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arXiv · 1608.03588

Measurement of the low-energy quenching factor in germanium using an $^{88}$Y/Be photoneutron source

B. J. Scholz·A. E. Chavarria·J. I. Collar·P. Privitera·A. E. Robinson
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Abstract

We employ an $^{88}$Y/Be photoneutron source to derive the quenching factor for neutron-induced nuclear recoils in germanium, probing recoil energies from a few hundred eV$_{nr}$ to 8.5keV$_{nr}$. A comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation of our setup is compared to experimental data employing a Lindhard model with a free electronic energy loss $k$ and an adiabatic correction for sub-keV$_{nr}$ nuclear recoils. The best fit $k=0.179\pm 0.001$ obtained using a Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) ensemble sampler is in good agreement with previous measurements, confirming the adequacy of the Lindhard model to describe the stopping of few-keV ions in germanium crystals at a temperature of $\sim$77 K. This value of $k$ corresponds to a quenching factor of 13.7 % to 25.3 % for nuclear recoil energies between 0.3 keV$_{nr}$ and 8.5 keV$_{nr}$, respectively.

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B. J. Scholz, A. E. Chavarria, J. I. Collar, P. Privitera, A. E. Robinson. 2016-08-11. Measurement of the low-energy quenching factor in germanium using an $^{88}$Y/Be photoneutron source. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.94.122003

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