Progress on the Characterization of the Yale ``PIXeY'' Two-Phase Xenon Detector

PIXeY (Particle Identification in Xenon at Yale) is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon prototype detector with 3-kg active mass. The two-phase xenon technology has many applications that include gamma-ray imaging, neutrinoless double beta decay searches, and dark matter searches. PIXeY was built to optimize energy resolution and gamma/neutron discrimination, with a number of technological improvements over previous work. Parallel-wire grids, which control the drift and proportional-scintillation fields, are optimized both for light collection efficiency and field uniformity. High quantum efficiency Hamamatsu R8778 PMTs, high-reflectivity Teflon walls, and charge-light anti-correlation techniques are also incorporated. PIXeY will serve as a platform for future improvements, including multiple optical volumes and single wire readout for R{\&}D on gamma-ray imaging and track-imaging studies. The latest progress on the detector will be presented.