Radon in Dark Matter Detectors

by Eric Miller (South Dakota School of Mines)

Tuesday 29 May 2018, 12:30 → 14:00 US/Pacific

Other Institutes

Rare event searches must keep background events to a minimum lest they mask the desired signal.  Radon is a radioactive noble gas which, along with its many radioactive progeny, can produce these troublesome events.  I will describe how these backgrounds come about in dark matter detectors, including SuperCDMS SNOLAB, DRIFT, and LUX-ZEPLIN.  We will explore the the effects that these backgrounds have on detector sensitivity and discuss the strategies employed to mitigate them.  

Colloquium.pdf