Updates on the DEAP-3600 experiment and steps towards the ARGO experiment

Abstract

The DEAP-3600 experiment, with an approximately 3.3 tonne liquid argon (LAr) target, is currently the world's largest single-phase LAr dark matter detector. It is located 2 km underground at SNOLAB, Canada, one of the most radiopure underground laboratories. With excellent pulse-shape discrimination against low-energy beta decays and precise position reconstruction, DEAP-3600 has set the most stringent WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross-section exclusion limits for masses above 30 GeV/c$^{2}$ on argon and provided leading sensitivity to superheavy, multi-scattering dark matter candidate. Here we report the recent advances in understanding LAr properties and position reconstruction techniques using DEAP-3600 data along with hardware upgrades to mitigate residual challenging $α$-backgrounds for WIMP search. As a part of Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration (GADMC), the next-generation ARGO detector, featuring a 300-tonne fiducial LAr mass, is under development to significantly enhance sensitivity to rare dark matter interactions. Simulation-based studies of radiogenic neutron backgrounds and their mitigation strategies provide essential input to this design and will be described here.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: ARGO Geometry B detector design showing key elements inside the Cube Hall at SNOLAB.
• Figure 2: Normalized neutron energy spectra from ($\alpha$,n) reactions for different detector components.