Neutral bremsstrahlung and excimer electroluminescence in noble gases and its relevance to two-phase dark matter detectors

Abstract

Proportional electroluminescence (EL) is the physical effect used in two-phase detectors for dark matter searches, to optically record (in the gas phase) the ionization signal produced by particle scattering in the liquid phase. In our previous work the presence of a new EL mechanism, namely that of neutral bremsstrahlung (NBrS), was demonstrated in two-phase argon detectors both theoretically and experimentally, in addition to the ordinary EL mechanism due to excimer emission. In this work the similar theoretical approach is applied to all noble gases, i.e. overall to helium, neon, argon, krypton and xenon, to calculate the EL yields and spectra both for NBrS and excimer EL. The relevance of the results obtained to the development of two-phase dark matter detectors is discussed.

arXiv comment14 pages, 14 figures, 1 table

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• Puzzling time properties of proportional electroluminescence in two-phase argon detectors for dark matter searches
• Study of visible-light emission in pure and methane-doped liquid argon
• First observation of neutral bremsstrahlung electroluminescence in liquid argon
• Unraveling the puzzle of slow components in gaseous argon of two-phase detectors for dark matter searches using Thick Gas Electron Multiplier
• Neutral bremsstrahlung electroluminescence in noble liquids revisited
• Possible evidence for the production of Ar${}_2^{\ast -}$ metastable negative molecular ions in gaseous argon of two-phase detectors for dark matter searches