Speaker
Description
CUPID, the CUORE Upgrade with Particle Identification, is a next-generation experiment located at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Central to the experiment is a cryogenically cooled array of Li$_2$MoO$_4$ scintillating crystals enriched in $^{100}$Mo. In the upcoming phase of CUPID, ~1500 crystals will be instrumented with both temperature sensors and light detectors, providing critical information for particle discrimination. Toward the goal of an exclusion sensitivity of T$_{½}$ > 10$^{27}$ years, CUPID requires a background index < 10$^{-4}$ counts/(keV kg yr). If left unmitigated, cosmogenic backgrounds would be the dominant source of contributions to the index, even underground in Gran Sasso. In particular, muon-induced backgrounds must be characterized and identified with a muon veto system that is compatible with existing infrastructure while maximizing efficiency. We present the status of the CUPID background model, as well as the design, simulation, and evaluation of a muon veto system that will meet the requirements for CUPID.