Measurement of radioactive contamination in the high-resistivity silicon CCDs of the DAMIC experiment
Abstract
We present measurements of radioactive contamination in the high-resistivity silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs) used by the DAMIC experiment to search for dark matter particles. Novel analysis methods, which exploit the unique spatial resolution of CCDs, were developed to identify α and β particles. Uranium and thorium contamination in the CCD bulk was measured through α spectroscopy, with an upper limit on the 238U (232Th) decay rate of 5 (15) kg-1 d-1 at 95% CL. We also searched for pairs of spatially correlated electron tracks separated in time by up to tens of days, as expected from 32Si-32P or 210Pb-210Bi sequences of β decays. The decay rate of 32Si was found to be 80+110-65 kg-1 d-1 (95% CI). An upper limit of 35 kg-1 d-1 (95% CL) on the 210Pb decay rate was obtained independently by α spectroscopy and the β decay sequence search. These levels of radioactive contamination are sufficiently low for the successful operation of CCDs in the forthcoming 100 g DAMIC detector.
Turn this paper into a lesson
ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.