The Electric Field Dependence of Single Electron Emission in the PIXeY Two-Phase Xenon Detector

Abstract

Dual phase xenon detectors are widely used in experimental searches for galactic darkmatter particles. The origin of single electron backgrounds following prompt scintillation and proportional scintillation signals in these detectors is not fully understood, although there has been progress in recent years. In this paper, we describe single electron backgrounds in ${}^{83m}Kr$ calibration events and their correlation with drift and extraction fields, using the Particle Identification in Xenon at Yale (PIXeY) dual-phase xenon time projection chamber. The single electron background induced by the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) effect is measured, and its electric field dependence is quantified. The photoionization of grids and impurities by prompt scintillation and proportional scintillation also contributes to the single electron background.

accepted for publication in JINST

References in corpus (6)

• Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector
• Measurement of single electron emission in two-phase xenon
• Calibration of a two-phase xenon time projection chamber with a ${}^{37}$Ar source
• ${}^{83\text{m}}$Kr calibration of the 2013 LUX dark matter search
• Measurements of proportional scintillation and electron multiplication in liquid xenon using thin wires
• Liquid Argon Dielectric Breakdown Studies with the MicroBooNE Purification System

Cited by in corpus (8)

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• Emission of Single and Few Electrons in XENON1T and Limits on Light Dark Matter
• Correlated Single- and Few-Electron Backgrounds Milliseconds after Interactions in Dual-Phase Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chambers
• Low Energy Electronic Recoils and Single Electron Detection with a Liquid Xenon Proportional Scintillation Counter
• Proposal of a Geiger-type Single-Phase Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chamber as Potential Detector Technique for Dark Matter Direct Search
• Prospects of charge signal analyses in liquid xenon TPCs with proportional scintillation in the liquid phase
• First results on FHM -- a Floating Hole Multiplier
• Development & Characterization of Electrodes for large-scale Xenon Time Projection Chambers