Abstract
The DarkSide-50 experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a search for dark matter using a dual phase time projection chamber with 50 kg of low radioactivity argon as target. Light signals from interactions in the argon are detected by a system of 38 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs), 19 above and 19 below the TPC volume inside the argon cryostat. We describe the electronics which processes the signals from the photo-multipliers, the trigger system which identifies events of interest, and the data-acquisition system which records the data for further analysis. The electronics include resistive voltage dividers on the PMTs, custom pre-amplifiers mounted directly on the PMT voltage dividers in the liquid argon, and custom amplifier/discriminators (at room temperature). After amplification, the PMT signals are digitized in CAEN waveform digitizers, and CAEN logic modules are used to construct the trigger; the data acquisition system for the TPC is based on the Fermilab artdaq software. The system has been in operation since early 2014.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | P12011 |
Journal | Journal of Instrumentation |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 11 2017 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Instrumentation
- Mathematical Physics
Keywords
- Dark Matter detectors (WIMPs, axions, etc.)
- Noble liquid detectors (scintillation, ionization, double-phase)