Radioactive background for ProtoDUNE detector

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the radioactive background sources, including cosmic neutrons, tunnel neutrons, and muons, for the ProtoDUNE detector, providing simulations crucial for future underground DUNE experiments.

Contribution

It offers a detailed analysis and simulation of neutron and muon-induced radioactive backgrounds specific to the ProtoDUNE detector, addressing data gaps with nuclear reaction modeling.

Findings

Cosmic neutrons and tunnel neutrons significantly contribute to radioactive backgrounds.

Simulations help estimate isotope production where experimental data is lacking.

Results inform background mitigation strategies for future DUNE underground experiments.

Abstract

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a leading-edge, international experiment for neutrino science and proton decay studies. This experiment is looking for answers regarding several fundamental questions about the nature of matter and the evolution of the universe: origin of matter, unification of forces, physics of black holes. Two far detector prototypes using two distinct technologies have been developed at CERN. The prototypes are testing and validating the liquid argon time projection chamber technology (LArTPC). In neutrino physics, as well as in any experiment with rare interaction rate, the good knowledge of the radioactive backgrounds is important to the success of the study. Unlike most of the charged particles or short lived neutral particles, muons and neutrons represent the main sources of background for this kind of experiments. In this paper, we have considered two sources of neutrons: cosmic neutrons and neutrons coming from the accelerating tunnel. Also, cosmic muons are taken into account. The contribution of these particles to the production of radioactive isotopes inside the active volume of the detector in comparison to the one corresponding to muons is shown. Also, simulations of nuclear reactions for the processes of interest for investigating the radioactive background due to the lack of measurements or insufficient experimental data are presented. The results presented are of interest for the future underground DUNE experiment.