PT Journal
AU NEXT Collaboration (Alvarez, Vea
   Carcel, S
   Cervera-Villanueva, A
   Diaz, J
   Ferrario, P
   Gil, A
   Gomez-Cadenas, JJ
   Laing, A
   Liubarsky, I
   Lorca, D
   Martin-Albo, J
   Martinez, A
   Monrabal, F
   Muñoz Vidal, J
   Nebot-Guinot, M
   Rodriguez, J
   Serra, L
   Simon, A
   Sorel, M
   Yahlali, N
TI Operation and first results of the NEXT-DEMO prototype using a silicon photomultiplier tracking array
SO Journal of Instrumentation
JI J. Instrum.
PY 2013
BP P09011 - 20pp
VL 8
DI 10.1088/1748-0221/8/09/P09011
LA English
DE Pattern recognition; cluster finding; calibration and fitting methods; Double-beta decay detectors; Particle tracking detectors (Gaseous detectors); Time projection chambers
AB NEXT-DEMO is a high-pressure xenon gas TPC which acts as a technological test-bed and demonstrator for the NEXT-100 neutrinoless double beta decay experiment. In its current configuration the apparatus fully implements the NEXT-100 design concept. This is an asymmetric TPC, with an energy plane made of photomultipliers and a tracking plane made of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) coated with TPB. The detector in this new configuration has been used to reconstruct the characteristic signature of electrons in dense gas, demonstrating the ability to identify the MIP and "blob" regions. Moreover, the SiPM tracking plane allows for the definition of a large fiducial region in which an excellent energy resolution of 1.82% FWHM at 511 keV has been measured (a value which extrapolates to 0.83% at the xenon Q(beta beta)).
ER