Research Article

Status of R&D on Micromegas for Rare Event Searches : The T-REX project

CYGNUS 2011: Third International Conference on Directional Detection of Dark Matter, CYGNUS, Aussois, France.

I.G. Irastorza^a1, J. Castel^a1, S. Cebrián^a1, T. Dafni^a1, G. Fanourakis^a2, E. Ferrer-Ribas^a3, D. Fortuño^a1, L. Esteban^a1, J. Galán^a3, J.A. García^a1, A. Gardikiotis^a4, J.G. Garza^a1, T. Geralis^a2, I. Giomataris^a3, H. Gómez^a1, D.C. Herrera^a1, F.J. Iguaz^a3, G. Luzón^a1, J.P. Mols^a3, A. Ortiz^a1, T. Papaevangelou^a3, A. Rodríguez^a1, J. Ruz^a5, L. Segui^a1, A. Tomás^a1, T. Vafeiadis^a6a5a4 and S.C. Yildiz^a7a8

^a1 Grupo de Física Nuclear y Astropartículas, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

^a2 Institute of Nuclear Physics, NCSR Demokritos, Athens, Greece

^a3 IRFU, Centre d’Études de Saclay, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

^a4 University of Patras, Patras, Greece

^a5 CERN, European Organization for Particle Physics and Nuclear Research, Switzerland

^a6 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

^a7 Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey

^a8 Doğuş University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract

The T-REX project aims at developing novel readout techniques for Time Projection Chambers in experiments searching for rare events. The enhanced performance of the latest Micromegas readouts in issues like energy resolution, gain stability, homogeneity, material budget, combined with low background techniques, is opening new windows of opportunity for their application in this field. Here we review the latest results regarding the use and prospects of Micromegas readouts in axion physics (CAST and the future helioscope), as well as the R&D carried out within NEXT, to search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay.

(Online publication February 15 2012)