Nuclear recoil measurements in Superheated Superconducting Granule detectors

Abstract

The response of Superheated Superconducting Granule (SSG) devices to nuclear recoils has been explored by irradiating SSG detectors with a 70Me$\!$V neutron beam. In the past we have tested Al SSG and more recently, measurements have been performed with Sn and Zn detectors. The aim of the experiments was to test the sensitivity of SSG detectors to recoil energies down to a few ke$\!$V. In this paper, the preliminary results of the neutron irradiation of a SSG detector made of Sn granules 15-20$\mu$m in diameter will be discussed. For the first time, recoil energy thresholds of $\sim$1ke$\!$V have been measured.Comment: 7pages in Latex format, Preprint Bu-He 93/6 (University of Berne, Switzerland), four figures available upon request via [email protected] or [email protected]