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@PHDTHESIS{Schwemmbauer:639249,
author = {Schwemmbauer, Christina},
othercontributors = {Lindner, Axel and Januschek, Friederike and Garutti, Erika},
title = {{E}xploring {P}otential: {ALPS} {II}’s {TES} {D}etection
{S}ystem for {D}irect {D}ark {M}atter {S}earches},
school = {Universität Hamburg},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Hamburg},
publisher = {Verlag Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY},
reportid = {PUBDB-2025-04369, DESY-THESIS-2025-019},
series = {DESY-THESIS},
pages = {156},
year = {2025},
note = {Dissertation, Universität Hamburg, 2025},
abstract = {AbstractThis thesis both proposes and experimentally
explores the opportunity to operate TransitionEdge Sensors
(TES) as detectors for Dark Matter (DM)-scattering by
simultaneouslyemploying them as target and sensor. By
exploiting their microcalorimetric capabilitiesand
sensitivity to low energy depositions, competitive limits
can be set on low mass DMinteractions based on electron
scattering. Further limits on absorption and
DM-nucleonscattering can be determined as well.With a
sensitive area of 25 μm × 25 μm, 20 nm thickness, and a
mass of just 0.2 ng, theTES sensors are not comparable to
large scale experiments searching for ∼GeV-scaleWeakly
Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). However, the
sensors’ sensitivity to energydepositions as low as ∼
0.3 eV enables sensitivity to much lower sub-MeV DM masses.
TESare operated on the transition curve between the normal
and superconducting state, wherethe sensor is sensitive to
the smallest energy depositions, yielding detectable pulses.
Basedon the detector’s sensitivity, especially to single
near-infrared photons, it should also besensitive to sub-MeV
to high MeV DM particles scattering in its electron or
nucleon systems.By exploiting the similarity of these
processes and using the ALPS II experiment’s TESdetection
system, dedicated DM searches were performed with two
distinct TES detectionmodules.In dedicated experimental
setups, the well-known ALPS II-optimized analysis scheme
wasemployed to determine ideal detector configurations for
DM searches in need of a sufficientlylarge energy bandwidth.
In a next step, the detector’s energy response was
investigatedby analyzing the pulse shapes of photons from
different lasers with photon energies from0.76 eV to 1.41
eV. During these tests, a linear proportionality between the
pulse’s integralwith the energy was found, while at the
same time, the rise and decay time of the pulsesstayed
predominantly constant over these energies. This performance
along with subsequentsimulations of signal pulses over a
larger energy range can be used for a dedicated
eventselection to isolate photon-like pulses from the
various backgrounds present in the system.Therefore, these
background sources, including fast (baseline) noise spikes,
are mitigatedby dedicated analysis and straightforward
cutting schemes.Dedicated DM search measurements are
performed using two different detector modules.The
measurement and analysis pipeline was optimized for module
TES D. A secondmodule TES F with a setup adjusted for DM
search measurements is presented in apreliminary analysis,
as well. DM search measurements of 489 h and 400 h have
beenperformed, respectively. By applying dedicated event
selections to each, limits on differentDM parameter spaces
have been set for both, considering expected DM interaction
rates invthe explored DM mass range. The resulting limits
are compared to results originating fromsimilar experimental
efforts, especially one employing Superconducting Nanowire
SinglePhoton Detectors (SNSPDs) as both target and sensor,
as well. The TES modules are ableto surpass limits set by
the first generation of these SNSPDs for lower masses in the
lightmediator limit. However, limits set by a dedicated
optimized second generation SNSPDexperiment exceed both.
Nevertheless, this enhancement from a first to a second
upgradedgeneration already exemplifies the strength of such
an approach, as similar improvementscan be explored for TES
detectors as well. Therefore, projections for possible
futuredetection scenarios are explored, presenting the
strength of possible second generation TESdetection systems.
Hence, it was shown for the first time, that TES detectors
can be used asa simultaneous sensor and target in direct DM
experiments with a plethora of possibilitiesfor further
upgrades and optimization.},
cin = {ALPS},
cid = {I:(DE-H253)ALPS-20130318},
pnm = {611 - Fundamental Particles and Forces (POF4-611)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-611},
experiment = {EXP:(DE-H253)ALPS-20150101},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)3 / PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
doi = {10.3204/PUBDB-2025-04369},
url = {https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/639249},
}