High Purity Germanium detectors for the search of rare events : background discrimination and future prospects with the GENIUS project

This thesis concentrates on the search for WIMP dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay using High Purity Germanium detectors. In modern physics two of the main goals are to find out about the nature of dark matter and to answer the question on the neutrino mass. The HdMoi presently provides the best limits for neutrinoless double beta decay which provides important information on the nature of neutrinos. A new data analysis method based on neural networks has been developed in the course of this work. A new lower limit on the half life of neutrinoless double beta decay could be derived. The HDMS experiment is designed to look for WIMP dark matter. It has been installed in its final setup and the first spectrum obtained is discussed here. Several proposals for test setups for the GENIUS experiment are introduced and their projected sensitivities on WIMP dark matter search are discussed. The BARGEIN project is proposed and it is discussed that this experiment could with minimal effort test the DAMA evidence using the signal by means of the WIMP-nuclear recoil spectrum. It is finally proposed to use the BARGEIN proposal in an enlarged setup, the Genius TF, to prove the feasibility of the GENIUS experiment and to fully test the DAMA evidence by means of signal and signature, the annual modulation effect. The preparations for the installation of the Genius TF did already begin.}

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis.doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher

Universität Heidelberg

Year

2000

Author dc:creator

• Majorovits, Bela Alexander

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus

Repository record source_url

http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/1411

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de:1411