A Monte Carlo study for the shielding of γ backgrounds induced by radionuclides for CDEX

The CDEX (China Dark matter EXperiment) Collaboration will carry out a direct search for WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) using an Ultra-Low Energy Threshold High Purity Germanium (ULE-HPGe) detector at the CJPL (China JinPing deep underground Laboratory). A complex shielding system was designed to reduce backgrounds and a detailed GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation was performed to study the achievable reduction of γ rays induced by radionuclides and neutron backgrounds by D(γ,n)p reaction. Furthermore, the upper level of allowed radiopurity of shielding materials was estimated under the constraint of the expected goal. Compared with the radiopurity reported by other low-background rare-event experiments, it indicates that the shielding used in the CDEX can be made out of materials with obtainable radiopurity.     

Study of the material photon and electron background and the liquid argon detector veto efficiency of the CDEX-10 experiment

The China Dark Matter Experiment (CDEX) is located at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) and aims to directly detect the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) flux with high sensitivity in the low mass region. Here we present a study of the predicted photon and electron backgrounds including the background contribution of the structure materials of the germanium detector, the passive shielding materials, and the intrinsic radioactivity of the liquid argon that serves as an anti-Compton active shielding detector. A detailed geometry is modeled and the background contribution has been simulated based on the measured radioactivities of all possible components within the GEANT4 program. Then the photon and electron background level in the energy region of interest (<10^-2 events·kg^-1·day^-1·keV^-1 (cpkkd)) is predicted based on Monte Carlo simulations. The simulated result is consistent with the design goal of the CDEX-10 experiment, 0.1cpkkd, which shows that the active and passive shield design of CDEX-10 is effective and feasible.     

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.     

Measurement of cosmic ray flux in the China JinPing underground laboratory

The China JinPing underground Laboratory (CJPL) is the deepest underground laboratory running in the world at present. In such a deep underground laboratory, the cosmic ray flux is a very important and necessary parameter for rare-event experiments. A plastic scintillator telescope system has been set up to measure the cosmic ray flux. The performance of the telescope system has been studied using the cosmic rays on the ground laboratory near the CJPL. Based on the underground experimental data taken from November 2010 to December 2011 in the CJPL, which has an effective live time of 171 days, the cosmic ray muon flux in the CJPL is measured to be (2.0±0.4)×10-10/(cm2 ·s). The ultra-low cosmic ray background guarantees an ideal environment for dark matter experiments at the CJPL.     

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.     

中国锦屏地下实验室缪子辐射环境蒙特卡罗方法模拟

用蒙特卡罗方法对中国锦屏地下实验室（CJPL）的缪子辐射本底进行了模拟。在对宇宙线缪子进行模拟时,依据海平面缪子流强Gaisser公式建立模型,并利用MUSIC程序,模拟了CJPL实验室的剩余缪子归一化能谱,进一步利用FLUKA程序模拟得到了缪致光子、中子的产额和平均能量。结果表明:剩余缪子的平均能量369 GeV,通量3.1710-6 m-2s-1,次级光子总的注量率约1.5710-4 m-2s-1,次级中子总的注量率约8.3710-7 m-2s-1。通过与世界上其他地下实验室本底水平的对比,表明CJPL的缪子辐射环境低于世界上大多数地下实验室。     

基于蒙特卡罗的HPGe伽马谱仪无源效率刻度方法

采用MCNP5模拟与数学计算相结合,并利用探测器晶体几何的轴对称性,建立一种HPGe探测器的无源效率刻度方法。基于此方法的计算程序在使用过程中完全脱离MCNP5,运算时间为1~60 s,可实现点源和同轴圆柱体源的效率刻度,能量范围为50 keV~3 MeV。程序计算结果与实验数据以及MCNP5直接模拟结果比较,误差分别不超过12%和7%,证明方法可行。