Muon-induced background in the EDELWEISS dark matter search

Abstract

A dedicated analysis of the muon-induced background in the EDELWEISS dark matter search has been performed on a data set acquired in 2009 and 2010. The total muon flux underground in the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) was measured to be ${\Phi }_{\mu }=(5.4\pm 0.2_{-0.9}^{+0.5})$\,muons/m${}^2$/d. The modular design of the muon-veto system allows the reconstruction of the muon trajectory and hence the determination of the angular dependent muon flux in LSM. The results are in good agreement with both MC simulations and earlier measurements. Synchronization of the muon-veto system with the phonon and ionization signals of the Ge detector array allowed identification of muon-induced events. Rates for all muon-induced events ${\Gamma }^{\mu }=(0.172\pm 0.012)\mathrm{evts}/(\mathrm{kg}\cdot \mathrm{d})$ and of WIMP-like events ${\Gamma }^{\mu -n}=0.008_{-0.004}^{+0.005}\mathrm{evts}/(\mathrm{kg}\cdot \mathrm{d})$ were extracted. After vetoing, the remaining rate of accepted muon-induced neutrons in the EDELWEISS-II dark matter search was determined to be ${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{irred}}^{\mu -n}<6\cdot 10^{-4}\mathrm{evts}/(\mathrm{kg}\cdot \mathrm{d})$ at 90%\,C.L. Based on these results, the muon-induced background expectation for an anticipated exposure of 3000\,\kgd\ for EDELWEISS-3 is $N_{3000kg\cdot d}^{\mu -n}<0.6$ events.

arXiv comment21 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in Astropart. Phys

References in corpus (26)

• Seven-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Cosmological Interpretation
• Particle Dark Matter: Evidence, Candidates and Constraints
• Dark Matter Results from 225 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• Dark Matter Results from 100 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search
• Results from a Low-Energy Analysis of the CDMS II Germanium Data
• Upper limits for neutrino oscillations muon-antineutrino to electron-antineutrino from muon decay at rest
• Final results of the EDELWEISS-II WIMP search using a 4-kg array of cryogenic germanium detectors with interleaved electrodes
• Production of Radioactive Isotopes through Cosmic Muon Spallation in KamLAND
• Commissioning Run of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search
• WIMP-nucleon cross-section results from the second science run of ZEPLIN-III
• Galactic Halo Models and Particle Dark-Matter Detection
• New Measurement of the Scintillation Efficiency of Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils in Liquid Xenon
• Muon and Cosmogenic Neutron Detection in Borexino
• A new high-background-rejection dark matter Ge cryogenic detector
• Combined Limits on WIMPs from the CDMS and EDELWEISS Experiments
• Extending the CRESST-II commissioning run limits to lower masses
• Muon-induced neutron production and detection with GEANT4 and FLUKA
• Background studies for the EDELWEISS dark matter experiment
• Calibration of the EDELWEISS Cryogenic Heat-and-ionisation Germanium Detectors for Dark Matter Search
• Background discrimination capabilities of a heat and ionization germanium cryogenic detector
• Measurements of neutrons produced by high-energy muons at the Boulby Underground Laboratory
• Simulation of neutrons produced by high-energy muons underground
• Validation of spallation neutron production and propagation within Geant4
• Monitoring of the thermal neutron flux in the LSM underground laboratory
• A detection system to measure muon-induced neutrons for direct Dark Matter searches

Cited by in corpus (15)

• The CUPID-Mo experiment for neutrinoless double-beta decay: performance and prospects
• Axion searches with the EDELWEISS-II experiment
• Performance of the EDELWEISS-III experiment for direct dark matter searches
• New Limit for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of ${}^{100}$Mo from the CUPID-Mo Experiment
• Constraints on low-mass WIMPs from the EDELWEISS-III dark matter search
• Background studies for the EDELWEISS dark matter experiment
• Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experiment
• Muon-induced neutrons do not explain the DAMA data
• Some properties of dark matter field in the complex octonion space
• Measuring Muon-Induced Neutrons with Liquid Scintillation Detector at Soudan Mine
• The background model of the CUPID-Mo $0\nu \beta \beta$ experiment
• Cosmic Ray Muons in Laboratories Deep Underground
• The DAMIC-M Low Background Chamber
• Signatures of muonic activation in the Majorana Demonstrator
• Measurement of the $2\nu \beta \beta$ decay rate and spectral shape of ${}^{100}$Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment