Eur. Phys. J. C (2024) 84: 88
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-12298-w

Regular Article - Experimental Physics

Cosmogenic background simulations for neutrinoless double beta decay with the DARWIN observatory at various underground sites

¹ Physik-Institut, University of Zürich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
² Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
³ LPNHE, Sorbonne Université, CNRS/IN2P3, 75005, Paris, France
⁴ INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Department of Physics, University of Torino and INFN-Torino, 10125, Turin, Italy
⁵ Nikhef and the University of Amsterdam, Science Park, 1098XG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
⁶ Vinca Institute of Nuclear Science, University of Belgrade, Mihajla Petrovica Alasa 12-14, Belgrade, Serbia
⁷ Physics Department, Columbia University, 10027, New York, NY, USA
⁸ New York University Abu Dhabi-Center for Astro, Particle and Planetary Physics, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
⁹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, 35487, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
¹⁰ Institute for Data Processing and Electronics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
¹¹ ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
¹² SUBATECH, IMT Atlantique, CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Nantes, 44307, Nantes, France
¹³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna and INFN-Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
¹⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
¹⁵ Institute for Astroparticle Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
¹⁶ School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, Sydney, NSW, Australia
¹⁷ Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
¹⁸ Physikalisches Institut, Universität Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
¹⁹ LIBPhys, Department of Physics, University of Coimbra, 3004-516, Coimbra, Portugal
²⁰ Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
²¹ Department of Physics, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
²² INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and Gran Sasso Science Institute, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy
²³ Institut für Physik and Exzellenzcluster PRISMA+, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099, Mainz, Germany
²⁴ Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
²⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 77005, Houston, TX, USA
²⁶ Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of L’Aquila, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy
²⁷ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 47907, West Lafayette, IN, USA
²⁸ Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA
²⁹ Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, and Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, 464-8602, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
³⁰ Department of Physics “Ettore Pancini”, University of Napoli and INFN-Napoli, 80126, Naples, Italy
³¹ Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, 92093, La Jolla, CA, USA
³² Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
³³ Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo, Higashi-Mozumi, Kamioka, 506-1205, Hida, Gifu, Japan
³⁴ Department of Physics, Kobe University, 657-8501, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
³⁵ Theoretical and Scientific Data Science, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136, Trieste, Italy
³⁶ INFN-Ferrara and Dip. di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
³⁷ Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
³⁸ University of Banja Luka, 78000, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
³⁹ INFN-Roma Tre, 00146, Rome, Italy
⁴⁰ Coimbra Polytechnic-ISEC, 3030-199, Coimbra, Portugal
⁴¹ University of Granada, Granada, Spain
⁴² Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany

^a darwin-pub@darwin-observatory.org

Received: 29 June 2023
Accepted: 27 November 2023
Published online: 27 January 2024

Abstract

Xenon dual-phase time projections chambers (TPCs) have proven to be a successful technology in studying physical phenomena that require low-background conditions. With $40\text{t}$ of liquid xenon (LXe) in the TPC baseline design, DARWIN will have a high sensitivity for the detection of particle dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\mathrm{\nu }\mathrm{\beta }\mathrm{\beta }$), and axion-like particles (ALPs). Although cosmic muons are a source of background that cannot be entirely eliminated, they may be greatly diminished by placing the detector deep underground. In this study, we used Monte Carlo simulations to model the cosmogenic background expected for the DARWIN observatory at four underground laboratories: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) and SNOLAB. We present here the results of simulations performed to determine the production rate of ${}^{137}$Xe, the most crucial isotope in the search for $0\mathrm{\nu }\mathrm{\beta }\mathrm{\beta }$ of ${}^{136}$Xe. Additionally, we explore the contribution that other muon-induced spallation products, such as other unstable xenon isotopes and tritium, may have on the cosmogenic background.