Munich Dark Matter Meeting: Vanessa Zema (MPP)

Tuesday 26 Nov 2024, 12:30 → 13:30 Europe/Berlin

A.2.25/27 - Atlas (New)

Phenomenology of dark matter-electron scattering in NaI
cryogenic scintillating calorimeters

 

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ABSTRACT:

COSINUS is a dark matter direct detection experiment using NaI target crystals with
the aim of clarifying the origin of the annual modulating signal detected by DAMA/
LIBRA. It employs NaI as absorber of a cryogenic scintillating calorimeter
instrumented with a transition edge sensor, thus in addition to the scintillation light, it
measures the phonons generated by a particle interaction in the crystal. The readout
of the phonon signal in a NaI target was successfully achieved for the first time by
COSINUS by coupling the NaI crystal to a transition edge sensor fabricated on a
separate wafer and connected to it using a phonon collector made from a glued gold
foil (remoTES). The hypothesis that DAMA/LIBRA detected dark matter scattering off
nuclei will be investigated in at least two data taking campaigns starting next year,
aiming for a model-independent comparison.
A complete cross-check of the results of DAMA/LIBRA requires to consider possible
dark matter induced electronic excitations. The cryogenic scintillating calorimeters
instrumented with transition edge sensors (CSCs) are extremely sensitive detectors
so far optimised to search for nuclear recoils induced by dark matter or neutrinos
(CEvNS). I will describe the phenomenology of electron scattering in scintillators and
a possible detection principle and detector design which can extend the frontier of
the cryogenic scintillating calorimeters to the search for dark matter or neutrino
(EvES) scattering off electrons

 

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For more info on this seminar series, including zoom link, please see

https://wwwmpa.mpa-garching.mpg.de/darkmatter/