Energy partition in sapphire and BGO scintillating bolometers

• Published in: Astroparticle physics Vol. 34; no. 8; pp. 603 - 607
• Main Authors: Ortigoza, Y., Coron, N., Cuesta, C., García, E., Ginestra, C., Gironnet, J., de Marcillac, P., Martínez, M., Pobes, C., Puimedón, J., Redon, T., Sarsa, M.L., Torres, L., Villar, J.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Astrophysics; Cosmology and Extra-Galactic Astrophysics; Cryogenic detector; Dark matter; Energy partition; Light yield; Physics; Sciences of the Universe; Scintillating bolometer; Scintillating bolometer; Energy partition; Dark matter; Light yield; Cryogenic detector
• ISSN: 0927-6505; 1873-2852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2010.12.013

► Measurement of BGO scintillation spectra from room temperature down to 77 K. ► Characterization of BGO and Sapphire scintillating bolometers. ► Light yield and energy partition among heat, light and trapping for photons at 20 mK. Scintillating bolometers are particle detectors with a high particle discrimination power with many applications in nuclear and particle physics. This discrimination power is based on the different scintillation yield for different particles, and is strongly dependent on the target used. At the very low temperatures required for the operation of the bolometers, very few data about the scintillation yields are available. In this paper we present estimates of absolute light yields and energy partition among heat, light and trapping channels in Sapphire (Al 2O 3) and BGO (Bi 4Ge 3O 12) scintillating bolometers operated at 20 mK. The estimate relies on the observed negative correlation between the light and heat signals produced by γ-ray absorption in scintillating bolometers and on the study of the X-ray stimulated luminescence properties of BGO at temperatures down to 77 K.