Bolometric Detectors

Bolometric detection is a method of measuring the energy by turning the energy into a change in temperature of the bolometer. This tiny temperature rise is then read out through very sensitive Neutron Transmutation Doped (NTD) germanium thermistors.

Bolometers are excellent choices for rare processes experiment such as 0νββ decay:

• High Energy Resolution: Because of the T³  dependence of the heat capacity of the solids at low temperatures and the exponential dependence of the resistance of the thermistor on temperature, we can achieve an energy resolution of 5 keV at ~3 MeV.
• Low Background: Since the crystals can be grown with very low levels of impurities, the background can be reduced significantly. The background from post production activation and surface contamination can be limited by careful storage and handling.
• High Counting Efficiency and Good Scalability: Bolometers can often be employed as both the source of a radioactive decay and the detector.

¹³⁰Te as neutrinoless double beta decay candidate

Several candidate isotopes are available for neutrinoless double beta decay searches, including ¹³⁰Te, ⁷⁶Ge, ¹³⁶Xe, etc. An ideal decay candidate would feature a high Q-value, large nuclear matrix element, and large natural isotopic abundance. High Q-values larger than energies of natural gamma backgrounds (up to 2615 keV) reduces background. High Q-values and large nuclear matrix elements enhance the expected number of 0νββ decay events because the phase space factor scales as Q⁵ and |M|². The large natural isotopic abundance of a candidate isotope eliminates the need of enrichment and thus greatly reduces the cost of an experiment. ¹³⁰Te is a great choice from all three aspects and especially appealing because of its large natural isotopic abundance of 34%, which is far greater than that of the other decay candidates with comparable Q-values.
CUORE will be able to achieve high sensitivity using natural, unenriched tellurium.

Underground environment