Model of the response function of large mass bolometric detectors

TL;DR

This paper models the response function of large mass bolometric detectors used in particle physics, addressing their non-linearity and temperature dependence to improve data analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a method to linearize the response function of bolometers, simplifying data analysis for experiments like CUORE.

Findings

Response non-linearity is dominated by the thermistor and biasing circuit.

A new method effectively linearizes the detector response.

The approach simplifies data analysis in particle detection experiments.

Abstract

Large mass bolometers are used in particle physics experiments to search for rare processes. By operating at low temperature, they are able to detect particle energies from few keV up to several MeV, measuring the temperature rise produced by the energy released. This study was performed on the bolometers of the CUORE experiment. The response function of these detectors is not linear in the energy range of interest, and it changes with the operating temperature. The non-linearity is found to be dominated by the thermistor and its biasing circuit. A method to obtain a linear response is the result of this work. It allows a great simplification of the data analysis.