Engineering topics

Buccino, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Buccino, G..

4 records

DOE OSTI2023

Sensitivity projections for a dual-phase argon TPC optimized for light dark matter searches through the ionization channel

Dark matter lighter than 10 GeV / c 2 encompasses a promising range of candidates. A conceptual design for a new detector, DarkSide-LowMass, is presented, based on the DarkSide-50 detector and progress toward DarkSide-20k, optimized for a low-threshold electron-counting measurement. Sensitivity to light dark matter is explored for various potential energy thresholds and background rates. These studies show that DarkSide-LowMass can achieve sensitivity to light dark matter down to the solar neutrino fog for GeV-scale masses and significant sensitivity down to 10 MeV / c 2 considering the Migdal effect or interactions with electrons. Requirements for optimizing the detector’s sensitivity are explored, as are potential sensitivity gains from modeling and mitigating spurious electron backgrounds that may dominate the signal at the lowest energies.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

Separating $${^{39}\hbox {Ar}}$$ from $${^{40}\hbox {Ar}}$$ by cryogenic distillation with Aria for dark-matter searches

Abstract Aria is a plant hosting a $${350}\,\hbox {m}$$ 350 m cryogenic isotopic distillation column, the tallest ever built, which is being installed in a mine shaft at Carbosulcis S.p.A., Nuraxi-Figus (SU), Italy. Aria is one of the pillars of the argon dark-matter search experimental program, lead by the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration. It was designed to reduce the isotopic abundance of $${^{39}\hbox {Ar}}$$ 39 Ar in argon extracted from underground sources, called Underground Argon (UAr), which is used for dark-matter searches. Indeed, $${^{39}\hbox {Ar}}$$ 39 Ar is a $$\beta $$ β -emitter of cosmogenic origin, whose activity poses background and pile-up concerns in the detectors. In this paper, we discuss the requirements, design, construction, tests, and projected performance of the plant for the isotopic cryogenic distillation of argon. We also present the successful results of the isotopic cryogenic distillation of nitrogen with a prototype plant.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sensitivity of future liquid argon dark matter search experiments to core-collapse supernova neutrinos

Future liquid-argon DarkSide-20k and Argo detectors, designed for direct dark matter search, will be sensitive also to core-collapse supernova neutrinos, via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. This interaction channel is flavor-insensitive with a high-cross section, enabling for a high-statistics neutrino detection with target masses of ~50 t and ~360 t for DarkSide-20k and Argo respectively. Thanks to the low-energy threshold of ~0.5 keVnr achievable by exploiting the ionization channel, DarkSide-20k and Argo have the potential to discover supernova bursts throughout our galaxy and up to the Small Magellanic Cloud, respectively, assuming a 11-M progenitor star. In this work, we report also on the sensitivity to the neutronization burst, whose electron neutrino flux is suppressed by oscillations when detected via charged current and elastic scattering. Finally, the accuracies in the reconstruction of the average and total neutrino energy in the different phases of the supernova burst, as well as its time profile, are also discussed, taking into account the expected background and the detector response.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM): A Novel Mechanical Ventilator Designed for Mass Scale Production in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemics

We present here the design of the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel mechanical ventilator designed for mass scale production in response to the COVID-19 pandemics, to compensate for the dramatic shortage of such ventilators in many countries. This ventilator is an electro-mechanical equivalent of the old, reliable Manley Ventilator. Our design is optimized to permit large sale production in short time and at a limited cost, relying on off-the-shelf components, readily available worldwide from hardware suppliers. Operation of the MVM requires only a source of compressed oxygen (or compressed medical air) and electrical power. The MVM control and monitoring unit can be connected and networked via WiFi so that no additional electrical connections are necessary other than the connection to the electrical power. At this stage the MVM is not a certified medical device. Construction of the first prototypes is starting with a team of engineers, scientists and computing experts. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the conceptual design of the MVM broadly and to solicit feedback from the scientific and medical community to speed the process of review, improvement and possible implementation.

Galbiati, C.↗