30 research outputs found
The CUORE cryostat: an infrastructure for rare event searches at millikelvin temperatures
The CUORE experiment is the world's largest bolometric experiment. The
detector consists of an array of 988 TeO2 crystals, for a total mass of 742 kg.
CUORE is presently taking data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso,
Italy, searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te. A large
custom cryogen-free cryostat allows reaching and maintaining a base temperature
of about 10 mK, required for the optimal operation of the detector. This
apparatus has been designed in order to achieve a low noise environment, with
minimal contribution to the radioactive background for the experiment. In this
paper, we present an overview of the CUORE cryostat, together with a
description of all its sub-systems, focusing on the solutions identified to
satisfy the stringent requirements. We briefly illustrate the various phases of
the cryostat commissioning and highlight the relevant steps and milestones
achieved each time. Finally, we describe the successful cooldown of CUORE
CUORE-0 detector: design, construction and operation
The CUORE experiment will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay ofTe with an array of 988 TeO bolometers arranged in 19 towers.CUORE-0, the first tower assembled according to the CUORE procedures, was builtand commissioned at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, and took data fromMarch 2013 to March 2015. In this paper we describe the design, constructionand operation of the CUORE-0 experiment, with an emphasis on the improvementsmade over a predecessor experiment, Cuoricino. In particular, we demonstratewith CUORE-0 data that the design goals of CUORE are within reach
The CUORE cryostat: commissioning and performance
The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) will search for the 0vββ decay in 130Te using a cryogenic array of TeO2 bolometers, operated at a base temperature of ~10mK. CUORE will consist of a closely packed array of 19 towers each containing 52 crystals, for a total mass of 741kg. The detector assembly is hosted in one of the largest cryostats ever constructed and will be cooled down to base temperature using a custom-built cryogen free dilution refrigerator. The CUORE cryostat along with the pulse tube based dilution refrigerator has been already commissioned at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) and a record base temperature, on a cubic meter scale, of ~6mK was achieved during one of the integration runs. We present the results from integration runs, characterizing the system and the cooling performance of the dilution refrigerator, effectively showcasing its stability at base temperature for the expected thermal load