Speaker
Description
The SABRE South experiment at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) is preparing to deploy an array of ultra-pure NaI(Tl) crystals to test the annual modulation signal reported by DAMA/LIBRA. We present first results from bare crystal measurements underground, a critical milestone as production of the final SABRE South crystals is now underway. A >6.5 kg prototype crystal grown under final production conditions but from standard-grade powder validates the detector setup and analysis chain, while two ~0.5 kg crystals grown from high-purity (Astrograde) powder with different surface treatments, mechanical and chemical polishing, deliver the first bare crystal radiopurity results for SABRE South. These measurements are cross-checked against a Geant4 simulation framework and feed directly into background models, with results informing surface treatment decisions for the crystals now in production. We also report on ongoing efforts to measure nuclear recoil quenching factors with neutron sources and to characterise NaI(Tl) scintillation non-proportionality and gamma quenching, using data and simulations in combination to provide reliable inputs to the Monte Carlo framework and the low-energy signal interpretation.
| I am the presenting author | No |
|---|---|
| If you are not the presenting author, please give the presenting author's name: | Kieran Rule |