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Design studies of a pulsed quasimonoenergetic 2-keV neutron source for calibration of low threshold dark matter detectors

L. Chaplinsky1, S. Fiorucci2, C. W. Fink3, M. Garcia-Sciveres2,4, W. Guo5,6, S. A. Hertel1, J. K. Wuko1, X. Li2, J. Lin3,2 et al. (TESSERACT Collaboration)

J. Lin3,2, R. Mahapatra7, W. Matava3, D. N. McKinsey3,2, D. Z. Osterman1, P. K. Patel1,*, B. Penning8, H. Pinckney1, M. Platt7, Y. Qi5,6, M. Reed3, G. R. C Rischbieter8,9, R. K. Romani3, P. Sorensen2, V. Velan2, G. Wang10, Y. Wang3,2, S. L. Watkins3, and M. R. Williams2 (TESSERACT Collaboration)

  • *Contact author: pratyush06853223015@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 072011 – Published 28 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/fqgp-916r

Abstract

We describe design studies for a pulsed quasimonoenergetic 2-keV neutron source for calibration of sub-keV nuclear recoils. Such a calibration is required for detectors sensitive to sub-GeV dark matter and also the coherent elastic scattering of reactor neutrinos. In our design, neutrons from a commercial deuterium-tritium generator are moderated to the keV scale and subsequently filtered to achieve a monoenergetic spectrum utilizing the antiresonance feature, characterized by a drop in neutron transmission spectra at 2-keV for scandium. The analyses and conclusions presented are primarily based on simulations, as this study represents a critical first step toward the final goal. We address challenges such as unmoderated high-energy neutrons and gamma backgrounds from neutron capture in the moderator materials. Through optimization of the moderator+filter and shielding geometry, we identify a configuration that achieves the target neutron flux at 2 keV while maintaining subdominant rates of background interactions in simulation. Lastly, we outline a future pathway to lower-energy (few eV scale) calibrations using time-of-flight and sub-keV neutrons.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 072011– Published 28 October, 2026
  • Received 31 October 2024
  • Accepted 6 October 2026
Article part of CHORUS
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