Background modeling & data acquisition for XENON detectors

Abstract: Throughout the past decades, the mysterious nature of Dark Matter has puzzled physicists from around the globe. There is ample evidence for its existence from cosmology and astrophysical observations, and for long, one of the main candidates for its role were the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs).

Situated at the underground Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, XENON experiments have been at the forefront of direct detection searches for WIMPs. At the heart of both the decommissioned XENON1T and currently operating XENONnT experiments lies a dual-phase (liquid \& gas) time projection chamber, which is used to detect both the light and charge signals produced by WIMP scattering off xenon nuclei.

Rare event searches with XENON experiments rely on the understanding and modeling of detector backgrounds. In this thesis work, a model of the surface background and a spatial model of the electron recoil background were developed using data-driven techniques. These models were incorporated into the final XENON1T WIMP analysis, which produced a world-leading upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon interaction cross-section with a minimum of 4.1x10⁻⁴⁷ cm² at 30 GeV/c² and 90% confidence level. Additionally, several studies of the spurious single electron background were performed.

Signals produced by particle interactions in the XENONnT detector are recorded and processed by a new triggerless data acquisition system (DAQ). This thesis describes the hardware, software, and FPGA firmware that were developed and successfully commissioned for the DAQ. Additionally, several hardware pieces were fabricated to ensure a stable operation of the DAQ, and to suppress high-frequency noise from the high voltage power supplies to the photosensors.

Furthermore, to facilitate the operation of the XENONnT DAQ during high-rate calibration data-taking, and to maintain the integrity of individual recorded events two veto systems were developed. A busy system ensures that only complete events are recorded by the DAQ. Additionally, a dedicated hardware veto module is used to inhibit the digitization of high-energy signals during detector calibration, reducing the load on the DAQ and easing further data processing. Lastly, multiple software tools were developed for controlling and monitoring the performance of both the DAQ and the veto systems

Angaben zum Objekt

• Standort: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Umfang: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: Englisch
• Anmerkungen: Universität Freiburg, Dissertation, 2021

Klassifikation und Themen

• Schlagwort: Xenon ; Xenon ; Zeitprojektionskammer ; Dunkle Materie ; Digitale Signalverarbeitung

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wo): Freiburg
• (wer): Universität
• (wann): 2022
• Urheber: Elykov, Alexey
• Beteiligte Personen und Organisationen: Fischer, Horst ; Schumann, Marc ; Fischer, Horst ; Jakobs, Karl ; Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Fakultät für Mathematik und Physik

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: 10.6094/UNIFR/225492
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2254921
• Rechteinformation: Kein Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 25.03.2025, 13:55 MEZ