https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5068-2
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
The 
-cleus experiment: a gram-scale fiducial-volume cryogenic detector for the first detection of coherent neutrino–nucleus scattering
1
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, 80805, Munich, Germany
2
CIUC, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3004 516, Coimbra, Portugal
3
Institut für Hochenergiephysik der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1050, Vienna, Austria
4
Atominstitut, Vienna University of Technology, 1020, Vienna, Austria
5
Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, 85748, Garching, Germany
* e-mail: strauss@mpp.mpg.de
Received:
26
April
2017
Accepted:
14
July
2017
Published online:
31
July
2017
We discuss a small-scale experiment, called -cleus, for the first detection of coherent neutrino–nucleus scattering by probing nuclear-recoil energies down to the 10 eV regime. The detector consists of low-threshold CaWO
and Al
O
calorimeter arrays with a total mass of about 10 g and several cryogenic veto detectors operated at millikelvin temperatures. Realizing a fiducial volume and a multi-element target, the detector enables active discrimination of 
, neutron and surface backgrounds. A first prototype AlO device, operated above ground in a setup without shielding, has achieved an energy threshold of 
eV and further improvements are in reach. A sensitivity study for the detection of coherent neutrino scattering at nuclear power plants shows a unique discovery potential (5
) within a measuring time of 
weeks. Furthermore, a site at a thermal research reactor and the use of a radioactive neutrino source are investigated. With this technology, real-time monitoring of nuclear power plants is feasible.
© The Author(s), 2017
