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arXiv · 2405.10405

Measurement of Ionization Produced by 254 eVnr Nuclear Recoils in Germanium

A. R. L. Kavner·I. Jovanovic
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Abstract

Ionization produced by low-energy nuclear recoils is among the primary direct signatures of dark matter interactions. Despite the urgency of dark matter detection and the recent measurements of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, detector response to nuclear recoils is not well characterized in the keVnr and sub-keVnr regime across a variety of materials. We have re-performed a measurement of the ionization produced by monoenergetic 254 eVnr nuclear recoils in Ge with improved digital electronics and additional systematic studies. Our results indicate an ionization yield of 64 +/- 8 eVee corresponding to a quenching factor of 25 +/- 3%, greater than the 14% predicted by the Lindhard model. This ionization enhancement could greatly improve the sensitivity of high-purity Ge detectors in dark matter detection and measurement of neutrinos via coherent scattering.

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A. R. L. Kavner, I. Jovanovic. 2024-05-16. Measurement of Ionization Produced by 254 eVnr Nuclear Recoils in Germanium. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10405

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