Neganov-Luke amplified cryogenic light detectors for the background discrimination in neutrinoless double beta decay search with TeO${}_2$ bolometers

Abstract

We demonstrate that Neganov-Luke amplified cryogenic light detectors with Transition Edge Sensor read-out can be applied for the background suppression in cryogenic experiments searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of ${}^{130}\text{Te}$ with TeO${}_2$ based bolometers. Electron and gamma induced events can be discriminated from $\hat{I}\pm$ events by detecting the Cherenkov light produced by the ${\hat{I}}^2$ particles emitted in the decay. We use the Cherenkov light produced by events in the full energy peak of ${}^{208}\text{Tl}$ and by events from a ${}^{147}\text{Sm}$ source to show that at the Q-value of the neutrinoless double beta decay of ${}^{130}\text{Te}$ ($Q_{{\hat{I}}^2{\hat{I}}^2}=2.53\text{MeV}$), a separation of $e^{-}/{\hat{I}}^3$ events from $\hat{I}\pm$ events can be achieved on an event-by-event basis with practically no reduction in signal acceptance.

10 pages, 4 figures, revision for submission to JINST