Erlangen 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 81: Search for Dark Matter III

T 81.2: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 19. März 2026, 16:30–16:45, AM 00.014

Novel Purity Sensors in Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chambers — •Tom Sonius — Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics

The XLZD observatory will be a next-generation, multi-tonne xenon detector capable of probing dark matter and neutrino physics at unprecedented sensitivity. Its design features a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) containing 60 tonnes of liquid xenon (LXe).

Attaining the anticipated sensitivities requires extremely pure xenon so that rare event ionization signals are not degraded by their capture by electronegative impurities diffused in the liquid. Achieving this purity relies on advanced purification techniques, continuous recirculation, and dedicated purity monitoring systems.

Conventional LXe purity monitoring modules are bulky and must be placed outside the sensitive detector volume. A novel approach with minimal footprint and scalability is the use of carbon nanotube-based sensors that can be placed directly in the instrumented volume.

In this talk, I will present the current R&D efforts at KIT on the development of purity sensors based on single-layer carbon nanotubes, along with the status of their design and production, as a step towards novel purity sensing technologies for future LXe-TPCs.

This work is supported by the Impuls und Vernetzungsfonds of the Helmholtz Association (grant no. VH-NG-21-02).

Keywords: Dark Matter; Purity Monitor; Carbon Nanotube Sensors