MiX: A Position Sensitive Dual-Phase Liquid Xenon Detector

TL;DR

This paper presents the design and performance of a high-resolution, position-sensitive dual-phase liquid xenon detector suitable for rare event searches like dark matter detection and neutrinoless double beta decay.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 3D position sensitive dual-phase liquid xenon TPC with high light yield, long electron lifetime, and excellent energy resolution, advancing detector capabilities.

Findings

High light yield of 15.2 pe/keV at zero field

Electron lifetime exceeding 200 microseconds

Energy resolution of 1% at 1333 keV

Abstract

The need for precise characterization of dual-phase xenon detectors has grown as the technology has matured into a state of high efficacy for rare event searches. The Michigan Xenon detector was constructed to study the microphysics of particle interactions in liquid xenon across a large energy range in an effort to probe aspects of radiation detection in liquid xenon. We report the design and performance of a small 3D position sensitive dual-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber with high light yield ($L_y^{122}=15.2 $pe/keV at zero field), long electron lifetime ($\tau > 200 \mu$s), and excellent energy resolution ($\sigma/E = 1\%$ for 1,333 keV gamma rays in a drift field of 200 V/cm). Liquid xenon time projection chambers with such high energy resolution may find applications not only in dark matter direct detection searches, but also in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments and other applications.