40 research outputs found
G4CMP: Condensed Matter Physics Simulation Using the Geant4 Toolkit
G4CMP simulates phonon and charge transport in cryogenic semiconductor
crystals using the Geant4 toolkit. The transport code is capable of simulating
the propagation of acoustic phonons as well as electron and hole charge
carriers. Processes for anisotropic phonon propagation, oblique charge-carrier
propagation, and phonon emission by accelerated charge carriers are included.
The simulation reproduces theoretical predictions and experimental observations
such as phonon caustics, heat-pulse propagation times, and mean charge-carrier
drift velocities. In addition to presenting the physics and features supported
by G4CMP, this report outlines example applications from the dark matter and
quantum information science communities. These communities are applying G4CMP
to model and design devices for which the energy transported by phonons and
charge carriers is germane to the performance of superconducting instruments
and circuits placed on silicon and germanium substrates. The G4CMP package is
available to download from GitHub: github.com/kelseymh/G4CMP.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 10 table
The first search for bosonic super-WIMPs with masses up to 1 MeV/c with GERDA
We present the first search for bosonic super-WIMPs as keV-scale dark matter
candidates performed with the GERDA experiment. GERDA is a neutrinoless
double-beta decay experiment which operates high-purity germanium detectors
enriched in Ge in an ultra-low background environment at the Laboratori
Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN in Italy. Searches were performed for
pseudoscalar and vector particles in the mass region from 60 keV/c to 1
MeV/c. No evidence for a dark matter signal was observed, and the most
stringent constraints on the couplings of super-WIMPs with masses above 120
keV/c have been set. As an example, at a mass of 150 keV/c the most
stringent direct limits on the dimensionless couplings of axion-like particles
and dark photons to electrons of and
at 90% credible interval,
respectively, were obtained.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters, added list
of authors, updated ref. [21
Ionization yield measurement in a germanium CDMSlite detector using photo-neutron sources
Two photo-neutron sources, YBe and SbBe, have been
used to investigate the ionization yield of nuclear recoils in the CDMSlite
germanium detectors by the SuperCDMS collaboration. This work evaluates the
yield for nuclear recoil energies between 1 keV and 7 keV at a temperature of
50 mK. We use a Geant4 simulation to model the neutron spectrum assuming
a charge yield model that is a generalization of the standard Lindhard model
and consists of two energy dependent parameters. We perform a likelihood
analysis using the simulated neutron spectrum, modeled background, and
experimental data to obtain the best fit values of the yield model. The
ionization yield between recoil energies of 1 keV and 7 keV is shown to be
significantly lower than predicted by the standard Lindhard model for
germanium. There is a general lack of agreement among different experiments
using a variety of techniques studying the low-energy range of the nuclear
recoil yield, which is most critical for interpretation of direct dark matter
searches. This suggests complexity in the physical process that many direct
detection experiments use to model their primary signal detection mechanism and
highlights the need for further studies to clarify underlying systematic
effects that have not been well understood up to this point
First measurement of the nuclear-recoil ionization yield in silicon at 100 eV
We measured the nuclear--recoil ionization yield in silicon with a cryogenic
phonon-sensitive gram-scale detector. Neutrons from a mono-energetic beam
scatter off of the silicon nuclei at angles corresponding to energy depositions
from 4\,keV down to 100\,eV, the lowest energy probed so far. The results show
no sign of an ionization production threshold above 100\,eV. These results call
for further investigation of the ionization yield theory and a comprehensive
determination of the detector response function at energies below the keV
scale
Search for low-mass dark matter via bremsstrahlung radiation and the Migdal effect in SuperCDMS
We present a new analysis of previously published SuperCDMS data using a profile likelihood framework to search for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles through two inelastic scattering channels: bremsstrahlung radiation and the Migdal effect. By considering these possible inelastic scattering channels, experimental sensitivity can be extended to DM masses that are undetectable through the DM-nucleon elastic scattering channel, given the energy threshold of current experiments. We exclude DM masses down to 220  MeV/c2 at 2.7×10−30  cm2 via the bremsstrahlung channel. The Migdal channel search provides overall considerably more stringent limits and excludes DM masses down to 30  MeV/c2 at 5.0×10−30  cm2
A Search for Low-mass Dark Matter via Bremsstrahlung Radiation and the Migdal Effect in SuperCDMS
We present a new analysis of previously published of SuperCDMS data using a
profile likelihood framework to search for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) particles
through two inelastic scattering channels: bremsstrahlung radiation and the
Migdal effect. By considering these possible inelastic scattering channels,
experimental sensitivity can be extended to DM masses that are undetectable
through the DM-nucleon elastic scattering channel, given the energy threshold
of current experiments. We exclude DM masses down to at
via the bremsstrahlung channel. The Migdal
channel search provides overall considerably more stringent limits and excludes
DM masses down to at .Comment: Submitted to PR
Liquid argon light collection and veto modeling in GERDA Phase II
The ability to detect liquid argon scintillation light from within a densely packed high-purity germanium detector array allowed the Gerda experiment to reach an exceptionally low background rate in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76 Ge. Proper modeling of the light propagation throughout the experimental setup, from any origin in the liquid argon volume to its eventual detection by the novel light read-out system, provides insight into the rejection capability and is a necessary ingredient to obtain robust background predictions. In this paper, we present a model of the Gerda liquid argon veto, as obtained by Monte Carlo simulations and constrained by calibration data, and highlight its application for background decomposition