182 research outputs found
The -cleus experiment: A gram-scale fiducial-volume cryogenic detector for the first detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering
We discuss a small-scale experiment, called -cleus, for the first
detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering by probing nuclear-recoil
energies down to the 10 eV-regime. The detector consists of low-threshold
CaWO and AlO calorimeter arrays with a total mass of about 10 g and
several cryogenic veto detectors operated at millikelvin temperatures.
Realizing a fiducial volume and a multi-element target, the detector enables
active discrimination of , neutron and surface backgrounds. A first
prototype AlO device, operated above ground in a setup without
shielding, has achieved an energy threshold of eV and further
improvements are in reach. A sensitivity study for the detection of coherent
neutrino scattering at nuclear power plants shows a unique discovery potential
(5) within a measuring time of weeks. Furthermore, a site
at a thermal research reactor and the use of a radioactive neutrino source are
investigated. With this technology, real-time monitoring of nuclear power
plants is feasible.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figure
Detection of the Natural Alpha Decay of Tungsten
The natural alpha decay of 180W has been unambiguously detected for the first
time. The alpha peak is found in a (gamma,beta and neutron)-free background
spectrum. This has been achieved by the simultaneous measurement of phonon and
light signals with the CRESST cryogenic detectors. A half-life of T1/2 = (1.8
+- 0.2) x 10^18 y and an energy release of Q = (2516.4 +- 1.1 (stat.) +- 1.2
(sys.)) keV have been measured. New limits are also set on the half-lives of
the other naturally occurring tungsten isotopes.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review C Revised versio
The CRESST Dark Matter Search
The current status of CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search using
Superconducting Thermometers) and new results concerning the detector
development are presented. The basic technique of CRESST is to search for
particle Dark Matter (WIMPS, Weakly Interacting Massive particles) by the
measurement of non-thermal phonons as created by WIMP-induced nuclear recoils.
Combined with the newly developed method of simultaneous measurement of
scintillation light, strong background discrimination is possible, resulting in
a substantial increase in WIMP detection sensitivity. The short and long term
perspectives of CRESST are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
The CRESST Experiment: Recent Results and Prospects
The CRESST experiment seeks hypothetical WIMP particles that could account
for the bulk of dark matter in the Universe. The detectors are cryogenic
calorimeters in which WIMPs would scatter elastically on nuclei, releasing
phonons. The first phase of the experiment has successfully deployed several
262 g sapphire devices in the Gran Sasso underground laboratories. A main
source of background has been identified as microscopic mechanical fracturing
of the crystals, and has been eliminated, improving the background rate by up
to three orders of magnitude at low energies, leaving a rate close to one count
per day per kg and per keV above 10 keV recoil energy. This background now
appears to be dominated by radioactivity, and future CRESST scintillating
calorimeters which simultaneously measure light and phonons will allow
rejection of a great part of it.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the CAPP2000 Conference, Verbier,
Switzerland, July, 2000 (eds J. Garcia-Bellido, R. Durrer, and M.
Shaposhnikov
Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search
The CRESST-II cryogenic Dark Matter search, aiming at detection of WIMPs via
elastic scattering off nuclei in CaWO crystals, completed 730 kg days of
data taking in 2011. We present the data collected with eight detector modules,
each with a two-channel readout; one for a phonon signal and the other for
coincidently produced scintillation light. The former provides a precise
measure of the energy deposited by an interaction, and the ratio of
scintillation light to deposited energy can be used to discriminate different
types of interacting particles and thus to distinguish possible signal events
from the dominant backgrounds. Sixty-seven events are found in the acceptance
region where a WIMP signal in the form of low energy nuclear recoils would be
expected. We estimate background contributions to this observation from four
sources: 1) "leakage" from the e/\gamma-band 2) "leakage" from the
\alpha-particle band 3) neutrons and 4) Pb-206 recoils from Po-210 decay. Using
a maximum likelihood analysis, we find, at a high statistical significance,
that these sources alone are not sufficient to explain the data. The addition
of a signal due to scattering of relatively light WIMPs could account for this
discrepancy, and we determine the associated WIMP parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure
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