Using Micromegas Detectors for Direct Dark Matter Searches: Challenges and Perspectives

  • Gloria Luzón Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Theopisti Dafni Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Konrad Altelmueller Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Itxaso Antolín Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Denis Calvet Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • Francisco Candón Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Susana Cebrián Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Juan Castel Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Cristian Cogollos ICCUB Instituto de Ciencias del Cosmos - Universidad de Barcelona, Spain; Max-Planck-Institut fur Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut), Germany
  • David Díez Ibáñez Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Esther Ferrer-Ribas Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • Javier Galán Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Juan Antonio García Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Héctor Gómez Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • Yikun Gu Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Álvaro Ezquerro Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Igor García Irastorza Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Cristina Margalejo Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Héctor Mirallas Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Jorge Porrón Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Ana Quintana Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain; Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • Luis Obis Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Alfonso Ortiz de Solorzano Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Thomas Papaevangelou Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • Óscar Pérez Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Eduardo Picatoste Universite Paris-Saclay, CEA, IRFU, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France
  • María Jiménez Puyuelo Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Elisa Ruiz-Chóliz Institut fur Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz, Germany
  • Jaime Ruz Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Julia Vogel Centro de Astropartıculas y Fısica de Altas Energıas (CAPA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
Keywords: Micromegas, time projection chambers, dark matter, axions, underground physics

Abstract

Gaseous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) with Micromegas pixelated readouts are being used in dark
matter searches and other rare-event searches, due to their potential in terms of low background levels, energy and spatial resolution, gain, and operational stability. Moreover, these detectors can provide
precious features, such as topological information, allowing for event directionality and powerful signalbackground discrimination. The Micromegas technology of the microbulk type is particularly suited to
low-background applications and is being exploited by detectors for CAST and IAXO (solar axions) and
TREX-DM (low-mass WIMPs) experiments. Challenges for the future include reducing intrinsic background levels, reaching lower energy detection levels, and technical issues such as robustness of the detector, new design choices, novel gas mixtures and operation points, scaling up to larger detector sizes,
handling large readout granularity, etc. We report on the status and prospects of the development ongoing in the context of IAXO and TREX-DM experiments, pointing to promising perspectives for the use of
Micromegas detectors in direct dark matter searches.

Published
2024-11-02
How to Cite
[1]
G. Luzón, “Using Micromegas Detectors for Direct Dark Matter Searches: Challenges and Perspectives”, Journal of Advanced Instrumentation in Science, vol. 2024, no. 1, Nov. 2024.
Section
Experimental challenges in the direct search for dark matter