Speaker
Description
NEXT-100 is a high-pressure gaseous time projection chamber searching for neutrinoless double beta decay with enriched xenon-136. Ionisation electrons are amplified in the detector through the use of electroluminescent (EL) amplification which enables proportional gain with minimal fluctuations enabling sub-percent energy resolution. The experiment is in the final stages of construction (detector commissioning is planned for early 2024) with the EL region and cathode consisting of large-scale (1m diameter) photochemically etched hexagonal grids recently installed. Significant challenges were needed to overcome the exacting requirements in the design of the NEXT-100 EL region including radiopurity, optical transparency, planarity, high-voltage operation, and mechanical and electrical robustness. In this talk, the design considerations for the NEXT-100 EL region will be described along with prospects for the construction of even larger grids for future experiments.
