Cosmogenic production in germanium crystals grown on the surface can limit the sensitivity for the next generation deep underground experiments in searching for rare event physics beyond the Standard Model. One of the best solutions to eliminate unwanted cosmogenics is to produce the germanium crystals and detectors in an underground environment. The goal of this project is to create state-of-the-art detectors to advance neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter exploration research and technology while simultaneously paving the way for infrastructure to support an underground laboratory for zone refining, crystal growth, and detector fabrication at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The greatest challenge in the growth of germanium crystals is a lack of precise control of individual crystal properties such as the impurity distribution, the dislocation density, and the crystalline structure. With knowledge gained from the pioneers in the field of crystal growth, the researchers have developed a novel technique to grow detector-grade crystals in South Dakota.
Large, high-purity, germanium (HPGe) detectors are needed for neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter experiments. Currently, large (> 4 inches in diameter) HPGe crystals can be grown at the University of South Dakota (USD). We verify that the quality of the grown crystals is sufficient for use in large detectors by fabricating and characterizing smaller HPGe detectors made from those crystals. We report the results from eight detectors fabricated over six months using crystals grown at USD. Amorphous germanium (a-Ge) contacts are used for blocking both electrons and holes. Two types of geometry were used to fabricate HPGe detectors. As a result, the fabrication process of small planar detectors at USD is discussed in great detail. The impact of the procedure and geometry on the detector performance was analyzed for eight detectors. We characterized the detectors by measuring the leakage current, capacitance, and energy resolution at 662 keV with a Cs-137 source. Four detectors show good performance, which indicates that crystals grown at USD are suitable for making HPGe detectors.
The hidden-charm tetraquarks with strangeness, $c\bar{c}s\bar{q}$ $(q=u,\,d)$, in $J^P=0^+$, $1^+$ and $2^+$ are systematically investigated in the framework of real- and complex-scaling range of a chiral quark model, whose parameters have been fixed in advance describing hadron, hadron-hadron and multiquark phenomenology. Each tetraquark configuration, compatible with the quantum numbers studied, is taken into account; this includes meson-meson, diquark-antidiquark and K-type arrangements of quarks with all possible color wave functions in four-body sector. Among the different numerical techniques to solve the Schrodinger-like 4-body bound state equation, we use a variational method in which the trial wave function is expanded in complex-range Gaussian basis functions, which is characterized by its simplicity and flexibility. This theoretical framework has already been used to study different kinds of multiquark systems, such as the hidden-charm pentaquarks, $P^+_c$, and doubly-charmed tetraquarks, $T^+_{cc}$. The recently reported $Z_{cs}$ states by the BESIII and LHCb collaborations are generally compatible with either compact tetraquark or hadronic molecular resonance configurations in our investigation. Moreover, several additional exotic resonances are found in the mass range between 3.8 GeV and 4.6 GeV.
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