No Arabic abstract
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are the candidates of dark matter in our universe. Up to now any direct interaction of WIMP with nuclei has not been observed yet. The exclusion limits of the spin-independent cross section of WIMP-nucleon which have been experimentally obtained is about 10^{-7}pb at high mass region and only 10^{-5}pb} at low mass region. China Jin-Ping underground laboratory CJPL is the deepest underground lab in the world and provides a very promising environment for direct observation of dark matter. The China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) experiment is going to directly detect the WIMP flux with high sensitivity in the low mass region. Both CJPL and CDEX have achieved a remarkable progress in recent two years. The CDEX employs a point-contact germanium semi-conductor detector PCGe whose detection threshold is less than 300 eV. We report the measurement results of Muon flux, monitoring of radioactivity and Radon concentration carried out in CJPL, as well describe the structure and performance of the 1 kg PCGe detector CDEX-1 and 10kg detector array CDEX-10 including the detectors, electronics, shielding and cooling systems. Finally we discuss the physics goals of the CDEX-1, CDEX-10 and the future CDEX-1T detectors.
A study on cosmogenic activation in germanium was carried out to evaluate the cosmogenic background level of natural and $^{70}$Ge depleted germanium detectors. The production rates of long-lived radionuclides were calculated with Geant4 and CRY. Results were validated by comparing the simulated and experimental spectra of CDEX-1B detector. Based on the validated codes, the cosmogenic background level was predicted for further tonne-scale CDEX experiment. The suppression of cosmogenic background level could be achieved by underground germanium crystal growth and high-purity germanium detector fabrication to reach the sensitivity requirement for direct detection of dark matter. With the low cosmogenic background, new physics channels, such as solar neutrino research and neutrinoless double-beta decay experiments, were opened and the corresponding simulations and evaluations were carried out.
The CDEX Collaboration has been established for direct detection of light dark matter particles, using ultra-low energy threshold p-type point-contact germanium detectors, in China JinPing underground Laboratory (CJPL). The first 1 kg point-contact germanium detector with a sub-keV energy threshold has been tested in a passive shielding system located in CJPL. The outputs from both the point-contact p+ electrode and the outside n+ electrode make it possible to scan the lower energy range of less than 1 keV and at the same time to detect the higher energy range up to 3 MeV. The outputs from both p+ and n+ electrode may also provide a more powerful method for signal discrimination for dark matter experiment. Some key parameters, including energy resolution, dead time, decay times of internal X-rays, and system stability, have been tested and measured. The results show that the 1 kg point-contact germanium detector, together with its shielding system and electronics, can run smoothly with good performances. This detector system will be deployed for dark matter search experiments.
The aim of the ArDM project is the development and operation of a one ton double-phase liquid argon detector for direct Dark Matter searches. The detector measures both the scintillation light and the ionization charge from ionizing radiation using two independent readout systems. This paper briefly describes the detector concept and presents preliminary results from the ArDM R&D program, including a 3 l prototype developed to test the charge readout system.
COSINE is a dark matter search experiment based on an array of low background NaI(Tl) crystals located at the Yangyang underground laboratory. The assembly of COSINE-100 was completed in the summer of 2016 and the detector is currently collecting physics quality data aimed at reproducing the DAMA/LIBRA experiment that reported an annual modulation signal. Stable operation has been achieved and will continue for at least two years. Here, we describe the design of COSINE-100, including the shielding arrangement, the configuration of the NaI(Tl) crystal detection elements, the veto systems, and the associated operational systems, and we show the current performance of the experiment.
We describe the design and assembly of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, a direct detection search for cosmic WIMP dark matter particles. The centerpiece of the experiment is a large liquid xenon time projection chamber sensitive to low energy nuclear recoils. Rejection of backgrounds is enhanced by a Xe skin veto detector and by a liquid scintillator Outer Detector loaded with gadolinium for efficient neutron capture and tagging. LZ is located in the Davis Cavern at the 4850 level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. We describe the major subsystems of the experiment and its key design features and requirements.