Characterization of an Ionization Readout Tile for nEXO
Abstract
A new design for the anode of a time projection chamber, consisting of a charge-detecting ''tile'', is investigated for use in the proposed tonne-scale nEXO experiment to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Modular by design, an array of tiles can cover a sizable area. The width of each strip is small compared to the size of the tile, so a Frisch grid is not required. A grid-less, tiled anode design is beneficial for an experiment such as nEXO, where a wire tensioning support structure and Frisch grid might contribute radioactive backgrounds and would have to be designed to accommodate cycling to cryogenic temperatures. A prototype tile was tested in a cell containing liquid xenon. Very good agreement is achieved between the measured ionization spectrum of a 207Bi source and simulations giving an energy resolution comparable to the best intrinsic ionization-only resolution necessary to achieve the expected energy resolution σ/Qββ of 1 %.
This work has been supported, in the US, by DOE's Office of Nuclear Physics within the Office of Science and the National Science Foundation.- Publication:
-
APS April Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019APS..APRL10006J