With the development of fast sub-nanosecond photosensors and the increasing size of xenon-based detectors for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) the time-of-flight difference between scintillation and Cherenkov light can be exploited for further background mitigation. This is especially crucial for the rejection of elastic scattering of solar neutrinos, which presents a major...
In this talk, we present the performance of a novel crystalline/vapor xenon TPC. Compared to liquid xenon, crystal xenon demonstrates >10^3 lower activity in radon, which is a leading background source in liquid xenon dark matter experiments (Pb214 betas) and tonne-scale 0vbb detectors (Bi214 gammas). The powerful radon exclusion capability of crystal xenon enables a larger fiducial volume for...
Thanks to recent observations of long-lived excited Cesium-136 states, xenon detectors now have the potential to serve as solar neutrino observatories by using charged-current interactions of the form $\nu_e + ^{136}Xe \rightarrow ^{136}Cs^* + e^{-}$. This new detection method will be particularly potent at the kilotonne scale. In this lightning talk, I will discuss the projected capabilities...
We introduced in 2019 a new concept for electroluminescence in noble elements, based on very-thick acrylic-based perforated structures (Field-Assisted Transparent Gas Electroluminescence Multipliers, or FAT-GEMs). The structures, other than being radio pure, scalable and robust, are also transparent, opening to the possibility of enhancing light collection efficiency. In this work we present...
LArTPCs highly doped with Xenon could be interesting platforms for probing MeV- and sub-MeV physics including neutrinoless-double beta decay. A main hurdle is the small fraction of scintillation photons that are collected, which significantly impacts LArTPCs' energy resolution. One solution is the use of photosensitive dopants, which convert light to charge. A team from Rutgers University and...
In modern searches for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) using $^{136}$Xe, one possible avenue being explored by collaborations such as NEXT is the use of a high-pressure gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The principal reasons for using gas TPCs are to exploit the low intrinsic recombination of the gas and the ability to use electroluminescence as a method of stable gain...
By design, large-scale liquid xenon TPCs enjoy powerful self-shielding; gamma rays that would create backgrounds are strongly attenuated by the liquid at the edges of the detector. This, however, presents a challenge for calibrations: calibration sources placed outside the detector will only rarely penetrate to the center of the TPC, making the most sensitive region of the experiment also the...
Helium 3 has a high neutron capture cross section and adding it to xenon can mitigate Xe136 to Xe137 capture which decays in our region of interest.
