TeO${}_2$ bolometers with Cherenkov signal tagging: towards next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiments

Abstract

CUORE, an array of 988 TeO${}_2$ bolometers, is about to be one of the most sensitive experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Its sensitivity could be further improved by removing the background from $\alpha$ radioactivity. A few years ago it has been pointed out that the signal from $\beta$s can be tagged by detecting the emitted Cherenkov light, which is not produced by $\alpha$s. In this paper we confirm this possibility. For the first time we measured the Cherenkov light emitted by a CUORE crystal, and found it to be 100 eV at the $Q$-value of the decay. To completely reject the $\alpha$ background, we compute that one needs light detectors with baseline noise below 20 eV RMS, a value which is 3-4 times smaller than the average noise of the bolometric light detectors we are using. We point out that an improved light detector technology must be developed to obtain TeO${}_2$ bolometric experiments able to probe the inverted hierarchy of neutrino masses.

arXiv comment5 pages, 4 figures. Added referee corrections

References in corpus (12)

• Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search
• CUORE: A Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events
• 130Te Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with CUORICINO
• Neutrinoless double-beta decay. A brief review
• Masses of 130Te, 130Xe and double-beta-decay Q-value of 130Te
• Performances of a large mass ZnSe bolometer to search for rare events
• CUORE crystal validation runs: results on radioactive contamination and extrapolation to CUORE background
• Characterization of bolometric Light Detectors for rare event searches
• Discrimination of alpha and beta/gamma interactions in a TeO${}_2$ bolometer
• Optimizing the energy threshold of light detectors coupled to luminescent bolometers
• NIKEL: Electronics and data acquisition for kilopixels kinetic inductance camera
• Effect of SiO2 coating in bolometric Ge light detectors for rare event searches

Cited by in corpus (21)

• First array of enriched Zn${}^{82}$Se bolometers to search for double beta decay
• CALDER - Neutrinoless double-beta decay identification in TeO${}_2$ bolometers with kinetic inductance detectors
• Low background techniques in bolometers for double-beta decay search
• Double-beta decay investigation with highly pure enriched ${}^{82}$Se for the LUCIFER experiment
• Enriched TeO${}_2$ bolometers with active particle discrimination: towards the CUPID experiment
• Al/Ti/Al phonon-mediated KIDs for UV-VIS light detection over large areas
• Particle Discrimination in TeO${}_2$ Bolometers using Light Detectors read out by Transition Edge Sensors
• High sensitivity phonon-mediated kinetic inductance detector with combined amplitude and phase read-out
• Complete event-by-event $\alpha$/$\gamma (\beta )$ separation in a full-size TeO${}_2$ CUORE bolometer by Neganov-Luke-magnified light detection
• Background suppression in massive TeO${}_2$ bolometers with Neganov-Luke amplified light detectors
• Performance of a Large Area Photon Detector For Rare Event Search Applications
• The saga of neutrinoless double beta decay search with TeO2 thermal detectors
• Cryogenic light detectors with enhanced performance for rare events physics
• Neganov-Luke amplified cryogenic light detectors for the background discrimination in neutrinoless double beta decay search with TeO${}_2$ bolometers
• Phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay
• Model for the Cherenkov light emission of TeO${}_2$ cryogenic calorimeters
• Cerenkov light identification with Si low-temperature detectors with Neganov-Luke effect-enhanced sensitivity
• Radiopure tungstate and molybdate crystal scintillators for double beta decay experiments
• Potentialities of the future technical improvements in the search of rare nuclear decays by bolometers
• New application of superconductors: high sensitivity cryogenic light detectors
• Examples of stable exponential cosmological solutions with three factor spaces in EGB model with a $\Lambda$-term