Speaker
Description
A plurality of collaborations around the world today employ time projection chambers (TPCs) in highly sensitive detectors to search for evidence of rare particles. The dual-phase TPC detector concept relies on two unique (but related) event signals, S1 and S2, to increase a detector’s robustness against background influences. The Darkside-20k experiment applies this idea to the pursuit of dark matter detection. In its detectors, Darkside-20k utilizes an S1 signal from recoil-induced photon emissions in liquid Argon, and an S2 signal from orchestrated collisions between ionization electrons and the “second phase” gas pocket of the TPC. A uniform electric drift field is applied to the lower liquid volume to direct ejected electrons towards a separation grid; there a stronger second field accelerates them into a region of gas particles. The separation grid is carefully designed and constructed to ensure field uniformity through physical symmetry and resistance to destructive forces from the detector. A wound-pin technique is used to produce suitable grid wire units from stainless steel which can maintain this function.
| Academic year | 3rd year |
|---|---|
| Research Advisor | Andrew Renshaw |
