3D-Deuteron Track Recoils Produced by Neutron Capture in Hydrogen Measured by MIMAC-35 cm

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the capability of the MIMAC-35 cm detector to directly measure thermal neutron captures in hydrogen by identifying low-energy nuclear recoil tracks amidst background noise.

Contribution

First direct measurement of neutron capture in hydrogen using a 3D track discrimination method with the MIMAC detector.

Findings

Successfully identified 1.3 keV deuteron tracks from neutron capture.

Detected 51 neutron capture events over 5 days of data collection.

Proved effective background discrimination at low energies without shielding.

Abstract

The neutron capture is a process that concerns most of the nuclei used to build our detectors. This process produces protons, alpha particles, and gamma rays which generate background signals. Characterizing this background is important for rare event searches, such as dark matter detection or Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS). This paper presents the result of the direct measurement of thermal neutron captures in hydrogen using a new MIcro-TPC MAtrix Chamber (MIMAC-35 cm) detector with a sensitive volume of 35 x 35 x 29 cm3. Data were collected over more than 5 days (443519 sec) with a gas mixture at 30 mbar of 70% isobutane (C4H10) and 30% trifluoromethane (CHF3). Our discrimination method is based on using 3D tracks and released ionization energy, in order to discriminate nuclear recoils (NR) from the dominant electron recoil (ER) background. This method enables the clear identification of 1.3 keV deuteron tracks resulting of nuclear capture reaction 1H(n, {\gamma})2H. We observed 51 neutron capture events among more than 11 million total events mainly produced by muons in the experimental room of our ground laboratory. In parallel we have measured the thermal neutron flux just below the chamber with a BF3 detector and a simulation has been performed to estimate the number of captures expected. This work shows the discrimination power of MIMAC search for low-energy (E < 1 keV) rare event with a huge background without any shielding.