Thomas N. Thorpe on behalf of the DS-20k collaboration
SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 069 (2023) ·
published 5 July 2023
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DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) will exploit the physical and chemical properties of liquid argon (LAr) housed within a large dual-phase time project chamber (TPC) in its direct search for dark matter. The TPC will utilize a compact, integrated design with many novel features to enable the 20t fiducial volume of underground argon. Underground Argon (UAr) is sourced from underground CO$_2$ wells and depleted in the radioactive isotope $^{39}$Ar, greatly enhancing the experimental sensitivity to dark matter interactions. Sourcing and transporting the $\mathcal{O}$(100t) of UAr for (DS-20k) is costly, and a dedicated single-closed-loop cryogenic system has been designed, constructed, and tested to handle the valuable UAr. We present an overview of the (DS-20k) TPC design and the first results from the UAr cryogenic system.