Characterization of a 109Cd gamma-ray source for the two-phase argon detector

Abstract

At present, a two-phase argon detector is being developed in our laboratory for dark matter search and low-energy neutrino experiments. To calibrate its energy scale a $^{109}$Cd gamma-ray source was used. In this work a detailed emission spectrum of the $^{109}$Cd source was measured using YAP:Ce scintillator and high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. It is shown that the $^{109}$Cd source, equipped with a W substrate and a Cu filter, can provide a complete set of gamma-ray lines, ranging from 8 to 90 keV, for the energy calibration of two-phase detectors. These measurements allowed us to successfully quantify the shape of the amplitude spectra observed in the two-phase argon detector when irradiated with the $^{109}$Cd source.