Germanium Detectors for Rare Event Searches

by Dr Ryan D. Martin

Thursday 1 Dec 2011, 17:15 → 18:15 Europe/Berlin

Auditorium (MPP)

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment will perform a search for neutrinoless double-beta (0nbb) decay using p-type point contact (PPC) high purity germanium detectors. This rather novel detector technology will allow a significant fraction of backgrounds to the 0nbb signal to be removed. In addition, properties of PPC detectors will allow MAJORANA to perform other types of rare-event searches, such as direct dark matter detection, where it may have competitive sensitivity to low mass WIMPs. After reviewing the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment and status, this talk will describe some of the properties of PPC detectors and their prospect for rare-event searches in the near future.