掺钆液闪中子探测器的研制

中子在探测器中能产生与暗物质粒子(WIMPs)类似的核反冲信号,对于低背景的暗物质直接探测实验,精确测量和排除中子的干扰尤其重要。为测量中国锦屏地下实验室(CJPL)中子本底的通量,研制了高效的、具有很强"中子-伽马"分辨的掺钆液闪快中子探测器。介绍了掺钆液闪中子探测器的研制和性能,包括探测器形状和尺寸的设计,液体闪烁体类型、光电倍增管型号以及液闪容器材料的选择,探测器的伽马能量刻度以及中子与伽马信号的甄别。用Am-Be中子源对探测器进行探测效率刻度,得到阈值为0.2 MeV等效电子能量的中子探测效率为(6.30±0.30)%,满足中国锦屏地下实验室对中子通量测量的要求。     

Measurement of intrinsic radioactive backgrounds from the 137Cs and U/Th chains in CsI(Tl) crystals

The inorganic CsI(Tl) crystal scintillator is a candidate anti-compton detector for the China Dark matter Experiment. Studying the intrinsic radiopurity of the CsI(Tl) crystal is an issue of major importance. The timing, energy and spatial correlations, as well as the capability of pulse shape discrimination provide powerful methods for the measurement of intrinsic radiopurities. The experimental design, detector performance and event-selection algorithms are described. A total of 359×3 kg-days data from three prototypes of CsI(Tl) crystals were taken at China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), which offers a good shielding environment. The contamination levels of internal isotopes from ¹³⁷Cs, ²³²Th and ²³⁸U series, as well as the upper bounds of ²³⁵U series are reported. Identification of the whole α peaks from U/Th decay chains and derivation of those corresponding quenching factors are achieved.     

Limits on light WIMPs with a 1 kg-scale germanium detector at 160 eVee physics threshold at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory

We report results of a search for light weakly interacting massive particle(WIMP) dark matter from the CDEX-1 experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory(CJPL). Constraints on WIMP-nucleon spin-independent(SI) and spin-dependent(SD) couplings are derived with a physics threshold of 160 eVee, from an exposure of 737.1 kg-days. The SI and SD limits extend the lower reach of light WIMPs to 2 GeV and improve over our earlier bounds at WIMP mass less than 6 GeV.     

一种基于全息功能屏的集成成像技术研究

集成成像技术是一种可以复现空间光场的显示技术,该技术具有结构简单、无需辅助设备、可以多人同时观察等特点,这项显示技术在科学研究、医学、教育等方面都有广阔的应用前景。但是传统的集成成像技术应用到相关领域时遇到了一些问题,诸如分辨率太低、可观察角度不足等,这是因为传统集成成像技术往往以妥协的方式平衡显示参数之间的关系,很难同时保证多个参数的表现。为了提高集成成像技术的显示性能,全息功能屏被加入了显示系统并且取得了预期的效果。本文探讨了这种加入了全息功能屏的集成显示系统的原理同时给出了其显示参数的数学形式,给出的公式可以帮助设计满足相应要求的集成显示系统,同时基于该理论开展的实验一并在文中给出。实验表明本文中设计组装的集成成像显示系统符合理论预期且具有较高的显示性能。该系统的分辨率达到了相同尺寸平面显示器790×444像素的效果,显示视角达到60°,这样的显示参数已经接近早期液晶显示系统,相信在将来该种显示技术可以得到广泛的应用。     

Characterization of large area photomultiplier ETL 9357FLB for liquid argon detector

The China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) Collaboration will carry out a direct search for weakly interacting massive particles with germanium detectors. Liquid argon will be utilized as an anti-Compton and cooling material for the germanium detectors. A low-background and large-area photomultiplier tube (PMT) immersed in liquid argon will be used to read out the light signal from the argon. In this paper we have carried out a careful evaluation on the performance of the PMT operating at both room and cryogenic temperatures. Based on the single photoelectron response model, the absolute gain and resolution of the PMT were measured. This has laid a foundation for PMT selection, calibration and signal analysis in the forthcoming CDEX experiments.     

Simulation of large-scale fast neutron liquid scintillation detector

Neutron background measurement is always very important for dark matter detection due to almost the same effect for the recoiled nucleus scattered off by the incident neutron and dark matter particle. For deep under-ground experiments, the flux of neutron background is so low that large-scale detection is usually necessary. In this paper, by using Geant4, the relationship between detection efficiency and volume is investigated, meanwhile, two geometrical schemes for this detection including a single large-sized detector and arrayed multi-detector are compared under the condition of the same volume. The geometrical parameters of detectors are filtrated and detection efficiencies obtained under the similar background condition of China Jingping Underground Laboratory (CJPL). The results show that for a large-scale Gd-doped liquid scintillation detector, the detection efficiency increases with the size of detector at the beginning and then trends toward a constant. Under the condition of the same length and cross section, the arrayed multi-detector has almost similar detection performance as the single large-sized detector, while too much detector number could cause degeneration of detection performance. Considering engineering factors, such as testing, assembling and production, the 4 × 4 arrayed detector scheme is flexible and more suitable. Furthermore, the conditions for using fast and slow signal coincidence detection and the detectable lower limit of neutron energy are evaluated by simulating the light process.     

低本底液闪中子探测器的材料测试研究

为测量中国锦屏地下实验室（China JinPing underground Laboratory,CJPL）极低通量的中子本底,需要建造大型快中子液体闪烁体探测器。建造探测器需要选用低放射性本底材料,并且化学性质稳定,不与液体闪烁体发生反应而影响液体闪烁体（EJ-335）的性能。为此,建造了小型液闪探测器,在其中分别放入聚四氟乙烯、无氧铜、氟橡胶、全氟醚橡胶这4种材料进行长期浸泡,并分别进行了如下测试:液闪长时间浸泡各种材料前后液闪的吸收光谱测试;用60Co γ源检测小型液闪探测器光产额随时间的变化情况;用Am-Be中子源检验探测器在浸泡前后的n-γ甄别性能。最终实验结果表明,聚四氟乙烯和全氟醚这2种材料与液闪有很好的兼容性,可作为大型快中子液闪探测器的容器和密封圈的备选材料。In order to measure the flux and spectrum of neutron background which is extremely low in China JinPing underground Laboratory (CJPL), liquid scintillator detector with large scale used to detect fast neutron need to be fabricated. Surrounding materials used in detector require the excellent performance, such as low radioactivity as well as stable chemical properties, which do not react with liquid scintillator, so as to avoid affecting the performance of detector. Polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE), highly purified no-oxygen copper, fluororubber and perfluoroelastomer had been put in a small detector and soaked for a long time. The change of absorption spectrum and light yield along with time as well as the performance of n-γ discrimination after soaked were tested. The results show that PTFE and Perfluoroelastomer are compatible with liquid scintillator, which offers a reference for the selection of material used in container and seal of liquid scintillator detector used to detect fast neutron.