Compact, directional neutron detectors capable of high-resolution nuclear recoil imaging

Abstract

We report on the design, production, and performance of compact 40-cm${}^3$ Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) that detect fast neutrons by measuring the three-dimensional (3D) ionization distribution of nuclear recoils in ${}^4$He:CO${}_2$ gas at atmospheric pressure. We use these detectors to characterize the fast-neutron flux inside the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider in Tsukuba, Japan, where the primary design constraint is a small form factor. We find that the TPCs meet or exceed all design specifications, and are capable of measuring the 3D surface shape and charge density profile of ionization clouds from nuclear recoils and charged tracks in exquisite detail. Scaled-up detectors based on the detection principle demonstrated here may be suitable for directional dark matter searches, measurements of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, and other experiments requiring precise detection of neutrons or nuclear recoils.

References in corpus (19)

• Observation of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering
• Production and Integration of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer
• Low-Mass Dark Matter Search with the DarkSide-50 Experiment
• A review of the discovery reach of directional Dark Matter detection
• The case for a directional dark matter detector and the status of current experimental efforts
• Prototype ATLAS IBL Modules using the FE-I4A Front-End Readout Chip
• Readout technologies for directional WIMP Dark Matter detection
• Dark matter astrophysical uncertainties and the neutrino floor
• First Measurements of Beam Backgrounds at SuperKEKB
• CYGNUS: Feasibility of a nuclear recoil observatory with directional sensitivity to dark matter and neutrinos
• 3-D Tracking of Nuclear Recoils in a Miniature Time Projection Chamber
• Absolute Position Measurement in a Gas Time Projection Chamber via Transverse Diffusion of Drift Charge
• Single-Volume Neutron Scatter Camera for High-Efficiency Neutron Imaging and Spectroscopy
• Radiation hard pixel sensors using high-resistive wafers in a 150 nm CMOS processing line
• Characterization of the FE-I4B pixel readout chip production run for the ATLAS Insertable B-layer upgrade
• Upgrade of compact neutron spectrometer for high flux environments
• mini-TimeCube as a Neutron Scatter Camera
• A method for precise charge reconstruction with pixel detectors using binary hit information
• Track length measurement of ${}^{19}$F${}^{+}$ ions with the MIMAC Dark Matter directional detector prototype

Cited by in corpus (12)

• First Measurements of Beam Backgrounds at SuperKEKB
• Directional recoil detection
• EUDAQ $-$ A Data Acquisition Software Framework for Common Beam Telescopes
• Measurements of Beam Backgrounds in SuperKEKB Phase 2
• Measured and projected beam backgrounds in the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider
• First 3D vector tracking of helium recoils for fast neutron measurements at SuperKEKB
• Application of recoil-imaging time projection chambers to directional neutron background measurements in the SuperKEKB accelerator tunnel
• Observables for Recoil Identification in High-Definition Gas Time Projection Chambers
• CYG$\nu$S: Detecting solar neutrinos with directional gas time projection chambers
• Primary track recovery in high-definition gas time projection chambers
• Searching for beyond-Standard-Model solar neutrino interactions using directional detectors
• Deep Probabilistic Direction Prediction in 3D with Applications to Directional Dark Matter Detectors