Contributions of low temperature detectors to neutrino physics

While the Standard Model of particle physics has been extremely successful in explaining the precision data obtained in particle physics experiments, evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model has been obtained in recent years. In particular, the observed neutrino flavor oscillations imply that neutrinos have mass, and that they mix. New questions are now open for the future: What is the nature of neutrinos and are they Dirac or Majorana particles? What are the values of the absolute neutrino masses and why are they so small? What is the number of neutrinos and are there sterile neutrinos? Do neutrinos have nonstandard interactions? Do cosmological neutrinos exist and are they detectable? Low temperature detectors are being used to make progress in addressing these questions. The technologies employed complement other experimental techniques. The ultimate aim is to unveil the origin of neutrino properties. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.