Development of scintillation detectors for dark matter searches at Boulby mine

Abstract

The UK dark matter collaboration is developing scintillation detectors to perform direct searches for dark matter at the Boulby mine underground site. Progress is reported on the operation and development of NaI(Tl) detectors for weakly interacting massive particles; the low background shielding facility at Boulby; and on the development of scintillator techniques with nuclear recoil discrimination. In particular, detectors with discrimination based on pulse shape in undoped NaI at low temperature and in liquid Xenon will be discussed.