Adaptation of Cryogenic Detectors for Charged Particle Detection

Precision nuclear physics experiments have long been used to improve limits in searches for physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). The traditional particle detection technology of many of these experiments, semiconductor or scintillation detectors, face fundamental performance limitations that may greatly restrict the sensitivity achievable. A new detector paradigm for charged particle detection has the potential to dramatically improve sensitivity in searches for BSM physics.

We are working to achieve this by adapting Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detectors (TKIDs) for external charged particle detection. These cryogenic detectors are used in X-ray and gamma spectroscopy as well as dark matter searches and have been shown to have photon energy resolutions on the order of tens of eV. They can be multiplexed to create large area detectors. Thus far, however, TKIDs have not yet been developed for external (non-embedded) charged particle detection. Creating a TKID with a sensitivity of 100s of eV or better for such sources could significantly impact the next generation of nuclear experiments. Our initial CP-TKID prototype is optimized to detect a neutron beta decay electron. This requires the detector be 1000 times thicker than traditional TKIDs with a surface area on the scale of 1 cm^2, thereby changing the traditional TKID detector response and energy resolution. This talk will introduce our prototype design and the methods we are using to characterize its response.