FLARES: A flexible scintillation light apparatus for rare event searches

• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2015.09.028
• Publication Date: 2015-09-21T18:23:41Z
• Authors: M. Sisti; G. Baldazzi; V. Bonvicini; R. Campana; S. Capelli; Y. Evangelista; M. Feroci; F. Fuschino; L. Gironi; C. Labanti; M. Marisaldi; E. Previtali; L. Rignanese; A. Rachevsky; A. Vacchi; G. Zampa; N. Zampa; M. Zuffa
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; Astroparticle and general physics; Detector techniques for cosmology; Double beta decay; Scintillation detectors; Silicon drift detectors; Instrumentation; Nuclear and High Energy Physics; Astroparticle and general physics; Detector techniques for cosmology; Double beta decay; Scintillation detectors; Silicon drift detectors; Nuclear and High Energy Physics; Instrumentation; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; Astroparticle and general physics; Detector techniques for cosmology; Double beta decay; Scintillation detectors; Silicon drift detectors

FLARES is a project for an innovative detector technology to be applied to rare event searches, and in particular to neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Its novelty is the enhancement and optimization of the collection of the scintillation light emitted by ultra-pure crystals through the use of arrays of high performance silicon photodetectors cooled to 120 K. This would provide scintillation detectors with 1% level energy resolution, with the advantages of a technology offering relatively simple low cost mass scalability and powerful background reduction handles, as requested by future neutrinoless double beta decay experimental programs. The performances of a first production of matrices of Silicon Drift Detectors are presented and discussed in this paper.