The Luminescent Bolometer As a Dark Matter Detector

TL;DR

This paper discusses the luminescent bolometer as an effective dark matter detector, emphasizing its high background rejection capability through simultaneous light and phonon detection, suitable for large-scale experiments.

Contribution

It introduces the luminescent bolometer with superconducting tunnel junctions as a promising method for WIMP detection, highlighting its advantages over other approaches.

Findings

Potential for high background rejection in dark matter detection

Suitability for large-scale cryogenic detector arrays

Applicability to solar neutrino detection and other fields

Abstract

Direct detection of WIMP dark matter candidates has to face many difficult challenges. In particular, it requires an extremely high level of background rejection. The only way out seems to be particle identification which, for experiments based on nucleus recoil, is most efficiently performed by simultaneously detecting ionization or light and phonons. When comparing different approaches, it is necessary to keep in mind the potential requirement of building large detectors and the difficulties that this condition may raise for some cryogenic devices. It is claimed that the luminescent bolometer (simultaneous detection of light and phonons) red by arrays of superconducting tunnel junctions, as proposed by the author some years ago, ultimately provides the most appropriate WIMP detector. Solar neutrino detection and other applications are also briefly discussed.