58 research outputs found
ZnO-based scintillating bolometers: New prospects to study double beta decay of Zn
The first detailed study on the performance of a ZnO-based cryogenic
scintillating bolometer as a detector to search for rare processes in zinc
isotopes was performed. A 7.2 g ZnO low-temperature detector, containing more
than 80\% of zinc in its mass, exhibits good energy resolution of baseline
noise 1.0--2.7 keV FWHM at various working temperatures resulting in a
low-energy threshold for the experiment, 2.0--6.0 keV. The light yield for
/ events was measured as 1.5(3) keV/MeV, while it varies for
particles in the range of 0.2--3.0 keV/MeV. The detector demonstrate
an effective identification of the / events from events
using time-properties of only heat signals. %(namely, Rise time parameter). The
radiopurity of the ZnO crystal was evaluated using the Inductively Coupled
Plasma Mass Spectrometry, an ultra-low-background High Purity Ge
-spectrometer, and bolometric measurements. Only limits were set at the
level of (1--100) mBq/kg on activities of \Nuc{K}{40},
\Nuc{Cs}{137} and daughter nuclides from the U/Th natural decay chains. The
total internal -activity was calculated to be 22(2) mBq/kg, with a
major contribution caused by 6(1) mBq/kg of \Nuc{Th}{232} and 12(2) mBq/kg of
\Nuc{U}{234}. Limits on double beta decay (DBD) processes in \Nuc{Zn}{64} and
\Nuc{Zn}{70} isotopes were set on the level of
-- yr for various decay modes profiting from 271
h of acquired background data in the above-ground lab. This study shows a good
potential for ZnO-based scintillating bolometers to search for DBD processes of
Zn isotopes, especially in \Nuc{Zn}{64}, with the most prominent spectral
features at 10--20 keV, like the two neutrino double electron capture. A
10 kg-scale experiment can reach the experimental sensitivity at the level of
yr.Comment: Prepared for submission to JINST; 27 pages, 9 figures, and 7 table
Twelve-crystal prototype of LiMoO scintillating bolometers for CUPID and CROSS experiments
An array of twelve 0.28 kg lithium molybdate (LMO) low-temperature bolometers
equipped with 16 bolometric Ge light detectors, aiming at optimization of
detector structure for CROSS and CUPID double-beta decay experiments, was
constructed and tested in a low-background pulse-tube-based cryostat at the
Canfranc underground laboratory in Spain. Performance of the scintillating
bolometers was studied depending on the size of phonon NTD-Ge sensors glued to
both LMO and Ge absorbers, shape of the Ge light detectors (circular vs.
square, from two suppliers), in different light collection conditions (with and
without reflector, with aluminum coated LMO crystal surface). The scintillating
bolometer array was operated over 8 months in the low-background conditions
that allowed to probe a very low, Bq/kg, level of the LMO crystals
radioactive contamination by Th and Ra.Comment: Prepared for submission to JINST; 23 pages, 9 figures, and 4 table
A first test of CUPID prototypal light detectors with NTD-Ge sensors in a pulse-tube cryostat
CUPID is a next-generation bolometric experiment aiming at searching for
neutrinoless double-beta decay with ~250 kg of isotopic mass of Mo. It
will operate at 10 mK in a cryostat currently hosting a similar-scale
bolometric array for the CUORE experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory
(Italy). CUPID will be based on large-volume scintillating bolometers
consisting of Mo-enriched LiMoO crystals, facing thin
Ge-wafer-based bolometric light detectors. In the CUPID design, the detector
structure is novel and needs to be validated. In particular, the CUORE cryostat
presents a high level of mechanical vibrations due to the use of pulse tubes
and the effect of vibrations on the detector performance must be investigated.
In this paper we report the first test of the CUPID-design bolometric light
detectors with NTD-Ge sensors in a dilution refrigerator equipped with a pulse
tube in an above-ground lab. Light detectors are characterized in terms of
sensitivity, energy resolution, pulse time constants, and noise power spectrum.
Despite the challenging noisy environment due to pulse-tube-induced vibrations,
we demonstrate that all the four tested light detectors comply with the CUPID
goal in terms of intrinsic energy resolution of 100 eV RMS baseline noise.
Indeed, we have measured 70--90 eV RMS for the four devices, which show an
excellent reproducibility. We have also obtained outstanding energy resolutions
at the 356 keV line from a Ba source with one light detector achieving
0.71(5) keV FWHM, which is -- to our knowledge -- the best ever obtained when
compared to detectors of any technology in this energy range.Comment: Prepared for submission to JINST; 16 pages, 7 figures, and 1 tabl
A CUPID Li2100MoO4scintillating bolometer tested in the CROSS underground facility
A scintillating bolometer based on a large cubic Li2100MoO4 crystal (45 mm side) and a Ge wafer (scintillation detector) has been operated in the CROSS cryogenic facility at the Canfranc underground laboratory in Spain. The dual-readout detector is a prototype of the technology that will be used in the next-generation 0¿2ß experiment CUPID . The measurements were performed at 18 and 12 mK temperature in a pulse tube dilution refrigerator. This setup utilizes the same technology as the CUORE cryostat that will host CUPID and so represents an accurate estimation of the expected performance. The Li2100MoO4 bolometer shows a high energy resolution of 6 keV FWHM at the 2615 keV ¿ line. The detection of scintillation light for each event triggered by the Li2100MoO4 bolometer allowed for a full separation (~8s) between ¿(ß) and a events above 2 MeV . The Li2100MoO4 crystal also shows a high internal radiopurity with 228Th and 226Ra activities of less than 3 and 8 µBq/kg, respectively. Taking also into account the advantage of a more compact and massive detector array, which can be made of cubic-shaped crystals (compared to the cylindrical ones), this test demonstrates the great potential of cubic Li2100MoO4 scintillating bolometers for high-sensitivity searches for the 100Mo 0¿2ß decay in CROSS and CUPID projects
New results about the revolutionary bolometer assembly of BINGO
International audienceSearching for neutrinoless double-beta decay (02) is one of the main experimental challenges of modern physics. One experimental technique is given by cryogenic detectors named bolometers that are really promising for this purpose. The current generation tonne-scale experiment CUORE using this technology is putting the best limit on Te 02 half-life with TeO crystals but its sensitivity is limited by its background. Therefore, it will be followed by the next generation experiment CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification) that will study Mo embedded inside LiMoO crystals in order to reduce the background. It will also read the scintillation light produced by LiMoO by adding another Ge bolometer acting as a light detector next to the main absorber to reject the background. Thanks to that, CUPID will reach a sensitivity 2 orders of magnitude higher than CUORE. However, in the case where this is not enough to detect 02, BINGO (Bi-Isotope Next Generation 02 Observatory) is preparing the next-next generation of bolometric experiments. To improve the 02 discovery sensitivity, the goal is to reduce drastically the number of background events in the region of interest and to combine the use of the two previously cited isotopes: Te and Mo. To achieve this goal, BINGO is proposing to implement an active cryogenic veto to suppress the external background, to use Neganov-Trofimov-Luke effect to increase light detector sensitivity and to use a revolutionary detector assembly to reduce the total surface radioactivity contribution. In this article, we will focus on the latter and present the latest results obtained with two 454545 mm LiMoO crystals
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