Astroparticle Physics
Volume 49, September 2013, Pages 44–51
T. Alexander et al., (DarkSide Collaboration) M. Wojcik, G. Zuzel
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.08.004
http://arxiv.org/abs/1204.6218
Abstract
As part of the DarkSide program of direct dark matter searches using two-phase argon TPCs, a prototype detector with an active volume containing 10 kg of liquid argon, DarkSide-10, was built and operated underground in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. A critically important parameter for such devices is the scintillation light yield, as photon statistics limits the rejection of electron-recoil backgrounds by pulse shape discrimination. We have measured the light yield of DarkSide-10 using the readily-identifiable full-absorption peaks from gamma ray sources combined with single-photoelectron calibrations using low-occupancy laser pulses. For gamma lines of energies in the range 122–1275 keV, we get light yields averaging 8.887±0.003(stat)±0.444(sys) p.e./keVee. With additional purification, the light yield measured at 511 keV increased to 9.142±0.006(stat) p.e./keVee.