Cosmogenic Activation of Materials Used in Rare Event Search Experiments

TL;DR

This paper assesses cosmogenic activation in materials used for rare event detection, comparing simulation tools and experimental data to understand background sources in dark matter and double-beta decay experiments.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of Geant4 simulations, ACTIVIA calculations, and experimental data on cosmogenic production rates in relevant materials.

Findings

Geant4 simulations agree reasonably with experimental data

Cosmogenic isotopes can create backgrounds in rare event searches

Different materials show varying levels of cosmogenic activation

Abstract

We evaluate the cosmogenic production rates in some materials that are commonly used as targets and shielding/supporting components for detecting rare events. The results from Geant4 simulations are compared with the calculations of ACTIVIA and the available experimental data. We demonstrate that the production rates from the Geant4-based simulations agree with the available data reasonably well. As a result, we report that the cosmogenic production of several isotopes in various materials can generate potential backgrounds for direct detection of dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay.