Radon mitigation during the installation of the CUORE $0 ubetabeta$ decay detector


Abstract in English

CUORE - the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events - is an experiment searching for the neutrinoless double-beta ($0 ubetabeta$) decay of $^{130}$Te with an array of 988 TeO$_2$ crystals operated as bolometers at $sim$10 mK in a large dilution refrigerator. With this detector, we aim for a $^{130}$Te $0 ubetabeta$ decay half-life sensitivity of $9times10^{25}$ y with 5 y of live time, and a background index of $lesssim 10^{-2}$ counts/keV/kg/y. Making an effort to maintain radiopurity by minimizing the bolometers exposure to radon gas during their installation in the cryostat, we perform all operations inside a dedicated cleanroom environment with a controlled radon-reduced atmosphere. In this paper, we discuss the design and performance of the CUORE Radon Abatement System and cleanroom, as well as a system to monitor the radon level in real time.

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