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Published January 2014 | Submitted
Journal Article Open

A prototype low-background multiwire proportional chamber

Abstract

A prototype multiwire proportional chamber (MWPC) was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a radiopure time projection chamber with MWPC track readout to assay materials for alpha- and beta-emitting surface contaminants for future rare-event-search experiments as well as other scientific fields. The design features and assembly techniques described here are motivated by the position and energy resolution required to reconstruct alpha and beta tracks while efficiently rejecting backgrounds. Results from a test setup using an ^(55)Fe x-ray source indicate excellent operational stability and a near-ideal energy resolution of 15.8% FWHM at 5.89 keV and a gas gain of ~10^4.

Additional Information

© 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl. Received: July 23, 2013; Revised: November 27, 2013; Accepted: December 16, 2013; Published: January 15, 2014. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (Grants No. PHY-0834453 and PHY-0855525), the Department of Energy HEP division, and the University of Alberta Department of Physics and Faculty of Science. The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical contributions of L. Buda, J. Hanson, G. Lachat, and P. Zimmerman, and the quality-control testing of J. Roberts and M. Mintskovsky.

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