A scintillating bolometer (or luminescent bolometer) is a
scientific instrument
A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research.
History
Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...
using
particle physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
in the search for events with low energy deposition. These events could include
dark matter
Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not a ...
, low energy
solar neutrinos
A solar neutrino is a neutrino originating from nuclear fusion in the Sun's core, and is the most common type of neutrino passing through any source observed on Earth at any particular moment. Neutrinos are elementary particles with extremely smal ...
,
double beta decay
In nuclear physics, double beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which two neutrons are simultaneously transformed into two protons, or vice versa, inside an atomic nucleus. As in single beta decay, this process allows the atom to move clos ...
or rare
radioactive decay. It works by simultaneously measuring both the light pulse and heat pulse generated by a particle interaction within its internal
scintillator crystal. The device was originally proposed by L. Gonzalez-Mestres and D. Perret-Gallix (LAPP, IN2P3/CNRS)
In their
[http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/21/000/21000903.pdf ] rapporteur contribution to the Proceedings of the XXIV International Conference on High-Energy Physics, Munich, August 1988, Gonzalez-Mestres and Perret-Gallix wrote :
''Perhaps bolometry should in some cases be combined with other detection techniques (luminescence?) in order to produce a primary fast signal as timing strobe. If light is used as a complementary signature, particle identification can be achieved through the heat-light ratio, where nucleus recoil is expected to be less luminescent than ionizing particles. The success of such a development would open the way to unprecedented achievements in background rejection for rare event experiments.''
Further explanations, including a description of the detector and possible applications incorporating in particular BGO and tungstates, were given by these authors in other papers such a
their contributionto the March 1989 Moriond Meeting (pages 16–18).
The luminescent bolometer has since then been developed by scientists from several groups, including the
CNRS Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale and
University of Zaragoza
The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon, Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universiti ...
collaboration in view of the proposed
ROSEBUD
Rosebud may refer to:
* Rose bud, the bud of a rose flower
Arts
* The name of Jerry Garcia's guitar from 1990 until his death in 1995.
* In the 1941 film ''Citizen Kane'', the last words of Charles Foster Kane and an overall plot device.
* "Ros ...
particle detector experiment in the
Canfranc Underground Laboratory. Rosebud uses a
bismuth germanate (
Bi Ge O, "BGO") detector crystal.
The CRESST collaboratio
is currently usingthe same kind of device with CaWO
4 crystals in an experiment to detect dark matter at
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.
References
External links
* (August 1988)
publishedin Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research (July 1999).
*
* {{cite web, url=http://taup2009.lngs.infn.it/slides/jul3/ortigoza.pdf, title=BGO Scintillating Bolometer: Its application in dark matter experiments
Scientific instruments