Low-Energy Calibration of SuperCDMS HVeV Cryogenic Silicon Calorimeters Using Compton Steps

Kavli Affiliate: D. B. Macfarlane

| First 5 Authors: SuperCDMS Collaboration, SuperCDMS Collaboration, , ,

| Summary:

Cryogenic calorimeters for low-mass dark matter searches have achieved sub-eV
energy resolutions, driving advances in both low-energy calibration techniques
and our understanding of detector physics. The energy deposition spectrum of
gamma rays scattering off target materials exhibits step-like features, known
as Compton steps, near the binding energies of atomic electrons. We demonstrate
a successful use of Compton steps for sub-keV calibration of cryogenic silicon
calorimeters, utilizing four SuperCDMS High-Voltage eV-resolution (HVeV)
detectors operated with 0 V bias across the crystal. This new calibration at 0
V is compared with the established high-voltage calibration using optical
photons. The comparison indicates that the detector response at 0 V is about
30% weaker than expected, highlighting challenges in detector response modeling
for low-mass dark matter searches.

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