Speaker
Description
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) offers a valuable approach to searching for physics beyond the Standard Model. The Ricochet experiment aims to perform a precision measurement of the CEνNS spectrum at the Institut Laue–Langevin nuclear reactor with cryogenic solid-state detectors. The experiment plans to employ an array of cryogenic thermal detectors, each with a mass of around 30 g and an energy threshold of below 100 eV. Additionally, the detectors will be able to differentiate between nuclear and electron recoils, as neutrinos interact via nuclear recoils, and electron recoils from gammas constitute the largest background component in the experiment.
To achieve these requirements, two types of cryogenic-based detectors have been investigated: germanium ionization and phonon detectors using Neutron Transmutation Doped (NTD) thermometers, and superconductor-based detectors using Transition Edge Sensor (TES) thermometers. The NTD germanium detectors are being commissioned at the ILL and will form the bulk of phase 1 detectors. The TES-based detectors are currently in the R&D phase. The TES-based detector is exploring potential target materials, including zinc, aluminum, and tin. Superconductors can potentially provide pulse-shape particle identification as the interplay between broken Cooper Pairs and phonons is different for electron and nuclear recoils.
In this presentation, I will provide an update on the Ricochet experiment and the ongoing development of the TES-based detector.
