ProtoDUNE-DP PROTOtype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment - Dual Phase detector: Electrostatic Simulations and Performance Studies

Abstract

In search of answers to the biggest missing puzzle in the field of neutrino physics, large-scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr-TPCs) have been postulated to be the most attractive instruments for next generation neutrino observations. A state-of-the-art experiment, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will utilize this LAr-TPC technology for the studies of neutrino science and proton decay, is currently in the stage of design and prototyping. This thesis reports on the behavior studies of a 6 × 6 × 6 m^3 prototype, ProtoDUNE, in the context of DUNE from the electrostatic’s point of view. Electrostatic simulations had been performed on the whole detector in order to verify the uniformity of the electric field, and to assure that all local electric fields within the detector are below a certain value to avoid any electrical breakdown phenomena. Additionally, to characterize the performance of the 2D anode used for charge readout in the experiment, some simulations and measurements had been conducted.