Energy-dependent light quenching in CaWO4 crystals at mK temperatures

Abstract

Scintillating CaWO${}_4$ single crystals are a promising multi-element target for rare-event searches and are currently used in the direct dark matter experiment CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers). The relative light output of different particle interactions in CaWO${}_4$ is quantified by quenching factors (QFs). These are essential for an active background discrimination and the identification of a possible signal induced by weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). We present the first precise measurements of the QFs of O, Ca and W at mK temperatures by irradiating a cryogenic detector with a fast neutron beam. A clear energy dependence of the QF of O and, less pronounced, of Ca was observed for the first time. Furthermore, in CRESST neutron-calibration data a variation of the QFs among different CaWO${}_4$ single crystals was found. For typical CRESST detectors the QFs in the region-of-interest (10–40 keV) are ${\text{QF}}_{\mathrm{O}}^{\mathrm{ROI}}=(11.2\pm 0.5)$ %, ${\text{QF}}_{\mathrm{Ca}}^{\mathrm{ROI}}=(5.94\pm 0.49)$ % and ${\text{QF}}_{\mathrm{W}}^{\mathrm{ROI}}=(1.72\pm 0.21)$ %. The latest CRESST data (run32) is reanalyzed using these fundamentally new results on light quenching in CaWO${}_4$ having moderate influence on the WIMP analysis. Their relevance for future CRESST runs and for the clarification of previously published results of direct dark matter experiments is emphasised.