Germanium response to sub-keV nuclear recoils: A multipronged experimental characterization
J. I. Collar, A. Kavner, C. M. Lewis
Abstract
To properly interpret scintillation data produced by nuclear recoils (NR), one requires knowledge of so-called quenching factors that relate the observed energy to electron recoils of the same kinetic energy. An accurate understanding of QFs is essential to make sense of the data. In the present paper, the authors report on an ambitious and painstaking experimental determination of QFs for germanium, a material widely used in dark matter and neutrino experiments. The study finds significant deviations from the predictions of the most popular theoretical model used to compute QFs, illustrating the importance of this work.
Topics & Concepts
GermaniumCharacterization (materials science)Nuclear physicsPhysicsRadiochemistryNuclear engineeringMaterials scienceChemistryNanotechnologyOptoelectronicsSiliconEngineeringNuclear Physics and ApplicationsParticle Detector Development and PerformanceRadiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies