Cryogenic Observatory for Signatures Seen in Next-Generation Underground Searches

The Cryogenic Observatory for SIgnatures seen in Next-generation Underground Searches (COSINUS) is a scientific collaboration aimed at developing cryogenic detectors for the direct detection of dark matter, particularly in relation to results observed by other experiments like DAMA/LIBRA.[1] The goal of COSINUS is to confirm or refute these results by using different detection techniques while maintaining high sensitivity to dark matter interactions.[2]

The participating institutes in the COSINUS collaboration include the Max Planck Institute for Physics (Germany), the Gran Sasso Science Institute (Italy), the Helsinki Institute of Physics (Finland), the Institute of High Energy Physics (Austria), the Technical University of Vienna (Austria), the University of L'Aquila (Italy), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), and the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China).[3] The experiment is conducted in the underground laboratory of the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy, which provides the necessary shielding from cosmic radiation and environmental interference for the detection of rare dark matter interactions.[4]

Similar to CRESST, COSINUS utilizes cryogenic detectors that operate at temperatures of a few millikelvin to achieve high energy resolution. The detectors are designed to measure both phonon (heat) and photon (light) signals, using scintillating sodium iodide (NaI) crystals, to discriminate between dark matter signals and background noise.[5][6]

COSINUS was inaugurated in Spring 2024 and will start recording data in early 2025.[7][8]

References

1. Angloher, G.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Gironi, L.; Gotti, C.; Gütlein, A.; Maino, M.; Mancuso, M.; Pagnanini, L.; Pessina, G.; Petricca, F.; Pirro, S.; Pröbst, F.; Puig, R.; Reindl, F. (2017-11-08). "Results from the first cryogenic NaI detector for the COSINUS project". Journal of Instrumentation. 12 (11): P11007. arXiv:1705.11028. Bibcode:2017JInst..12P1007A. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/12/11/P11007. ISSN 1748-0221.
2. "COSINUS – Official website of the COSINUS experiment". Retrieved 2024-10-04.
3. "Collaboration – COSINUS". Retrieved 2024-10-04.
4. Paris, Mattia. "Cosinus". Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
5. Angloher, G.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Gironi, L.; Gotti, C.; Gütlein, A.; Hauff, D.; Maino, M.; Nagorny, S. S.; Pagnanini, L.; Pessina, G.; Petricca, F.; Pirro, S.; Pröbst, F.; Reindl, F. (2016-08-08). "The COSINUS project: perspectives of a NaI scintillating calorimeter for dark matter search". The European Physical Journal C. 76 (8): 441. arXiv:1603.02214. Bibcode:2016EPJC...76..441A. doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-016-4278-3. ISSN 1434-6052.
6. Stahlberg, M.; Angloher, G.; Bharadwaj, M. R.; Cababie, M. R.; Dafinei, I.; Di Marco, N.; Einfalt, L.; Ferroni, F.; Fichtinger, S.; Filipponi, A.; Frank, T.; Friedl, M.; Fuss, A.; Ge, Z.; Heikinheimo, M. (2024-09-12). "COSINUS:TES-instrumented NaI Crystals for Direct Dark Matter Search". Journal of Low Temperature Physics. 217 (3–4): 350–357. Bibcode:2024JLTP..217..350S. doi:10.1007/s10909-024-03185-z. ISSN 1573-7357.
7. "New experiment tests controversial dark matter signals". www.mpp.mpg.de. 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
8. varaschin (2024-04-18). "AT LNGS THE INAUGURATION OF COSINUS PROJECT". home.infn.it. Retrieved 2024-10-04.

External links

• COSINUS Official Website
• Gran Sasso National Laboratory