A Test of Bolometric Properties of Tm-containing Crystals as a Perspective Detector for the Solar Axion Search

physics.ins-det

/ Authors

E. Bertoldo, A. V. Derbin, I. S. Drachnev, M. Laubenstein, D. A. Lis, M. Mancuso, V. N. Muratova, S. Nagorny, S. Nisi, F. Petricca

and 6 more authors

V. V. Ryabchenkov, S. E. Sarkisov, D. A. Semenov, K. A. Subbotin, E. V. Unzhakov, E. V. Zharikov

/ Abstract

The $^{169}$Tm nuclide has first nuclear level at 8.41 keV with magnetic type transition to the ground state and, therefore, can be used as a target nucleus for the search of resonant absorption of solar axions. We plan to use a Tm-containing crystal of a garnet family Tm$_3$Al$_5$O$_{12}$ as a bolometric detector in order to search for the excitation of the first nuclear level of $^{169}$Tm via the resonant absorption of solar axions. With this perspective in mind, a sample of the Tm$_3$Al$_5$O$_{12}$ crystal was grown and tested for its bolometric and optical properties. Measurements of chemical and/or radioactive contaminations were performed as well. In this paper we present the test results and estimate the requirements for a future low-background experimental setup.