Advances in Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors

TL;DR

Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) operate at cryogenic temperatures using electron avalanching in noble gases, with potential applications in rare-event physics and medical imaging, and this paper reviews recent performance results and concepts.

Contribution

This paper provides the first comprehensive review of CRAD performance results, concepts, and physics effects across different research groups.

Findings

CRADs achieve high sensitivity in noble gases at cryogenic temperatures.

Various CRAD concepts demonstrate promising performance for rare-event detection.

CRAD physics effects are crucial for optimizing detector design.

Abstract

Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) are referred to as a new class of noble-gas detectors operated at cryogenic temperatures with electron avalanching performed directly in the detection medium, the latter being in gaseous, liquid or two-phase (liquid-gas) state. Electron avalanching is provided by Micro-Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD) multipliers, in particular GEMs and THGEMs, operated at cryogenic temperatures in dense noble gases. The final goal for this kind of detectors is the development of large-volume detectors of ultimate sensitivity for rare-event experiments and medical applications, such as coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, direct dark matter search, astrophysical (solar and supernova) neutrino detection experiments and Positron Emission Tomography technique. This review is the first attempt to summarize the results on CRAD performances obtained by different groups. A brief overview of the available CRAD concepts is also given and the most remarkable CRAD physics effects are discussed.