Monte Carlo simulation of the SABRE PoP background

Abstract

SABRE (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection) is a direct dark matter search experiment based on an array of radio-pure NaI(Tl) crystals surrounded by a liquid scintillator veto. Twin SABRE experiments in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will differentiate a dark matter signal from seasonal and local effects. The experiment is currently in a Proof-of-Principle (PoP) phase, whose goal is to demonstrate that the background rate is low enough to carry out an independent search for a dark matter signal, with sufficient sensitivity to confirm or refute the DAMA result during the following full-scale experimental phase. The impact of background radiation from the detector materials and the experimental site needs to be carefully investigated, including both intrinsic and cosmogenically activated radioactivity. Based on the best knowledge of the most relevant sources of background, we have performed a detailed Monte Carlo study evaluating the expected background in the dark matter search spectral region. The simulation model described in this paper guides the design of the full-scale experiment and will be fundamental for the interpretation of the measured background and hence for the extraction of a possible dark matter signal.

13 pages, 5 figures

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• The SABRE project and the SABRE PoP
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• Analysis of backgrounds for the ANAIS-112 dark matter experiment
• Characterization of SABRE crystal NaI-33 with direct underground counting
• Growth of Ultra-high Purity NaI(Tl) Crystal for Dark Matter Searches
• Constraints on the dark photon from deep inelastic scattering
• High sensitivity characterization of an ultra-high purity NaI(Tl) crystal scintillator with the SABRE proof-of-principle detector
• Rare ${}^{40}$K decay with implications for fundamental physics and geochronology
• Simulation and background characterisation of the SABRE South experiment
• Atomic ionization by scalar dark matter and solar scalars
• Performance of the SABRE detector module in a purely passive shielding
• SABRE and the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory: Dark Matter Research at the Australian National University
• Evidence for ground-state electron capture of ${}^{40}$K
• Inelastic Dark Matter and the SABRE Experiment
• The SABRE South Technical Design Report Executive Summary
• Zone refining of ultra-high purity sodium iodide for low-background detectors
• A novel experimental system for the KDK measurement of the ${}^{40}$K decay scheme relevant for rare event searches
• The role of small scale experiments in the direct detection of dark matter
• Characterisation of Hamamatsu R11065-20 PMTs for use in the SABRE South NaI(Tl) Crystal Detectors
• Photomultiplier Requirements and Pre-Calibration for the SABRE South Liquid Scintillator Veto