Experimental Physics
Institute of
Experimental Physics
Experimental Physics
New publication on the production of veto photodetectors for DarkSide-20k
23 September 2026
Photo: im
Our group has contributed to the production and characterisation of the veto photodetectors for DarkSide-20k, the largest direct dark matter detection experiment, currently under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. The work has now been published, documenting the development and production of the detector units that will form part of the experiment's neutron veto system.
The production of the veto photodetectors involved the development, assembly and qualification of 2,400 detector units, together with extensive quality-control measurements to ensure their performance and radiopurity for the experiment. Our contribution focused on the population and testing of the readout electronics for the veto photodetectors.
The neutron veto is an essential component of DarkSide-20k, helping to identify and reject neutron-induced backgrounds that could mimic the rare signals expected from dark matter interactions.
The publication represents an important milestone in the instrumentation programme supporting DarkSide-20k and highlights the substantial effort required to develop and produce the detector technologies needed for the experiment's future dark matter search.
