] KamLAND-Zen Collaboration, Phys. Rev. Lett., 130, 051801 (2023).
[2] KamLAND-Zen Collaboration, (Accepted by Phys. Rev. C), arXiv:2301.09307 (2023).

Orateur: Takahiko Hachiya (RCNS, Tohoku U., Japan)

xesat2023_kamlandzen_v03.pdf

12:30 Missing data reconstruction using Machine Learning techniques in the gaseous TPC PandaX-III experiment

A.Lobasenko1,2, D.Neyret1 and Y.Bedfer1
On behalf of the PandaX-III collaboration
1 CEA, IRFU, DPhN, LSN
2 Université Paris-Saclay
E-mail: andrii.lobasenko@cea.fr

The PandaX-III experiment aims to detect the Neutrinoless Double-beta decay (NLDBD), a hypothetical process where only two electrons are emitted from the atomic nucleus. Since the Q-value of the decay is divided only between charged particles, the electron sum energy spectrum of the NLDBD would show a single peak at the Q-value point. While only a few isotopes undergo double-beta decay with the emission of two anti-neutrinos, Xe-136 was chosen for the experiment due to its high natural abundance and suitability for use in gaseous TPC detectors. However, the Q-value for Xe-136 (~2.5MeV) can be contaminated by background radiation, which needs to be distinguished from the signal.
The PandaX-III experiment uses a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) detector filled with 10 bar gaseous Xe-136 and a readout plane consisting of 52 Thermal-bonded Micromegas modules (TBMM) [1], each with readout pixels connected in channels. There are 128 readout channels per module: 64 per X and Y directions. Therefore, XZ and YZ projections of the initial decay event track represent the detector output. It stores not only the amplitudes of the signal deposited by ionized particles inside the gas but also the topology of the event. Thus, such data configuration is beneficial for background discrimination from the signal [2]. In NLDBD searches, the experiment requires excellent energy resolution to discriminate signals from the background, and the PandaX-III experiment design aims to achieve better than 3% at 2.5 MeV. However, in the real-world experiment, readout channels may be disconnected due to physical damage, the appearance of sparks, high dark currents, and other factors, resulting in losses in energy measurement and track reconstruction. In addition, the signal gain may be inhomogeneous on the Micromegas modules, further degrading the energy reconstruction. To improve the measurement quality, registered data should be corrected for missing channels and inhomogeneities.
In this project, Machine Learning techniques have been implemented to predict the total energy of events detected by TBMM modules that have missing channels. Additionally, event classification was studied to differentiate between NLDBD events and background events based on their topology. To conduct the analysis, Monte-Carlo simulations were performed using REST software based on the Geant4 and ROOT libraries. Multiple Neural Network (NN) architectures were tested to find the most optimal configuration that yields the best predictions. The results indicate an improvement in the detection efficiency of an NLDBD signal when NN is applied to correct missing energy compared to direct signal detection with missing energies. Finally, discrimination of the background using NN demonstrates noticeable results, helping select events that require reconstruction due to detector flaws. In low-rate experiments (NLDBD, Dark-matter searches, etc.), the high energy resolution is crucial, and the loss in detection capability may drastically reduce the effectiveness of the detector. Therefore, such a technique shows high potential to be implemented in Xe-based experiments. After having presented the experiment and the status of the MM readout, the methodology of the ML studies will be described along with the corresponding results.

References
[1] J. Feng et al., A thermal bonding method for manufacturing Micromegas detectors, Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment 989 (2021) 164958
[2] J. Galan et al., J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 47 (2020) 045108

Orateur: Andrii Lobasenko (CEA-Saclay/IRFU/DPhN)

XESAT2023_LOBASENKO_prelim.pdf

13:00 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 16:15 R&D, Chair Satoshi Mihara

14:00 Light detection in liquid Xenon for nEXO and beyond

The nEXO experiment is being designed for neutrinoless double beta decay in liquid Xenon. To meet its target sensitivity, the energy resolution must be 1%, in order to reject gamma and two-neutrino double beta decay backgrounds. This requirement translates into the requirement of detecting at least 3% of the scintillation photons produced with minimum added fluctuations. In addition, the scintillation light detection system must contribute minimally to the radioactive material budget, i.e. less than a few percent of the gamma background detected can stem from the light detection system. This latter requirement rules out the use of photo-multiplier tubes. Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) arrays have been selected for nEXO because they fulfill the radiopurity requirement and because they minimize electronics noise, thanks to their high gain. The baseline solution for nEXO is analog SPAD arrays, called Silicon Photo-multipliers (SiPMs) [1]. We will show detail performance characterization in vacuum and liquid Xenon assessing their performance for the detection of 175nm scintillation photons and the processes that may distort the energy estimator, so called dark noise, after-pulsing and crosstalk. This later process stems from light emission during the avalanche responsible for the SPAD high gain, and it can create additional spurious avalanches within the same chip (internal crosstalk) but also within other SiPM channels (external crosstalk)[2]. We will show detail characterization of this process imaging the light produced and reconstructing external crosstalk events in the Light only Liquid Xenon experiment. Finally, we will discuss the use of digital SPAD arrays, called Photon to Digital Converter for applications beyond nEXO outlining their key advantages.

