The Selena Neutrino Experiment

Abstract

Imaging sensors made from an ionization target layer of amorphous selenium (aSe) coupled to a silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel array for charge readout are a promising technology for neutrino physics. The high spatial resolution in a solid-state target provides unparalleled rejection of backgrounds from natural radioactivity in the search for neutrinoless $\beta\beta$ decay and for solar neutrino spectroscopy with $^{82}$Se. We present results on the ionization response of aSe measured from the photoabsorption of 122 keV $\gamma$ rays in a single-pixel device. We report on the progress in the fabrication and testing of the first prototype imaging sensors based on the Topmetal-II$^{\rm -}$ pixelated CMOS charge readout chip. We explore the scientific reach of a large neutrino detector with the proposed technology based on our experimental understanding of the sensor performance.