Kinetic inductance detectors as light detectors for neutrino and dark matter searches

Abstract

Large-mass arrays of bolometers proved to be good detectors for neutrinoless double beta decay (0vDBD) and Dark Matter searches. CUORE and LUCIFER are bolometric 0vDBD experiments that will start to take data in 2015 at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The sensitivity of CUORE to 0vDBD could be increased by removing the dominant source of background, due to α particles, exploiting the small amount of Cherenkov light emitted by the β (signal) and not by αs. LUCIFER could be extended to search also for Dark Matter interactions, provided that an efficient rejection of β/γ background in the energy region of interest (below 10 keV) can be obtained using the simultaneous detection of heat and scintillation signals. The interest in sensitive cryogenic light detectors gave birth to the CALDER project, that aims at the development of detectors with an active area of 5 × 5 cm2 (the face of typical bolometric crystals), operating in a wide temperature range around 10 mK, and with an energy resolution at the baseline below 20 eV RMS. We have chosen to develop phonon-mediated detectors with Kinetic Inductance Detector (KID) sensors. We have tested the first prototypes, that were able to trigger the first pulses due to cosmic rays.