Speaker
Description
We present the status of the CYGNO experiment which is now focusing on the development of the new 0.4 m$^3$ underground demonstrator at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). CYGNO aims for the development of a large gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with optical readout, operated with a He:CF$_4$ gas mixture, for directional rare event searches such as neutrino and dark matter searches in both the spin-dependent and spin-independent channels. In the CYGNO experimental approach, primary ionisation charges produced by particle interactions are amplified by a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM), generating visible scintillation light read out by a CMOS-based Active Pixel Sensor and a set of fast Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). This approach enables detailed 3D event reconstruction while keeping the sensors outside the sensitive volume, thus reducing background contamination. The design of CYGNO-04 builds on the successful underground operation of the LIME detector, the largest 50 L prototype of the project. The LIME underground campaign at LNGS demonstrated 3D reconstruction capability and strong electron/nuclear recoil discrimination above 20 keV, validating the experimental technique and motivating the scale-up. In this contribution, we focus on the main results achieved by LIME and on the current construction status of CYGNO-04, including the detector design, amplification stage, optical readout system, gas system, electronics and DAQ integration, and infrastructure preparation for underground deployment at LNGS. We will discuss the main technical challenges encountered in scaling up from LIME to CYGNO-04, the adopted solutions, the integration and commissioning plan, and the expected milestones toward full operation. CYGNO-04 is a key step to demonstrate the scalability and performance of the CYGNO technology on a significantly larger active volume.
| Main Contribution topic | Direct detection |
|---|---|
| Secondary contribution topic | Light Dark Matter |