University of Pennsylvania
Department of Physics and Astronomy
High Energy Physics Seminar
CLEAN: Cryogenic Low Energy Astrophysics with Neon
Daniel McKinsey
Princeton University
Abstract
CLEAN is a new approach to the detection of weakly interacting
particles of astrophysical significance. CLEAN is capable of detecting
low energy solar neutrinos, weakly interacting massive particles
(WIMPs), and neutrinos released from supernovas. Because liquid neon
has a high scintillation yield, has no long-lived radioactive
isotopes, and can be easily purified using cold traps, it is an ideal
medium for the detection of rare nuclear events. In addition, neon is
inexpensive, dense, and transparent to its own scintillation light,
making it practical for use in a large self-shielding apparatus. The
center of the full-sized CLEAN detector would be a stainless steel
tank holding approximately 100 metric tons of liquid neon. Inside the
tank and suspended in the liquid neon would be several thousand
photomultipliers. The scientific promise and technical challenges of
CLEAN will be discussed.