Studies on the Reduction of Radon Plate-Out

TL;DR

This paper investigates radon plate-out on copper surfaces, exploring mitigation strategies to reduce background signals in sensitive physics experiments like dark matter detection.

Contribution

It introduces a custom copper holder design and experimental methods to control radon exposure, advancing mitigation techniques for radon-induced backgrounds.

Findings

Copper holder design enhances radon exposure control.

Mitigation approaches show promise in reducing radon plate-out.

Experimental setup using XIA's UltraLo 1800 alpha counters.

Abstract

The decay of common radioactive gases, such as radon, produces stable isotopes by a sequence of daughter particles with varied half-lives. These daughter particles are a significant source of gamma, neutron, and alpha particle backgrounds that can mimic desired signals in dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. In the LUMINA Laboratory at Southern Methodist University (SMU), studies of radon plate-out onto copper samples are conducted using one of XIA's first five UltraLo 1800 alpha counters. We present results from investigations into various mitigation approaches. A custom-built copper holder (in either plastic or metal) has been designed and produced to maximize the copper's exposure to 220Rn. The 220Rn source is a collection of camping lantern mantles. We present the current status of control and experimental methods for addressing radon exposure levels.