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The flight of the Micro-X sounding rocket on July 22, 2018 marked the first operation of Transition-Edge Sensors and their SQUID readouts in space. The instrument combines the microcalorimeter array with an imaging mirror to take high-resolution spectra from extended X-ray sources. The first flight target was the Cassiopeia~A Supernova Remnant. While a rocket pointing malfunction led to no time on-target, data from the flight was used to evaluate the performance of the instrument and demonstrate the flight viability of the payload. The instrument successfully achieved a stable cryogenic environment, executed all flight operations, and observed X-rays from the on-board calibration source. The flight environment did not significantly affect the performance of the detectors compared to ground operation. The flight provided an invaluable test of the impact of external magnetic fields and the instrument configuration on detector performance. This flight provides a milestone in the flight readiness of these detector and readout technologies, both of which have been selected for future X-ray observatories.

Micro-X is an X-ray sounding rocket payload that had its first flight on July 22, 2018. The goals of the first flight were to operate a transition edge sensor (TES) X-ray microcalorimeter array in space and take a high-resolution spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. The first flight was considered a partial success. The array and its time-division multiplexing readout system were successfully operated in space, but due to a failure in the attitude control system, no time on-target was acquired. A re-flight has been scheduled for summer 2022. Since the first flight, modifications have been made to the detector systems to improve noise and reduce the susceptibility to magnetic fields. The three-stage SQUID circuit, NIST MUX06a, has been replaced by a two-stage SQUID circuit, NIST MUX18b. The initial laboratory results for the new detector system will be presented in this paper., Comment: LTD proceedings, 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

The Micro-X sounding rocket is a NASA funded X-ray telescope payload that completed its first flight on July 22, 2018. This event marked the first operation of Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) and their SQUID-based multiplexing readout system in space. Unfortunately, due to an ACS pointing failure, the rocket was spinning during its five minute observation period and no scientific data was collected. However, data collected from the internal calibration source marked a partial success for the payload and offers a unique opportunity to study the response of TESs and SQUIDs in space. Of particular interest is the magnetic field response of the NIST MUX06a SQUID readout system to tumbling through Earth's magnetic field. We present a model to explain the baseline response of the SQUIDs, which lead to a subset of pixels failing to "lock" for the full observational period. Future flights of the Micro-X rocket will include the NIST MUX18b SQUID system with dramatically reduced magnetic susceptibility., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, LTD19 conference proceedings

With its first flight in 2018, Micro-X became the first program to fly Transition-Edge Sensors and their SQUID readouts in space. The science goal was a high-resolution, spatially resolved X-ray spectrum of the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant. While a rocket pointing error led to no time on target, the data was used to demonstrate the flight performance of the instrument. The detectors observed X-rays from the on-board calibration source, but a susceptibility to external magnetic fields limited their livetime. Accounting for this, no change was observed in detector response between ground operation and flight operation. This paper provides an overview of the first flight performance and focuses on the upgrades made in preparation for reflight. The largest changes have been upgrading the SQUIDs to mitigate magnetic susceptibility, synchronizing the clocks on the digital electronics to minimize beat frequencies, and replacing the mounts between the cryostat and the rocket skin to improve mechanical integrity. As the first flight performance was consistent with performance on the ground, reaching the instrument goals in the laboratory is considered a strong predictor of future flight performance.

