Characterization of ZnSe scintillating bolometers for Double Beta Decay

TL;DR

This paper investigates ZnSe scintillating bolometers for Double Beta Decay detection, highlighting their potential advantages, observed anomalies, and future application prospects in neutrino physics research.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of ZnSe bolometers, including novel observations of anomalies and discusses their implications for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay searches.

Findings

High alpha emission observed from ZnSe bolometers

Unusual light vs. heat scatter plot patterns identified

Potential for background rejection in decay searches

Abstract

ZnSe scintillating bolometers are good candidates for future Double Beta Decay searches, because of the 82Se high Q-value and thanks to the possibility of alpha background rejection on the basis of the scintillation signal. In this paper we report the characteristics and the anomalies observed in an extensive study of these devices. Among them, an unexpected high emission from alpha particles, accompanied with an unusual pattern of the light vs. heat scatter plot. The perspectives for the application of this kind of detectors to search for the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of 82Se are presented.