Bonn 2020 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 77: Axion like particles II

T 77.5: Talk

Thursday, April 2, 2020, 17:35–17:50, H-HS XV

Developement of GridPix detectors for IAXO — •Tobias Schiffer, Klaus Desch, Markus Gruber, Jochen Kaminski, and Sebastian Schmidt — Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bonn

In the scope of the search for axions and axion like particles (Alps) with helioscopes, like the International Axion Obeservatory (IAXO) and its precurser BabyIAXO, detectors capable of measuring low energy X-rays down to the 200 eV range are necessary. For this purpose the GridPix detector is an appropriate solution, which has already been used successfully at CAST.

The GridPix is a MicroMegas like readout consisting of a pixelized readout ASIC (Timepix/Timepix3) with a perfectly aligned gas amplification stage, which is photolithographically built on top of the ASIC. Resulting in a very high granularity this detector is capable of detecting single electrons allowing the measurement of low energy X-rays. To convert these X-rays into electrons a small gas volume is built above the readout sealed with an X-ray entrance window.

For the goals of IAXO very low backgrounds need to be achived with the detectors and therefore only a few radiopure materials are contemplable. Also, to get a good signal to noise ratio the X-ray entrance window needs to be as transparent as possible for the low energy X-rays, while still maintaining a barrier between the detector gas and the vacuum system in front. This is achived with an ultra thin silicon nitride membrane.

This talk will present the challenges of the design process and the current status of the detector.