The Scintillation Bubble Chamber (SBC) experiment for dark matter and reactor CEvNS

Abstract

The Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) Collaboration is developing a novel detection technique aimed at detecting low-mass (0.7-7 GeV/c2) WIMP interactions and coherent elastic neutrinonucleus scattering (CEνNS) of reactor neutrinos. Using a target volume composed of superheated argon with a tiny amount of dissolved xenon, the nucleation signal from electron recoils (the limiting factor for low-threshold studies in bubble chambers) is suppressed, allowing for the exploration of new parameter space. Particle interactions with the target fluid can lead to the production of heat (bubbles) and scintillation light. By combining these observables, the SBC Collaboration is aiming to reach a threshold of 100 eV for nuclear recoil detection with discrimination and a projected WIMP-sensitivity of 1.73× 10−43cm2, for a WIMP mass of 1 GeV/c2. In this paper, the design of a 10-kg device and the current activities at Fermilab (FNAL) towards the commissioning and operation of the detector are presented. As part of the detector R&D, ongoing activities at the University of Alberta for different image capture setups are also briefly discussed afterward. Finally, an overview of the collaboration’s plans for future operations at FNAL and SNOLAB, including the potential for such a detector to become the leading technology to study CEνNS are also presented here.