About the INPA Seminars

All seminars are on Fridays (unless otherwise noted) and start at 12:00 (noon) with a brief presentation of the weekly scientific news. Typically the talks end by 13:00. The seminars take place in Bldg. 50A, room 5132.

The committee members are:

The following Seminar schedule for the Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics is tentative. The seminar becomes final usually a few days before the Friday of the talk.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions or like to be added to the INPA News mailing list please contact: Erica Hall 510-486-4903

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VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Kevin Thieme (Univ. of Zurich)

October 8, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Speaker: Kevin Thieme (University of Zurich)

Title: A Measurement of the Mean Electronic Excitation Energy of Liquid Xenon

Abstract:

Detectors using liquid xenon as target are widely deployed in rare event searches. Conclusions on the interacting particle rely on a precise reconstruction of the deposited energy which requires calibrations of the energy scale of the detector by means of radioactive sources. However, a microscopic calibration, i.e. the translation from the number of excitation quanta into deposited energy, also necessitates good knowledge of the energy required to produce single scintillation photons or ionisation electrons in liquid xenon. The sum of these excitation quanta is directly proportional to the deposited energy in the target. The proportionality constant is the mean excitation energy and is commonly known as W-value. Here we present a measurement of the W-value with electronic recoil interactions in a small dual-phase xenon time projection chamber with a hybrid (photomultiplier tube and silicon photomultipliers) photosensor configuration. Our result is based on calibrations at O(1–10 keV) with internal 37-Ar and 83m-Kr sources and single electron events. We obtain a value of W=(11.5 +0.2 -0.3 (syst.)) eV, with negligible statistical uncertainty, which is lower than previously measured at these energies. If further confirmed, our result will be relevant for modelling the absolute response of liquid xenon detectors to particle interactions.

Join Zoom Meeting https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/93376704948?pwd=ZnJsMzhOcmFqc1hnWTZZbmEzeHhSZz09

Meeting ID: 933 7670 4948

Passcode: 373301

Details

Date:
October 8, 2021
Time:
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

INPA guests from campus can now come up to the lab early on Fridays. The INPA Common Room (50-5026) is reserved for our guests from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, and from 1 pm to 5 pm. Note that the seminars are now held in 50A-5132 to accommodate a larger number of attendees.

Also, on Fridays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm you are welcome to join the INPA Speaker for a brown-bag lunch in the small Pers Hall conference room, 54-130B.

INPA Tea Series

The Physics and Nuclear Science Divisions have together been leaders in revolutionary changes in our understanding of neutrinos and cosmology. Everyone is welcome to attend the open forum. Tea and light refreshments will be served.

INPA Common Room (50-5026)
Fridays
3:30 pm

Access to the Lab

For a shuttle pass please email Erica Hall. Please note: the pass is only valid for the day of the seminar.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please contact, preferably via email, Erica Hall.