Background identification in cryogenic calorimeters through $$\alpha -\alpha $$ delayed coincidences

Abstract

AbstractLocalization and modeling of radioactive contaminations is a challenge that ultra-low background experiments are constantly facing. These are fundamental steps both to extract scientific results and to further reduce the background of the detectors. Here we present an innovative technique based on the analysis of $$\alpha -\alpha $$ α - α delayed coincidences in $${}^{232}$$ 232 Th and $${}^{238}$$ 238 U decay chains, developed to investigate the contaminations of the ZnSe crystals in the CUPID-0 experiment. This method allows to disentangle surface and bulk contaminations of the detectors relying on the different probability to tag delayed coincidences as function of the $$\alpha $$ α decay position.