First operation and performance of a 200 lt double phase LAr LEM-TPC with a 40x76 cm^2 readout

Abstract

In this paper we describe the design, construction, and operation of a first large area double-phase liquid argon Large Electron Multiplier Time Projection Chamber (LAr LEM-TPC). The detector has a maximum drift length of 60 cm and the readout consists of a $40\times 76$ cm${}^2$ LEM and 2D projective anode to multiply and collect drifting charges. Scintillation light is detected by means of cryogenic PMTs positioned below the cathode. To record both charge and light signals, we have developed a compact acquisition system, which is scalable up to ton-scale detectors with thousands of charge readout channels. The acquisition system, as well as the design and the performance of custom-made charge sensitive preamplifiers, are described. The complete experimental setup has been operated for a first time during a period of four weeks at CERN in the cryostat of the ArDM experiment, which was equipped with liquid and gas argon purification systems. The detector, exposed to cosmic rays, recorded events with a single-channel signal-to-noise ratio in excess of 30 for minimum ionising particles. Cosmic muon tracks and their $\delta$-rays were used to assess the performance of the detector, and to estimate the liquid argon purity and the gain at different amplification fields.

23 pages, 21 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Underground Neutrino Detectors for Particle and Astroparticle Science: the Giant Liquid Argon Charge Imaging ExpeRiment (GLACIER)
• Two-phase Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors with THGEM and hybrid THGEM/GEM multipliers operated in Ar and Ar+N2
• First operation and drift field performance of a large area double phase LAr Electron Multiplier Time Projection Chamber with an immersed Greinacher high-voltage multiplier
• Feasibility of high-voltage systems for a very long drift in liquid argon TPCs

Cited by in corpus (14)

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• Electroluminescence and electron avalanching in two-phase detectors
• A 4 tonne demonstrator for large-scale dual-phase liquid argon time projection chambers
• Expected performance of an ideal liquid argon neutrino detector with enhanced sensitivity to scintillation light
• High Voltage in Noble Liquids for High Energy Physics
• The Thick Gas Electron Multiplier and its derivatives: physics, technologies and applications
• Status and New Ideas Regarding Liquid Argon Detectors
• Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Research and Development in the United States
• Summary of the Second Workshop on Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber Research and Development in the United States
• The science and technology of liquid argon detectors
• First test of a high voltage feedthrough for liquid Argon TPCs connected to a 300 kV power supply