Development of new ultra-pure, high-strength, electroformed CuCr alloys for next generation of rare event searches

Lead Research Organisation: University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy

Abstract

The PureAlloys project will advance our understanding in the nature of the Cosmos by enabling novel, extremely radiopure,
experimental searches for Dark Matter and for neutrinoless double beta decay. Current experiments are constrained by radioactive
contamination in the detector manufacturing process, posing the main barrier in their physics discovery potential. Electroformed
copper achieves extreme radiopurity, however it is limited by its mechanical properties: high ductility and low strength. PureAlloys
will address this challenge by designing high radiopurity CuCr and CuCrTi alloys with significantly higher strength. A novel multi-scale
modelling framework enabling fast progress in designing application-specific alloys will be developed, opening the path for the
design of new alloys in fields involving fabrication and properties enhancement where the thermodynamic and kinetic description of
the system is crucial. PureAlloys will push the boundaries in many fields: from fundamental science to industrial applications.

Publications

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