GaAs as a bright cryogenic scintillator for the direct dark matter detection

TL;DR

This study investigates GaAs's optical and scintillation properties at cryogenic temperatures, highlighting its potential as a bright scintillator for direct dark matter detection due to its high light yield and multiple luminescence bands.

Contribution

It presents novel measurements of GaAs's scintillation properties, demonstrating its suitability as a low-energy-gap cryogenic scintillator for dark matter detection.

Findings

GaAs exhibits multiple luminescence bands suitable for IR detection.

Co-doped GaAs achieves a high light yield over 125 ph/keV.

GaAs shows promise as a bright cryogenic scintillator for dark matter detection.

Abstract

The optical and scintillation properties of undoped, Si-doped, and Si, B co-doped GaAs samples were studied. The light yield specification and X-ray luminescence of GaAs over a wide IR region by using Si and InGaAs photodetectors are presented. The undoped GaAs demonstrated a narrow emission band at 838 nm (1.48 eV) and a low light output of about 2 ph/keV. The GaAs:Si is characterized by three broad luminescence bands at 830 nm (1.49 eV), 1070 nm (1.16 eV), 1335 nm (0.93 eV) and a light output of about 71 ph/keV. In the case of GaAs:(Si, B), four luminescence bands at 860 nm (1.44 eV), 930 nm (1.33 eV), 1070 nm (1.16 eV) and 1335 nm (0.93 eV) were observed. A high light yield higher than 125 ph/keV was estimated for the co-doped sample. The applications of low energy gap semiconductors as cryogenic scintillators for particle detection are discussed. The GaAs is a promising crystal for a cryogenic scintillator for the dark matter (DM) detection.