Commissioning and first results from the Cold Radon Emanation Facility

Abstract

Radon emanation from detector materials is a critical background for next-generation rare event searches, in particular those using noble liquid targets. While highly sensitive screening facilities mitigate this risk prior to detector construction, room-temperature assays often fail to predict cold emanation rates due to temperature-dependent diffusion suppression. The Cold Radon Emanation Facility at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory addresses this by performing high-sensitivity assays at detector operating temperatures. It includes a 2.7 L small-sample chamber, a 200 L chamber for large as-built components operated with a radon concentration line, a cryogenic infrastructure enabling measurements of emanation as a function of temperature, and an electrostatic radon detector, which achieves a minimum detectable activity of ~0.05 mBq at 90% CL. Commissioning results and initial comparative assays are reported, including a preliminary indication of a factor of ~2 suppression of $^{222}$Rn emanation in a titanium sample at cryogenic temperatures. This result, obtained as part of commissioning measurements, illustrates the potential impact of temperature-dependent effects and underscores the importance of in-situ cold assays for future noble liquid detector components.