Pulse-shape discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils in a NaI(Tl) crystal

Abstract

We report on the response of a high light-output NaI(Tl) crystal to nuclear recoils induced by neutrons from an Am-Be source and compare the results with the response to electron recoils produced by Compton scattered 662 keV $\gamma$-rays from a ${}^{137}$Cs source. The measured pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) power of the NaI(Tl) crystal is found to be significantly improved because of the high light output of the NaI(Tl) detector. We quantify the PSD power with a quality factor and estimate the sensitivity to the interaction rate for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with nucleons, and the result is compared with the annual modulation amplitude observed by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. The sensitivity to spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interactions based on 100 kg$\cdot$year of data from NaI detectors is estimated with simulated experiments, using the standard halo model.

11pages

References in corpus (9)

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• Final model independent result of DAMA/LIBRA-phase1
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• Not so Coy Dark Matter explains DAMA (and the Galactic Center excess)
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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Performance of a prototype active veto system using liquid scintillator for a dark matter search experiment
• Limits on Interactions between Weakly Interacting Massive Particles and Nucleons Obtained with NaI(Tl) crystal Detectors
• Scintillation characteristics of a NaI(Tl) crystal at low-temperature with silicon photomultiplier
• Improving ANAIS-112 sensitivity to DAMA/LIBRA signal with machine learning techniques
• Study on NaI(Tl) crystal at -35 C for dark matter detection
• Measurement of low-energy background events due to ${}^{222}$Rn contamination on the surface of a NaI(Tl) crystal
• Pulse Shape Discrimination of low-energy nuclear and electron recoils for improved particle identification in NaI:Tl
• Neutron capture-induced nuclear recoils as background for CE$\nu$NS~measurements at reactors