Speaker
Description
CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification) is a next-generation experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay using bolometric detectors, featuring 250 kg of Mo-100. The detector will be operated in a dedicated cryostat at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (Italy), which currently hosts the CUORE experiment, a large array of TeO2 bolometers. CUPID will employ scintillating bolometers based on Li2MoO4 crystals coupled to thin Ge-wafer bolometric light detectors. These light detectors enable efficient discrimination of the alpha background. Since various background contributions can limit the experiment’s sensitivity, all components are being carefully investigated and benchmarked in view of the final CUPID design. A critical contribution to the CUPID background arises from the pile-up of two-neutrino double-beta decay events of Mo-100. This effect can be mitigated through the use of enhanced light detectors based on the Neganov–Trofimov–Luke (NTL) effect, which provide fast response and a high signal-to-noise ratio. In this poster, we present the current status of NTL light detector development and results from the CUPID tower prototype, in which 30 such devices were operated and characterized.