TY - JOUR
T1 - Observation of radon mitigation in MicroBooNE by a liquid argon filtration system
AU - The MicroBooNE Collaboration
AU - Abratenko, P.
AU - Anthony, J.
AU - Arellano, L.
AU - Asaadi, J.
AU - Ashkenazi, A.
AU - Balasubramanian, S.
AU - Baller, B.
AU - Barnes, C.
AU - Barr, G.
AU - Barrow, J.
AU - Basque, V.
AU - Bathe-Peters, L.
AU - Benevides Rodrigues, O.
AU - Berkman, S.
AU - Bhanderi, A.
AU - Bhat, A.
AU - Bhattacharya, M.
AU - Bishai, M.
AU - Blake, A.
AU - Bolton, T.
AU - Book, J.
AU - Camilleri, L.
AU - Caratelli, D.
AU - Caro Terrazas, I.
AU - Cavanna, F.
AU - Cerati, G.
AU - Chen, Y.
AU - Cianci, D.
AU - Conrad, J.
AU - Convery, M.
AU - Cooper-Troendle, L.
AU - Crespo-Anadón, J.
AU - Del Tutto, M.
AU - Dennis, S.
AU - Detje, P.
AU - Devitt, A.
AU - Diurba, R.
AU - Dorrill, R.
AU - Duffy, K.
AU - Dytman, S.
AU - Eberly, B.
AU - Ereditato, A.
AU - Evans, J.
AU - Fine, R.
AU - Fiorentini Aguirre, G.
AU - Fitzpatrick, R.
AU - Fleming, B.
AU - Foppiani, N.
AU - Furmanski, A.
AU - Torbunov, Dmitrii
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab.
PY - 2022/11/1
Y1 - 2022/11/1
N2 - The MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) maintains a high level of liquid argon purity through the use of a filtration system that removes electronegative contaminants in continuously-circulated liquid, recondensed boil off, and externally supplied argon gas. We use the MicroBooNE LArTPC to reconstruct MeV-scale radiological decays. Using this technique we measure the liquid argon filtration system's efficacy at removing radon. This is studied by placing a 500 kBq 222Rn source upstream of the filters and searching for a time-dependent increase in the number of radiological decays in the LArTPC. In the context of two models for radon mitigation via a liquid argon filtration system, a slowing mechanism and a trapping mechanism, MicroBooNE data supports a radon reduction factor of greater than 97% or 99.999%, respectively. Furthermore, a radiological survey of the filters found that the copper-based filter material was the primary medium that removed the 222Rn. This is the first observation of radon mitigation in liquid argon with a large-scale copper-based filter and could offer a radon mitigation solution for future large LArTPCs.
AB - The MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) maintains a high level of liquid argon purity through the use of a filtration system that removes electronegative contaminants in continuously-circulated liquid, recondensed boil off, and externally supplied argon gas. We use the MicroBooNE LArTPC to reconstruct MeV-scale radiological decays. Using this technique we measure the liquid argon filtration system's efficacy at removing radon. This is studied by placing a 500 kBq 222Rn source upstream of the filters and searching for a time-dependent increase in the number of radiological decays in the LArTPC. In the context of two models for radon mitigation via a liquid argon filtration system, a slowing mechanism and a trapping mechanism, MicroBooNE data supports a radon reduction factor of greater than 97% or 99.999%, respectively. Furthermore, a radiological survey of the filters found that the copper-based filter material was the primary medium that removed the 222Rn. This is the first observation of radon mitigation in liquid argon with a large-scale copper-based filter and could offer a radon mitigation solution for future large LArTPCs.
KW - Counting-gas and liquid purification
KW - Gas systems and purification
KW - Noble liquid detectors (scintillation, ionization, double-phase)
KW - Time projection Chambers (TPC)
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U2 - 10.1088/1748-0221/17/11/P11022
DO - 10.1088/1748-0221/17/11/P11022
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85142430473
SN - 1748-0221
VL - 17
JO - Journal of Instrumentation
JF - Journal of Instrumentation
IS - 11
M1 - P11022
ER -