High-resolution high-speed microwave-multiplexed low temperature microcalorimeters for the HOLMES experiment

Alpert, B.; Becker, D.; Bennet, D.; Biasotti, M.; Borghesi, M.; Gallucci, G.; De Gerone, M.; Faverzani, M.; Ferri, E.; Fowler, J.; Gard, J.; Giachero, A.; Hays-Wehle, J.; Hilton, G.; Mates, J.; Nucciotti, A.; Orlando, A.; Pessina, G.; Puiu, A.; Reintsema, C.; Schmidt, D.; Swetz, D.; Ullom, J.; Vale, L.

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-6814-4

We present the first performance results obtained with microwave multiplexed Transition Edge Sensors prototypes specifically designed for the HOLMES experiment, a project aimed at directly measuring the electron neutrino mass through the calorimetric measurement of the 163 Ho electron capture spectrum. The detectors required for such an experiment feature a high energy resolution at the Q–value of the transition, around ∼ 2.8 keV, and a fast response time combined with the compatibility to be multiplexed in large arrays in order to collect a large statistics while keeping the pile-up contribution as small as possible. In addition, the design has to be suitable for future ion-implantation of 163 Ho. The results obtained in these tests allowed us to identify the optimal detector design among several prototypes. The chosen detector achieved an energy resolution of (4.5 ± 0.3) eV on the chlorine K α line, at ∼ 2.6 keV, obtained with an exponential rise time of 14 μ s. The achievements described in this paper pose a milestone for the HOLMES detectors, setting a baseline for the subsequent developments, aiming to the actual ion-implantation of the 163 Ho nuclei. In the first section the HOLMES experiment is outlined along with its physics goal, while in the second section the HOLMES detectors are described; the experimental set-up and the calibration source used for the measurements described in this paper are reported in Sects. 3 and 4, respectively; finally, the details of the data analysis and the results obtained are reported in Sect. 6.

High-resolution high-speed microwave-multiplexed low temperature microcalorimeters for the HOLMES experiment

Alpert B.;Becker D.;Bennet D.;Biasotti M.;Borghesi M.;Gallucci G.;De Gerone M.;Faverzani M.;Ferri E.;Fowler J.;Gard J.;Giachero A.;Hays-Wehle J.;Hilton G.;Mates J.;Nucciotti A.;Orlando A.;Pessina G.;Puiu A.;Reintsema C.;Schmidt D.;Swetz D.;Ullom J.;Vale L.

2019-01-01

Abstract

We present the first performance results obtained with microwave multiplexed Transition Edge Sensors prototypes specifically designed for the HOLMES experiment, a project aimed at directly measuring the electron neutrino mass through the calorimetric measurement of the 163 Ho electron capture spectrum. The detectors required for such an experiment feature a high energy resolution at the Q–value of the transition, around ∼ 2.8 keV, and a fast response time combined with the compatibility to be multiplexed in large arrays in order to collect a large statistics while keeping the pile-up contribution as small as possible. In addition, the design has to be suitable for future ion-implantation of 163 Ho. The results obtained in these tests allowed us to identify the optimal detector design among several prototypes. The chosen detector achieved an energy resolution of (4.5 ± 0.3) eV on the chlorine K α line, at ∼ 2.6 keV, obtained with an exponential rise time of 14 μ s. The achievements described in this paper pose a milestone for the HOLMES detectors, setting a baseline for the subsequent developments, aiming to the actual ion-implantation of the 163 Ho nuclei. In the first section the HOLMES experiment is outlined along with its physics goal, while in the second section the HOLMES detectors are described; the experimental set-up and the calibration source used for the measurements described in this paper are reported in Sects. 3 and 4, respectively; finally, the details of the data analysis and the results obtained are reported in Sect. 6.