A Model of bubble nucleation efficiency for bubble chamber detector

Abstract

Bubble chambers using fluorocarbons or noble liquids gases are promising tools for detecting low-energy nuclear recoils caused by the elastic scattering of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a type of dark matter. These chambers comprise a vessel filled with a superheated liquid, which is controlled in terms of pressure and temperature. Bubble formation occurs when the energy deposition surpasses a specific threshold defined by the "heat-spike" Seitz Model. The efficiency of bubble nucleation from low-energy nuclear recoils in superheated liquids is a crucial factor in interpreting results obtained from direct searches for WIMPs as dark matter. This study aims to develop a physics model capable of explaining the observed disparities between experimental outcomes and the current Seitz model. Molecular dynamics simulations were utilized to investigate the bubble nucleation threshold, and a Monte Carlo simulation employing SRIM was performed to obtain the energy transfer in the target medium. The model also incorporates Lindhard's theory to enhance accuracy and improve predictions of bubble nucleation efficiency. By applying nucleation efficiency, we can estimate the cross-section exclusion limit for experiments. The model has been tested with existing experimental data and shows similar detector responses.