Orateur: Retiere Fabrice (TRIUMF)

XeSATLXeLightDet.pdf

14:30 The XeLab Project

One of the main issues with increasing the size of two-phase Xe TPCs concerns their electrodes, which are exposed to additional sagging due to gravity and their mutual electrical attraction. The XeLab Project aims to overcome this challenge by developing an original concept of floating electrodes, where the canonical gate-anode system is replaced by a novel set of electrodes whose planarity is provided by tiny insulating spacers. The materials are chosen in such a way that the sum of all forces, at a given liquid level, is equal to zero. XeLab will also be used to test novel cooling systems based on liquid nitrogen. The XeLab cryogenic system and its TPC are under construction and will be hosted at the LPNHE Laboratory in Paris.

Orateur: Luca Scotto Lavina (LPNHE Paris)

XeLab-LucaScottoLavina-XeSat2023-20230608.pdf

14:50 A high resolution scanning set-up for defect detection on electrodes

The next generation of xenon filled time projection chambers (TPCs) aiming at the direct detection of dark matter (DM), e.g Darwin [1], will be roughly a factor 10 larger than current experiments [2,3]. These TPCs should have as low backgrounds as possible and their high voltage (HV) electrodes should be stable and not induce discharges. It is crucial that the electrode surfaces are defect-free to avoid spurious electron emission, which can mimic backgrounds and trigger breakdowns. The challenges in achieving this are evident from the inability of the two largest dual-phase xenon TPCs currently in operation (XENONnT, LZ) to reach their design electric fields.

At the PRISMA Detector Laboratory we have developed an electrode test set-up featuring a high-re-solution camera (1.4 𝜇m by 1.4 𝜇m object size imaged on one pixel) mounted to a gantry robot system. (See figure.) This arrangement allows for auto-mated optical scans of electrodes, revealing potential microscopic defects. However, the presence of a “defect” does not indicate whether it will enhance electron emission. To assess the defects’ nature, we embed the electrode in a gas atmosphere along with a ground plane and employ a separate overview camera to capture images. A defect on the electrode may emit electrons, igniting a corona discharge, which the overview camera records and may latter be used to study the defects’ characteristics.

We will present the set-up and report on the feasibility of electrode defect detection by igniting corona discharges in argon gas and how these results may be extrapolated to liquid noble filled TPCs, in particular xenon filled ones.

References
[1] J Aalbers et al, J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys., 50, 013001 (2023)
[2] XENON collaboration, arXiv: 2303.14729 (2023)
[3] LZ collaboration, arXiv: 2207.03764 (2022)

Orateur: Alexander Deisting (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)

XeSAT2023_a-deisting_week23_23.pdf

15:10 Results from the operation of a single-phase liquid xenon TPC

Dual-phase liquid/gas xenon TPCs, detecting the charge signal via proportional scintillation in gaseous xenon, are a well-established detector technology to search for WIMP dark matter. However, the spatially uniform generation of the charge signal will be challenging at the scale of the next-generation detectors due to the size of the TPCs. The generation of the charge signal in the liquid xenon phase of a single-phase TPC is a promising option to circumvent this issue and leads to several improvements in the detected signal. We successfully operated a single-phase TPC demonstrator which exploits proportional scintillation in the strong electric field around very thin wires. In this talk we will present the results obtained with this detector.

Orateur: Florian Tönnies (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)

20230607_XeSAT23_FlorianTönnies.pdf

15:30 Commissioning of the large-scale LXe detector test platform PANCAKE

The next generation of liquid xenon (LXe) based dual-phase time projection chambers (TPCs) for dark-matter WIMP searches will supersede the current experiments of this type both in size and sensitivity. The central low-background TPC will not only be challenging because of its dimension of 2.6m in height and diameter, but also due to its low-temperature operation, and the required radio purity levels. Our PANCAKE detector development platform at the University of Freiburg allows for testing flat TPC components of up to 2.6m size. We here present this testing facility with the results of our first full 300kg xenon-run.

Orateur: Julia Müller (University of Freiburg)

Pancake_Mueller_Xesat2023.pdf

15:50 An introduction of new 2-inch R11699 PMTs for Liquid Xenon TPC

INPAC, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Shanghai 200240, China

E-mail: yanbinbin@sjtu.edu.cn

The PandaX project consists of a series of xenon-based experiments that are used to
search for dark matter (DM) particles and to study the fundamental properties of neutrinos. The operating PandaX-4T contains 4-ton liquid xenon in the sensitive volume and the next generation Pandax-nT with 30-ton. With increasing target mass, the sensitivity of searching for both DM and neutrinoless double-beta decay(0νββ) signals is significantly improved. However, the typical energy of interest
for (0νββ) signals are at the MeV scale, which is much higher than that of most popular DM signals. The dynamic range of baseline readout scheme of the photomultiplier tubes (PMTs),which was designed from DM specially, is very limited. Signals from the majority of PMTs in the top array of the detector are heavily saturated at MeV energies. We have designed a new high voltage divider with more de-saturation capacitors, which could be used later in PandaX-4T.

The R11410 3-inch PMTs are the most popular photon detectors in Xe TPCs. However, the detector sensitivity is limited by the radioactivity, large size, signal-saturation and position reconstruction accuracy. In this report, we report a new 2-inch R12699 PMTs with four individual anodes for liquid xenon TPCs. We are testing 350pcs of R12699 in Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Orateur: Binbin Yan

PandaX-4T-PMT-XeSAT2023.pdf

16:20 → 16:50 Coffee Break