Micro-X is a sounding rocket-borne instrument that uses a microcalorimeter array to perform high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. This instrument flew for the first time on July 22nd, 2018 from the White Sands Missile Range, USA. This flight marks the first successful operation of a Transition-Edge Sensor array and its time division multiplexing read-out system in space. This launch was dedicated to the observation of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. A failure in the attitude control system prevented the rocket from pointing and led to no time on target. The on-board calibration source provided X-rays in flight, and it is used to compare detector performance during pre-flight integration, flight, and after the successful post-flight recovery. This calibration data demonstrates the capabilities of the detector in a space environment as well as its potential for future flights., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, Accepted to the JLTP for LTD-18

The Micro-X sounding rocket flew for the first time on July 22, 2018, becoming the first program to fly Transition-Edge Sensors and multiplexing SQUID readout electronics in space. While a rocket pointing failure led to no time on-target, the success of the flight systems was demonstrated. The successful flight operation of the instrument puts the program in a position to modify the payload for indirect galactic dark matter searches. The payload modifications are motivated by the science requirements of this observation. Micro-X can achieve world-leading sensitivity in the keV regime with a single flight. Dark matter sensitivity projections have been updated to include recent observations and the expected sensitivity of Micro-X to these observed fluxes. If a signal is seen (as seen in the X-ray satellites), Micro-X can differentiate an atomic line from a dark matter signature., Comment: Proceedings of the 18th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD18)

Observations of galaxies and primordial radiation suggest that the Universe is made mostly of non-luminous dark matter. Several types of new fundamental particles have been proposed as candidates for dark matter such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) but no definitive signal has been seen despite concerted efforts by many collaborations. One exception is the much-debated claim by the DAMA collaboration of a statistically significant annual modulation in the event rate of their experiment with a period and phase consistent with that expected from WIMP dark matter. Several groups have been working to develop experiments with the aim of reproducing DAMA's results using the same target medium. Here we report results from the initial operation of the COSINE-100 experiment. COSINE-100 uses sodium iodide as the target medium-the same medium as DAMA-and is designed to carry out a model-independent test of DAMA's claim. Initial data based on the first 59.5 days indicate that there is no excess of events over the expected background, confirming that DAMA's annual modulation signal is in severe tension with results from other experiments under the assumption of dark matter having spin independent interactions and the Standard Halo Model. COSINE-100 is now taking data to study the presence of dark matter-induced annual modulation in the event rate of the sodium iodide detectors., Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures

COSINE-100 is a dark matter direct detection experiment designed to test the annual modulation signal observed by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. COSINE-100 consists of 8 NaI(Tl) crystals with a total mass of 106 kg, a 2200 L liquid scintillator veto, and 37 muon detector panels. We present details of the data acquisition system of COSINE-100, including waveform storage using flash analog-to-digital converters for crystal events and integrated charge storage using charge-sensitive analog-to-digital converters for liquid scintillator and plastic scintillator muon veto events. We also discuss several trigger conditions developed in order to distinguish signal events from photomultiplier noise events. The total trigger rate observed for the crystal/liquid scintillator (plastic scintillator) detector is 15 Hz (24 Hz).

The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment is an array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors located in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L). To understand measured backgrounds in the NaI(Tl) crystals we have performed Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit and developed background models for each crystal that consider contributions from both internal and external sources, including cosmogenic nuclides. The background models are based on comparisons of measurement data with Monte Carlo simulations that are guided by a campaign of material assays and are used to evaluate backgrounds and identify their sources. The average background level for the six crystals (70 kg total mass) that are studied is 3.5 counts/day/keV/kg in the (2-6) keV energy interval. The dominant contributors in this energy region are found to be $^{210}$Pb and $^3$H.

The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment has started taking physics data with the goal of performing an independent measurement of the annual modulation signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. A muon detector was constructed by using plastic scintillator panels in the outermost layer of the shield surrounding the COSINE-100 detector. It is used to detect cosmic ray muons in order to understand the impact of the muon annual modulation on dark matter analysis. Assembly and initial performance test of each module have been performed at a ground laboratory. The installation of the detector in Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L) was completed in the summer of 2016. Using three months of data, the muon underground flux was measured to be 328 $\pm$ 1(stat.)$\pm$ 10(syst.) muons/m$^2$/day. In this report, the assembly of the muon detector and the results from the analysis are presented., Comment: 11 pages, 19 figures

