000171000 001__ 171000
000171000 005__ 20260430151736.0
000171000 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1016/j.nima.2026.171585
000171000 0248_ $$2sideral$$a149027
000171000 037__ $$aART-2026-149027
000171000 041__ $$aeng
000171000 100__ $$aAntolín, I.
000171000 245__ $$aAxion–nucleon sensitivity using ultra-low background Micromegas detectors for the International Axion Observatory
000171000 260__ $$c2026
000171000 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000171000 5203_ $$aThe International Axion Observatory (IAXO) aims to detect ultra-light bosonic dark matter candidates by combining strong magnetic fields, X-ray optics, and ultra-low background detectors. This work investigates the efficiency and sensitivity of various Micromegas detector configurations within IAXO, with a particular focus on the challenging axion–nucleon coupling channel. Through detailed simulations, we evaluate the intrinsic efficiency of the IAXO-D1 prototype, exploring both conventional argon-isobutane gas mixtures and a custom blend composed of 48.85% xenon, 48.85% neon, and 2.3% isobutane, under different pressure conditions. Detector responses are studied across a range of axion spectra. To support this analysis, a dedicated simulation framework was developed by integrating the Rare Event Searches Toolkit (REST) with Garfield++, Magboltz, and Geant4. The results highlight that Micromegas detectors operated with the xenon–neon-based gas mixture exhibit a marked improvement in performance compared to the nominal IAXO-D1 baseline configuration, with a signal-to-noise ratio enhancement of up to a factor of 3.7 in the case of axion–nucleon coupling sensitivity.
000171000 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2019-108122GB-C31$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2022-137268NB-C51$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/802836/EU/Axions and relatives across different mass scales/AxScale$$9This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 802836-AxScale
000171000 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
000171000 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-3532-7540$$aCastel, J.F.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-8921-910X$$aDafni, T.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171000 700__ $$aFerrer-Ribas, E.
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-7529-9834$$aGalán, J.
000171000 700__ $$aHuerva, A.
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-1163-1687$$aGarcía Irastorza, I.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-5352-1884$$aLuzón, G.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-6213-5590$$aMargalejo, C.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-9951-8680$$aMirallas, H.
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-7990-2060$$aObis, L.
000171000 700__ $$aPorrón, J.
000171000 700__ $$aPuyuelo, M.J.
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-3253-7027$$aRuz, J.
000171000 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-5850-5517$$aVogel, J.K.
000171000 7102_ $$10$$2X$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bGrupos de investigación$$cG.I. Física Nuclear y As GIFNA
000171000 7102_ $$12004$$2390$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Física Teórica$$cÁrea Física Atóm.Molec.y Nucl.
000171000 773__ $$g1089 (2026), 171585 [11 pp.]$$pNucl. instrum. methods phys. res., Sect. A$$tNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment$$x0168-9002
000171000 8564_ $$s2690267$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171000/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000171000 8564_ $$s2475345$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171000/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000171000 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:171000$$particulos$$pdriver
000171000 951__ $$a2026-04-30-13:58:46
000171000 980__ $$aARTICLE