Cryogenic characterization of a LiAlO2 crystal and new results on spin-dependent dark matter interactions with ordinary matter: CRESST Collaboration
Journal article, 2020

In this work, a first cryogenic characterization of a scintillating LiAlO2 single crystal is presented. The results achieved show that this material holds great potential as a target for direct dark matter search experiments. Three different detector modules obtained from one crystal grown at the Leibniz-Institut fur Kristallzuchtung (IKZ) have been tested to study different properties at cryogenic temperatures. Firstly, two 2.8 g twin crystals were used to build different detector modules which were operated in an above-ground laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) in Munich, Germany. The first detector module was used to study the scintillation properties of LiAlO2 at cryogenic temperatures. The second achieved an energy threshold of (213.02 +/- 1.48) eV which allows setting a competitive limit on the spin-dependent dark matter particle-proton scattering cross section for dark matter particle masses between 350 MeV/c2 and 1.50 GeV/c2. Secondly, a detector module with a 373 g LiAlO2 crystal as the main absorber was tested in an underground facility at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS): from this measurement it was possible to determine the radiopurity of the crystal and study the feasibility of using this material as a neutron flux monitor for low-background experiments.

Lithium

Spin-dependent

Dark matter

Cryogenics

Neutrons

Author

A. H. Abdelhameed

Max Planck Society

G. Angloher

Max Planck Society

P. Bauer

Max Planck Society

A. Bento

Max Planck Society

University of Coimbra

E. Bertoldo

Max Planck Society

R. Breier

Comenius University in Bratislava

C. Bucci

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

L. Canonica

Max Planck Society

A. D'Addabbo

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)

S. Di Lorenzo

Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

A. Erb

Walther-Meissner-Institute for Low Temperature Research

Technical University of Munich

F. V. Feilitzsch

Technical University of Munich

N. Ferreiro Iachellini

Max Planck Society

S. Fichtinger

Austrian Academy of Sciences

D. Fuchs

Max Planck Society

A. Fuss

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Vienna University of Technology

V. M. Ghete

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

A. Garai

Max Planck Society

P. Gorla

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

D. Hauff

Max Planck Society

M. Jeskovsky

Comenius University in Bratislava

J. Jochum

University of Tübingen

J. Kaizer

Comenius University in Bratislava

M. Kaznacheeva

Technical University of Munich

A. Kinast

Technical University of Munich

H. Kluck

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

H. Kraus

University of Oxford

A. Langenkaemper

Technical University of Munich

M. Mancuso

Max Planck Society

V. Mokina

Austrian Academy of Sciences

E. Mondragon

Technical University of Munich

M. Olmi

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)

T. Ortmann

Technical University of Munich

C. Pagliarone

Universita di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

V. Palusova

Comenius University in Bratislava

L. Pattavina

Technical University of Munich

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

F. Petricca

Max Planck Society

W. Potzel

Technical University of Munich

P. Povinec

Comenius University in Bratislava

F. Proebst

Max Planck Society

F. Reindl

Austrian Academy of Sciences

Vienna University of Technology

J. Rothe

Max Planck Society

K. Schaeffner

Max Planck Society

J. Schieck

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

V. Schipperges

University of Tübingen

D. Schmiedmayer

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

S. Schoenert

Technical University of Munich

C. Schwertner

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

M. Stahlberg

Max Planck Society

L. Stodolsky

Max Planck Society

C. Strandhagen

University of Tübingen

R. Strauss

Technical University of Munich

I. Usherov

University of Tübingen

F. Wagner

Vienna University of Technology

Austrian Academy of Sciences

M. Willers

Technical University of Munich

Vanessa Zema

Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic and Plasma Physics

J. Zeman

Comenius University in Bratislava

M. Bruetzam

Leibniz Institut fur Kristallzuchtung (IKZ)

S. Ganschow

Leibniz Institut fur Kristallzuchtung (IKZ)

European Physical Journal C

1434-6044 (ISSN) 1434-6052 (eISSN)

Vol. 80 9 834

Subject Categories

Accelerator Physics and Instrumentation

Subatomic Physics

Other Materials Engineering

DOI

10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8329-4

More information

Latest update

11/3/2020