Cryogenic characterization of a $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ crystal and new results on spin-dependent dark matter interactions with ordinary matter: CRESST Collaboration

• Published in: The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields Particles and fields, 2020-09, Vol.80 (9), Article 834
• Main Authors: Abdelhameed, A. H., Angloher, G., Bauer, P., Bento, A., Bertoldo, E., Breier, R., Bucci, C., Canonica, L., D’Addabbo, A., Di Lorenzo, S., Erb, A., Feilitzsch, F. V., Iachellini, N. Ferreiro, Fichtinger, S., Fuchs, D., Fuss, A., Ghete, V. M., Garai, A., Gorla, P., Hauff, D., Ješkovský, M., Jochum, J., Kaizer, J., Kaznacheeva, M., Kinast, A., Kluck, H., Kraus, H., Langenkämper, A., Mancuso, M., Mokina, V., Mondragon, E., Olmi, M., Ortmann, T., Pagliarone, C., Palušová, V., Pattavina, L., Petricca, F., Potzel, W., Povinec, P., Pröbst, F., Reindl, F., Rothe, J., Schäffner, K., Schieck, J., Schipperges, V., Schmiedmayer, D., Schönert, S., Schwertner, C., Stahlberg, M., Stodolsky, L., Strandhagen, C., Strauss, R., Usherov, I., Wagner, F., Willers, M., Zema, V., Zeman, J., Brützam, M., Ganschow, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1434-6044; 1434-6052
• DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8329-4

In this work, a first cryogenic characterization of a scintillating $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 single crystal is presented. The results achieved show that this material holds great potential as a target for direct dark matter search experiments. Three different detector modules obtained from one crystal grown at the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) have been tested to study different properties at cryogenic temperatures. Firstly, two 2.8 g twin crystals were used to build different detector modules which were operated in an above-ground laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) in Munich, Germany. The first detector module was used to study the scintillation properties of $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 at cryogenic temperatures. The second achieved an energy threshold of ( $$213.02\pm 1.48$$ 213.02 ± 1.48 ) eV which allows setting a competitive limit on the spin-dependent dark matter particle-proton scattering cross section for dark matter particle masses between $$350\,\hbox {MeV/c}^{2}$$ 350 MeV/c 2 and $$1.50\,\hbox {GeV/c}^{2}$$ 1.50 GeV/c 2 . Secondly, a detector module with a 373 g $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 crystal as the main absorber was tested in an underground facility at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS): from this measurement it was possible to determine the radiopurity of the crystal and study the feasibility of using this material as a neutron flux monitor for low-background experiments.