Measurement of ambient radon progeny decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector

(The MicroBooNE Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.109.052007

Measurement of ambient radon progeny decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector

(The MicroBooNE Collaboration)

Physics and Astronomy (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report measurements of radon progeny in liquid argon within the MicroBooNE time projection chamber (LArTPC). The presence of specific radon daughters in MicroBooNE's 85 metric tons of active liquid argon bulk is probed with newly developed charge-based low-energy reconstruction tools and analysis techniques to detect correlated Bi214-Po214 radioactive decays. Special datasets taken during periods of active radon doping enable new demonstrations of the calorimetric capabilities of single-phase neutrino LArTPCs for β and α particles with electron-equivalent energies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 MeV. By applying Bi214-Po214 detection algorithms to data recorded over a 46-day period, no statistically significant presence of radioactive Bi214 is detected, and a limit on the activity is placed at <0.35 mBq/kg at the 95% confidence level. This bulk Bi214 radiopurity limit-the first ever reported for a liquid argon detector incorporating liquid-phase purification-is then further discussed in relation to the targeted upper limit of 1 mBq/kg on bulk Rn222 activity for the DUNE neutrino detector.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	052007
Journal	Physical Review D
Volume	109
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.052007
State	Published - Mar 1 2024

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© 2024 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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title = "Measurement of ambient radon progeny decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector",

abstract = "We report measurements of radon progeny in liquid argon within the MicroBooNE time projection chamber (LArTPC). The presence of specific radon daughters in MicroBooNE's 85 metric tons of active liquid argon bulk is probed with newly developed charge-based low-energy reconstruction tools and analysis techniques to detect correlated Bi214-Po214 radioactive decays. Special datasets taken during periods of active radon doping enable new demonstrations of the calorimetric capabilities of single-phase neutrino LArTPCs for β and α particles with electron-equivalent energies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 MeV. By applying Bi214-Po214 detection algorithms to data recorded over a 46-day period, no statistically significant presence of radioactive Bi214 is detected, and a limit on the activity is placed at <0.35 mBq/kg at the 95\% confidence level. This bulk Bi214 radiopurity limit-the first ever reported for a liquid argon detector incorporating liquid-phase purification-is then further discussed in relation to the targeted upper limit of 1 mBq/kg on bulk Rn222 activity for the DUNE neutrino detector.",

author = "\{(The MicroBooNE Collaboration)\} and P. Abratenko and O. Alterkait and \{Andrade Aldana\}, D. and L. Arellano and J. Asaadi and A. Ashkenazi and S. Balasubramanian and B. Baller and G. Barr and D. Barrow and J. Barrow and V. Basque and \{Benevides Rodrigues\}, O. and S. Berkman and A. Bhanderi and A. Bhat and M. Bhattacharya and M. Bishai and A. Blake and B. Bogart and T. Bolton and Book, \{J. Y.\} and L. Camilleri and Y. Cao and D. Caratelli and \{Caro Terrazas\}, I. and F. Cavanna and G. Cerati and Y. Chen and Conrad, \{J. M.\} and M. Convery and L. Cooper-Troendle and Crespo-Anad{\'o}n, \{J. I.\} and R. Cross and \{Del Tutto\}, M. and Dennis, \{S. R.\} and P. Detje and A. Devitt and R. Diurba and Z. Djurcic and R. Dorrill and K. Duffy and S. Dytman and B. Eberly and P. Englezos and A. Ereditato and Furmanski, \{A. P.\} and C. Hilgenberg and B. Irwin and D. Torbunov",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the {"}https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/{"}Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.",

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doi = "10.1103/PhysRevD.109.052007",

language = "English (US)",

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T1 - Measurement of ambient radon progeny decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector

AU - (The MicroBooNE Collaboration)

AU - Abratenko, P.

AU - Alterkait, O.

AU - Andrade Aldana, D.

AU - Arellano, L.

AU - Asaadi, J.

AU - Ashkenazi, A.

AU - Balasubramanian, S.

AU - Baller, B.

AU - Barr, G.

AU - Barrow, D.

AU - Barrow, J.

AU - Basque, V.

AU - Benevides Rodrigues, O.

AU - Berkman, S.

AU - Bhanderi, A.

AU - Bhat, A.

AU - Bhattacharya, M.

AU - Bishai, M.

AU - Blake, A.

AU - Bogart, B.

AU - Bolton, T.

AU - Book, J. Y.

AU - Camilleri, L.

AU - Cao, Y.

AU - Caratelli, D.

AU - Caro Terrazas, I.

AU - Cavanna, F.

AU - Cerati, G.

AU - Chen, Y.

AU - Conrad, J. M.

AU - Convery, M.

AU - Cooper-Troendle, L.

AU - Crespo-Anadón, J. I.

AU - Cross, R.

AU - Del Tutto, M.

AU - Dennis, S. R.

AU - Detje, P.

AU - Devitt, A.

AU - Diurba, R.

AU - Djurcic, Z.

AU - Dorrill, R.

AU - Duffy, K.

AU - Dytman, S.

AU - Eberly, B.

AU - Englezos, P.

AU - Ereditato, A.

AU - Furmanski, A. P.

AU - Hilgenberg, C.

AU - Irwin, B.

AU - Torbunov, D.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

PY - 2024/3/1

Y1 - 2024/3/1

N2 - We report measurements of radon progeny in liquid argon within the MicroBooNE time projection chamber (LArTPC). The presence of specific radon daughters in MicroBooNE's 85 metric tons of active liquid argon bulk is probed with newly developed charge-based low-energy reconstruction tools and analysis techniques to detect correlated Bi214-Po214 radioactive decays. Special datasets taken during periods of active radon doping enable new demonstrations of the calorimetric capabilities of single-phase neutrino LArTPCs for β and α particles with electron-equivalent energies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 MeV. By applying Bi214-Po214 detection algorithms to data recorded over a 46-day period, no statistically significant presence of radioactive Bi214 is detected, and a limit on the activity is placed at <0.35 mBq/kg at the 95% confidence level. This bulk Bi214 radiopurity limit-the first ever reported for a liquid argon detector incorporating liquid-phase purification-is then further discussed in relation to the targeted upper limit of 1 mBq/kg on bulk Rn222 activity for the DUNE neutrino detector.

AB - We report measurements of radon progeny in liquid argon within the MicroBooNE time projection chamber (LArTPC). The presence of specific radon daughters in MicroBooNE's 85 metric tons of active liquid argon bulk is probed with newly developed charge-based low-energy reconstruction tools and analysis techniques to detect correlated Bi214-Po214 radioactive decays. Special datasets taken during periods of active radon doping enable new demonstrations of the calorimetric capabilities of single-phase neutrino LArTPCs for β and α particles with electron-equivalent energies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 MeV. By applying Bi214-Po214 detection algorithms to data recorded over a 46-day period, no statistically significant presence of radioactive Bi214 is detected, and a limit on the activity is placed at <0.35 mBq/kg at the 95% confidence level. This bulk Bi214 radiopurity limit-the first ever reported for a liquid argon detector incorporating liquid-phase purification-is then further discussed in relation to the targeted upper limit of 1 mBq/kg on bulk Rn222 activity for the DUNE neutrino detector.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85188357655

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85188357655#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.109.052007

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.109.052007

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85188357655

SN - 2470-0010

VL - 109

JO - Physical Review D

JF - Physical Review D

IS - 5

M1 - 052007

ER -

Measurement of ambient radon progeny decay rates and energy spectra in liquid argon using the MicroBooNE detector

Abstract

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