Demonstration of a novel, ton-scale, pixel-readout LArTPC for the DUNE near detector

Abstract

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be using optically separated liquid argon time projection chambers in the Near Detector (ND) complex to cope with the high event pile-up. DUNE ND-LAr 2x2 (ProtoDUNE-ND) is a prototype experiment for these modules. The capabilities of this detector, including the performance of the charge and light readout systems, the signal matching between the two, the detector purity, and the response uniformity, have been demonstrated with two ton-scale prototypes operated at the University of Bern. They acquired large samples of cosmic ray data by detecting ionization charge through a true 3D pixel-based charge readout and scintillation light through advanced high-coverage photon detection systems, the Light Collection Modules (LCM) and the light traps called ArCLights. The main results from the analysis of these data sets, as well as the overall status of the ND-LAr detector and the role of ProtoDUNE-ND in DUNE, are presented in this poster.