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First Measurement of the Nuclear-Recoil Ionization Yield in Silicon at 100 eV
M F Albakry1,2, I Alkhatib3, D Alonso4,5
1Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.
Physical Review Letters
|September 18, 2023
Summary
Researchers explored nuclear-recoil ionization yield in silicon detectors. The study found no ionization threshold above 100 eV, prompting further investigation into detector response at low energies.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear physics
- Detector technology
Background:
- Understanding nuclear-recoil interactions is crucial for various physics experiments.
- Previous studies have explored ionization yield, but low-energy thresholds remain an area of interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure the nuclear-recoil ionization yield in silicon at unprecedented low energies.
- To investigate the existence of an ionization production threshold above 100 eV.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cryogenic phonon-sensitive gram-scale detector.
- Employed a monoenergetic neutron beam to scatter off silicon nuclei.
- Probed energy depositions ranging from 4 keV down to 100 eV.
Main Results:
- Successfully measured nuclear-recoil ionization yield in silicon.
- Observed no evidence of an ionization production threshold at energies above 100 eV.
- Achieved the lowest energy probing to date for this measurement.
Conclusions:
- The absence of a threshold challenges existing ionization yield theories.
- Further research is needed to refine detector response functions below the keV scale.
- Experimental results necessitate theoretical re-evaluation of low-energy nuclear interactions.
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