Quenching factor measurements of neon nuclei in neon gas

Journal Article (Journal Article)

The NEWS-G collaboration uses spherical proportional counters (SPCs) to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). In this paper, we report the first measurements of the nuclear quenching factor in neon gas at 2 bar using an SPC deployed in a neutron beam at the TUNL facility. The energy-dependence of the nuclear quenching factor is modeled using a simple power law: αEnrβ; we determine its parameters by simultaneously fitting the data collected with the detector over a range of energies. We measured the following parameters in Ne:CH4 at 2 bar: α=0.2801±0.0050 (fit) ±0.0045 (sys) and β=0.0867±0.020 (fit) ±0.006 (sys). Our measurements do not agree with expected values from SRIM or Lindhard theory. We demonstrated the feasibility of performing quenching factor measurements at sub-keV energies in gases using SPCs and a neutron beam.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Balogh, L; Beaufort, C; Brossard, A; Caron, JF; Chapellier, M; Coquillat, JM; Corcoran, EC; Crawford, S; Dastgheibi Fard, A; Deng, Y; Dering, K; Durnford, D; Garrah, C; Gerbier, G; Giomataris, I; Giroux, G; Gorel, P; Gros, M; Gros, P; Guillaudin, O; Hoppe, EW; Katsioulas, I; Kelly, F; Knights, P; Kwon, L; Langrock, S; Lautridou, P; Martin, RD; Manthos, I; Matthews, J; Mols, JP; Muraz, JF; Neep, T; Nikolopoulos, K; O'Brien, P; Piro, MC; Samuleev, P; Santos, D; Savvidis, G; Savvidis, I; Vazquez De Sola Fernandez, F; Vidal, M; Ward, R; Zampaolo, M; An, P; Awe, C; Barbeau, P; Hedges, S; Li, L; Runge, J

Published Date

  • March 1, 2022

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 105 / 5

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2470-0029

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2470-0010

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.052004

Citation Source

  • Scopus