학술논문
Cryogenic characterization of a $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 crystal and new results on spin-dependent dark matter interactions with ordinary matter
Document Type
article
Author
A. H. Abdelhameed; G. Angloher; P. Bauer; A. Bento; E. Bertoldo; R. Breier; C. Bucci; L. Canonica; A. D’Addabbo; S. Di Lorenzo; A. Erb; F. V. Feilitzsch; N. Ferreiro Iachellini; S. Fichtinger; D. Fuchs; A. Fuss; V. M. Ghete; A. Garai; P. Gorla; D. Hauff; M. Ješkovský; J. Jochum; J. Kaizer; M. Kaznacheeva; A. Kinast; H. Kluck; H. Kraus; A. Langenkämper; M. Mancuso; V. Mokina; E. Mondragon; M. Olmi; T. Ortmann; C. Pagliarone; V. Palušová; L. Pattavina; F. Petricca; W. Potzel; P. Povinec; F. Pröbst; F. Reindl; J. Rothe; K. Schäffner; J. Schieck; V. Schipperges; D. Schmiedmayer; S. Schönert; C. Schwertner; M. Stahlberg; L. Stodolsky; C. Strandhagen; R. Strauss; I. Usherov; F. Wagner; M. Willers; V. Zema; J. Zeman; M. Brützam; S. Ganschow
Source
European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields, Vol 80, Iss 9, Pp 1-10 (2020)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1434-6044
1434-6052
1434-6052
Abstract
Abstract In this work, a first cryogenic characterization of a scintillating $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 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 für Kristallzüchtung (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 $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 at cryogenic temperatures. The second achieved an energy threshold of ( $$213.02\pm 1.48$$ 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 $$350\,\hbox {MeV/c}^{2}$$ 350 MeV/c 2 and $$1.50\,\hbox {GeV/c}^{2}$$ 1.50 GeV/c 2 . Secondly, a detector module with a 373 g $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 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.