The Electronics and Data Acquisition System of the DarkSide Dark Matter Search

TL;DR

This paper details the design and implementation of the data acquisition and electronic systems for the DarkSide-50 experiment, which searches for WIMP dark matter particles using a liquid argon detector underground.

Contribution

It introduces the specific electronic and data acquisition systems developed for the DarkSide-50 liquid argon detector, enabling sensitive detection of potential dark matter interactions.

Findings

Successful operation of the data acquisition system in a dark matter search environment

High sensitivity achieved for detecting ionization signals from WIMP interactions

Robust electronic systems supporting underground experimental conditions

Abstract

It is generally inferred from astronomical measurements that Dark Matter (DM) comprises approximately 27\% of the energy-density of the universe. If DM is a subatomic particle, a possible candidate is a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), and the DarkSide-50 (DS) experiment is a direct search for evidence of WIMP-nuclear collisions. DS is located underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy, and consists of three active, embedded components; an outer water veto (CTF), a liquid scintillator veto (LSV), and a liquid argon (LAr) time projection chamber (TPC). This paper describes the data acquisition and electronic systems of the DS detectors, designed to detect the residual ionization from such collisions.