Speaker
Description
COSINUS is a cryogenic direct detection experiment for dark matter located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) Underground Laboratory in Italy. Its primary goal is to provide a model-independent crosscheck of the long-standing annual modulating claim by DAMA/LIBRA. Therefore, COSINUS uses the same absorber material (NaI) as in DAMA/LIBRA, but operates it with a two-channel calorimetric readout.
A key feature of COSINUS is the novel remoTES design, that allows the operation of highly sensitive Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) also with hygroscopic absorbers such as NaI. Here, the TES is fabricated on a separate wafer and thermally coupled to the designated absorber with a gold wire. For each particle interaction, the remoTES is measuring the phonon response, while a separate beaker, also equipped with a TES, measures the scintillation light of the same event. Hence, this two-channel readout enables an event-by-event discrimination between electron/gamma backgrounds and nuclear recoils. Moreover, this readout allows in-situ measurements of the quenching factors, providing a key advantage over DAMA/LIBRA.
COSINUS is currently in the commissioning phase for the first run and physics data taking is expected to start in the last quarter of the year 2026. This talk will give an overview of the experimental concept, presents the current status of the experiment and concludes with an insight on future improvements in COSINUS.
| Primary Abstract Topic | Experiment: WIMPs |
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