Low-Energy Calibration of SuperCDMS HVeV Cryogenic Silicon Calorimeters Using Compton Steps

Abstract

Cryogenic calorimeters for low-mass dark matter searches have achieved sub-eV energy resolutions, driving advances in both low-energy calibration techniques and our understanding of detector physics. The energy deposition spectrum of gamma rays scattering off target materials exhibits step-like features, known as Compton steps, near the binding energies of atomic electrons. We demonstrate a successful use of Compton steps for sub-keV calibration of cryogenic silicon calorimeters, utilizing four SuperCDMS High-Voltage eV-resolution (HVeV) detectors operated with 0 V bias across the crystal. This new calibration at 0 V is compared with the established high-voltage calibration using optical photons. The comparison indicates that the detector response at 0 V is about 30% weaker than expected, highlighting challenges in detector response modeling for low-mass dark matter searches.

14 pages + title and references, 13 figures, and 6 table

References in corpus (13)

• Single-electron and single-photon sensitivity with a silicon Skipper CCD
• EXCESS workshop: Descriptions of rising low-energy spectra
• Ionization Yield in Silicon for eV-Scale Electron-Recoil Processes
• Results on sub-GeV Dark Matter from a 10 eV Threshold CRESST-III Silicon Detector
• Observation of seasonal variation of atmospheric multiple-muon events in the MINOS Near and Far Detectors
• Light Dark Matter Constraints from SuperCDMS HVeV Detectors Operated Underground with an Anticoincidence Event Selection
• Precision measurement of Compton scattering in silicon with a skipper CCD for dark matter detection
• G4CMP: Condensed Matter Physics Simulation Using the Geant4 Toolkit
• Investigating the sources of low-energy events in a SuperCDMS-HVeV detector
• First Demonstration of the HeRALD Superfluid Helium Detector Concept
• Low Energy Backgrounds and Excess Noise in a Two-Channel Low-Threshold Calorimeter
• Aluminum Relaxation as the Source of Excess Low Energy Events in Low Threshold Calorimeters
• Improved Modelling of Detector Response Effects in Phonon-based Crystal Detectors used for Dark Matter Searches

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Search for low-mass electron-recoil dark matter using a single-charge sensitive SuperCDMS-HVeV Detector
• Performance of a SuperCDMS HVeV Detector with Sub-eV Energy Resolution and Single Charge-sensitivity