Cherenkov light identification in TeO2 crystals with Si low-temperature detectors

Abstract

Low temperature thermal detectors with particle identification capabilities are among the best detectors for next generation experiments for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay. Thermal detectors allow to reach excellent energy resolution and to optimize the detection efficiency, while the possibility to identify the interacting particle allows to greatly reduce the background. Tellurium dioxide is one of the favourite compounds since it has long demonstrated the first two features and could reach the third through Cherenkov emission tagging [1]. A new generation of cryogenic light detectors are however required to detect the few Cherenkov photons emitted by electrons of few MeV energy. Preliminary measurements with new Si light detectors demonstrated a clear event-by-event discrimination between alpha and beta/gamma interactions at the 130Te neutrinoless double beta decay Q-value (2528 keV).