Hamburg 2016 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 36: Neutrinoloser Doppelbeta-Zerfall II

T 36.5: Talk

Monday, February 29, 2016, 17:50–18:05, VMP9 SR 07

Setup for SiPM characterization in liquid xenon for the nEXO experiment — •Patrick Hufschmidt, Reimund Bayerlein, Ako Jamil, Judith Schneider, Michael Wagenpfeil, Gerrit Wredel, Tobias Ziegler, Gisela Anton, Juergen Hoessl, and Thilo Michel — ECAP, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen Nuernberg

The nEXO (next enriched xenon observatory) is a future experiment to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136 with a single-phase time-projection-chamber filled with liquid xenon. Besides position resolved detection of the released charge with low noise electronics, efficient collection and detection of the xenon scintillation light with its short wavelength of 175 nm is important to obtain good energy resolution. Due to the demands on radiopurity of the materials employed in the detector, Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) shall be used to detect the scintillation light. Dedicated SiPMs, compatible with the requirements of the experiment, have to be developed. In order to characterize SiPMs - for example with respect to photon detection efficiency at 175 nm, cross-talk probability, dark-rate, after-pulse probability - we have set up a SiPM test stand in which SiPMs can be operated in liquid or in gaseous xenon. Cooling is performed with a cold finger immersed in liquid nitrogen. Scintillation photons are produced by the interaction of alpha particles from a radioactive source. In addition to the SiPMs, a VUV-sensitive photomultipier tube is present in the xenon cell so that coincidence measurements can be performed. In this contribution we present the status of our test setup.