The XIX International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP2025)

Investigation of neutron background and the effect on dark matter search with a spherical proportional counter

27 Aug 2025, 18:00

2h

International Conference Center

Poster Dark Matter and Its Detection Poster session

Speaker

Mr Motlatsi Vincent Mahanyapane (Physics Department, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

Description

The New Experiments With Spheres – Gas (NEWS-G) collaboration has designed the Spherical Proportional Counter (SPC) dedicated to searching low-mass weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), one of the most promising dark matter (DM) candidates. SPCs are gaseous detectors relying on ionization of light noble gases. In probing dark matter, neutrons become one of the significant background sources limiting detector sensitivity. The understanding of those sources is crucial for optimizing the background rejection strategies, to finally distinguish the rare events signal. In this work, we will focus on SEDINE, a low background DM SPC installed at Underground Laboratory of Modane (LSM, Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane) (4800 m.w.e). The detector principle, detector environment, the simulation results on environmental gamma background and a preliminary results of neutron background will be presented. All the efforts pave a way towards detector shielding improvement to enhance DM detection sensitivity.