Systematic study of trace radioactive impurities in candidate construction materials for EXO-200

Abstract

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) will search for double beta decays of 136Xe. We report the results of a systematic study of trace concentrations of radioactive impurities in a wide range of raw materials and finished parts considered for use in the construction of EXO-200, the first stage of the EXO experimental program. Analysis techniques employed, and described here, include direct gamma counting, alpha counting, neutron activation analysis, and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry.

32 pages, 6 figures. Expanded introduction, added missing table entry. Accepted for publication in Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A

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• The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
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• A liquid xenon ionization chamber in an all-fluoropolymer vessel
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