The BiPo detector for ultralow radioactivity measurements

Abstract

The development of BiPo detectors is dedicated to the measurement of extremely high radiopurity in 208Tl and 214Bi for the SuperNEMO double beta decay source foils. A modular prototype called BiPo‐1 with 0.8 m2 of sensitive surface area has been running in the Modane Underground Laboratory since February 2008. The goal of BiPo‐1 is to measure the different components of the background and in particular the surface radiopurity of the plastic scintillators that make up the detector. The first phase of data collection has been dedicated to the measurement of the radiopurity in 208Tl. After more than one year of background measurement a surface activity of the scintillators of A(208Tl) = 1.5 μBq/m2 is reported here.Given this level of background, a larger BiPo3 detector having 3.25 m2 of active surface area, will able to qualify the radiopurity of the SuperNEMO selenium double beta decay foils with the required sensitivity of A(208Tl)<3–4 μBq/kg (90% C.L.) with a six month measurement. This detector is actually under construction and will be installed in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory mid 2011.