COSINE is a dark matter search experiment based on an array of low background NaI(Tl) crystals located at the Yangyang underground laboratory. The assembly of COSINE-100 was completed in the summer of 2016 and the detector is currently collecting physics quality data aimed at reproducing the DAMA/LIBRA experiment that reported an annual modulation signal. Stable operation has been achieved and will continue for at least two years. Here, we describe the design of COSINE-100, including the shielding arrangement, the configuration of the NaI(Tl) crystal detection elements, the veto systems, and the associated operational systems, and we show the current performance of the experiment., Comment: 19 pages, 25 figures, EPJC accepted

We present the first search for a dark matter annual modulation signal in the Southern Hemisphere conducted with NaI(Tl) detectors, performed by the DM-Ice17 experiment. Nuclear recoils from dark matter interactions are expected to yield an annually modulated signal independent of location within the Earth's hemispheres. DM-Ice17, the first step in the DM-Ice experimental program, consists of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) located at the South Pole under 2200 m.w.e. overburden of Antarctic glacial ice. Taken over 3.6 years for a total exposure of 60.8 kg yr, DM-Ice17 data are consistent with no modulation in the energy range of 4-20 keV, providing the strongest limits on weakly interacting massive particle dark matter from a direct detection experiment located in the Southern Hemisphere. The successful deployment and stable long-term operation of DM-Ice17 establishes the South Pole ice as a viable location for future dark matter searches and in particular for a high-sensitivity NaI(Tl) dark matter experiment to directly test the DAMA/LIBRA claim of the observation of dark matter., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, revised version as published in PRD

We report the measurement of muons and muon-induced phosphorescence in DM-Ice17, a NaI(Tl) direct detection dark matter experiment at the South Pole. Muon interactions in the crystal are identified by their observed pulse shape and large energy depositions. The measured muon rate in DM-Ice17 is 2.93 +/- 0.04 muons/crystal/day with a modulation amplitude of 12.3 +/- 1.7%, consistent with expectation. Following muon interactions, we observe long-lived phosphorescence in the NaI(Tl) crystals with a decay time of 5.5 +/- 0.5 s. The prompt energy deposited by a muon is correlated to the amount of delayed phosphorescence, the brightest of which consist of tens of millions of photons. These photons are distributed over tens of seconds with a rate and arrival timing that do not mimic a scintillation signal above 2 keVee. While the properties of phosphorescence vary among individual crystals, the annually-modulating signal observed by DAMA cannot be accounted for by phosphorescence with the characteristics observed in DM-Ice17., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures

We report the first analysis of background data from DM-Ice17, a direct-detection dark matter experiment consisting of 17 kg of NaI(Tl) target material. It was codeployed with IceCube 2457 m deep in the South Pole glacial ice in December 2010 and is the first such detector operating in the Southern Hemisphere. The background rate in the 6.5 - 8.0 keVee region is measured to be 7.9 +/- 0.4 counts/day/keV/kg. This is consistent with the expected background from the detector assemblies with negligible contributions from the surrounding ice. The successful deployment and operation of DM-Ice17 establishes the South Pole ice as a viable location for future underground, low-background experiments in the Southern Hemisphere. The detector assembly and deployment are described here, as well as the analysis of the DM-Ice17 backgrounds based on data from the first two years of operation after commissioning, July 2011 - June 2013., Comment: matches PRD published version

Micro-X is a sounding rocket borne X-ray telescope that utilizes transition edge sensors to perform imaging spectroscopy with a high level of energy resolution. Its 2.1m focal length X-ray optic has an effective area of 300 sq cm, a field of view of 11.8 arcmin, and a bandpass of 0.12.5 keV. The detector array has 128 pixels and an intrinsic energy resolution of 4.5 eV FWHM. The integration of the system has progressed with functional tests of the detectors and electronics complete, and performance characterization of the detectors is underway. We present an update of ongoing progress in preparation for the upcoming launch of the instrument.