Single electron emission in two-phase xenon with application to the detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering

Abstract

We present an experimental study of single electron emission in ZEPLIN-III, a two-phase xenon experiment built to search for dark matter WIMPs, and discuss applications enabled by the excellent signal-to-noise ratio achieved in detecting this signature. Firstly, we demonstrate a practical method for precise measurement of the free electron lifetime in liquid xenon during normal operation of these detectors. Then, using a realistic detector response model and backgrounds, we assess the feasibility of deploying such an instrument for measuring coherent neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering using the ionisation channel in the few-electron regime. We conclude that it should be possible to measure this elusive neutrino signature above an ionisation threshold of $\sim$3 electrons both at a stopped pion source and at a nuclear reactor. Detectable signal rates are larger in the reactor case, but the triggered measurement and harder recoil energy spectrum afforded by the accelerator source enable lower overall background and fiducialisation of the active volume.

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• Experimental study of ionization yield of liquid xenon for electron recoils in the energy range 2.8 - 80 keV
• Correlated Single- and Few-Electron Backgrounds Milliseconds after Interactions in Dual-Phase Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chambers
• Scintillation and Ionization Responses of Liquid Xenon to Low Energy Electronic and Nuclear Recoils at Drift Fields from 236 V/cm to 3.93 kV/cm
• Extraction efficiency of drifting electrons in a two-phase xenon time projection chamber
• The Electric Field Dependence of Single Electron Emission in the PIXeY Two-Phase Xenon Detector
• High Resolution Gamma Ray Detection in a Dual Phase Xenon Time Projection Chamber
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