The DEAP-3600 Dark Matter Experiment

TL;DR

The DEAP-3600 experiment employs a large liquid argon detector at SNOLAB to search for dark matter WIMPs, achieving high sensitivity through low background noise and pulse shape discrimination.

Contribution

This paper presents the design, commissioning, and background mitigation strategies of the DEAP-3600 dark matter detector, highlighting its potential for sensitive WIMP detection.

Findings

Detector background levels are effectively controlled.

Pulse shape discrimination successfully rejects electromagnetic backgrounds.

The experiment is poised to reach a sensitivity of 10^{-46} cm^2 at 100 GeV WIMP mass.

Abstract

The DEAP-3600 experiment uses 3.6 tons of liquid argon for a sensitive dark matter search, with a sensitivity to the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section of $10^{-46}$ cm$^2$ at 100 GeV WIMP mass. This high sensitivity is achievable due to the large target mass and the very low backgrounds in the spherical acrylic detector design as well as at the unique SNOLAB facility in Sudbury, Canada. Pulse shape discrimination is used to reject electromagnetic backgrounds from the WIMP induced nuclear recoil signal. We started taking commissioning data in early 2015 with vacuum and later gas inside the detector. Argon fill is expected in winter 2015. An overview and status of the DEAP-3600 experiment are presented in this paper, with an emphasis on control and mitigation of detector backgrounds.