Abstract
Crystal scintillators and in particular inorganic scintillators play an important role in the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) and other rare processes. The investigation of a DM signature, as the annual modulation, or the directionality technique requires the use of highly radiopure detectors able to explore the very low energy region maintaining a high stability of the running conditions. In this paper, the cases of NaI(Tl), ZnWO4 and SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillators are described in the framework of our activities at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the INFN. Their role, the obtained results in DM investigation, as well as their potential and perspectives for the future are reviewed.
Highlights
Astrophysical observations have revealed the presence of Dark Matter (DM) on all astrophysical scales and much experimental and theoretical evidence supports arguments that a large fraction of DM should be in the form of relic DM particles
Ultra-low-background (ULB) NaI(Tl) crystal scintillators have been used by the DAMA/NaI, DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 and DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 [3,4,5,6,7] experiments at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of INFN (LNGS) for the direct search for DM
In the case of the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), the wavelengths of light absorbed by the different elements are used to evaluate their concentrations in the solutions, and a good sensitivity can be reached, while an even better sensitivity at ppb-ppm and ppq-ppt level can be obtained with the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS)
Summary
Astrophysical observations have revealed the presence of DM on all astrophysical scales and much experimental and theoretical evidence supports arguments that a large fraction of DM should be in the form of relic DM particles. Ultra-low-background (ULB) NaI(Tl) crystal scintillators have been used by the DAMA/NaI, DAMA/LIBRA-phase and DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 [3,4,5,6,7] experiments at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of INFN (LNGS) for the direct search for DM These experiments have obtained evidence at a 12.9 σ confidence level of a signal satisfying all the requirements of the model independent DM–AM signature. Other scintillators became attractive in the last few years, such as SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillators because of their high light output (∼100,000 photons/MeV) and of the absence of natural long-living radioactive isotopes These and other features make SrI2(Eu) scintillators promising for low counting experiments such as the search for double β decay (84Sr is a candidate) and the investigation of DM, which requires a very low energy threshold. The cases of NaI(Tl), ZnWO4 and SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillators and their application in the investigation of DM will be reviewed, focusing the attention on the results obtained by DAMA/LIBRA using NaI(Tl) detectors and on the recent measurements of the ADAMO project, utilizing ZnWO4 anisotropic detectors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
