Abstract:
The DAREDEVIL (DARk-mattEr-DEVIces-for-Low-energy-detection) project aims to develop a new class of detectors to study Dark Matter candidates with masses below 1 GeV/c^2. The detection channel relies on DM-electron scattering, where the electron excitation energies must align with the transferred momenta. Materials suitable for this, with energy gaps at or below the eV scale, include special semiconductors, Dirac semimetals, Weyl semimetals, and scintillators. These materials, already explored theoretically, are now being implemented in detectors as part of the DAREDEVIL project. The first phase focuses on designing novel gram-scale detectors with meV thresholds, optimized for light DM-electron scattering detection. We will use these materials as absorbers in low-temperature calorimeters with dual phonon and IR-photon readout to meet the performance requirements for detecting such small energy depositions. In this presentation, I will discuss this project's initial detector design tests. Specifically, we successfully tested a cryogenic calorimeter based on GaAs for the first time. I will highlight the properties of this crystal and its relevance in the search for low-mass Dark Matter candidates.