Published July 1, 2011 | Version v1
Journal article

Background measurements in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory

  • 1. Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zuerich (Switzerland)

Description

The gamma background flux below 3000 keV in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Italy, has been measured using a 3 in. diameter NaI(Tl) detector at different underground positions: in hall A, hall B, the interferometer tunnel, and inside the Large Volume Detector (LVD). The integrated flux is 0.3-0.4 s-1 cm-2 at the first three locations, and is lower by two orders of magnitude inside LVD. With the help of Monte Carlo simulations for every location, the contribution of the individual primordial isotopes to the background has been determined. Using an 11 in. diameter NaI(Tl) detector, the background neutron flux in the LNGS interferometer tunnel has been estimated. Within the uncertainties, the result agrees with those from other neutron measurements in the main halls.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.027

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.027;
arXiv
arXiv:1101.5298v3;
PII
S0168-9002(11)00765-0;

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Journal Volume
643
Journal Issue
1
Journal Page Range
p. 36-41
ISSN
0168-9002
CODEN
NIMAER

Optional Information

Copyright
Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.