Diamond operated as a cryogenic calorimeter is an excellent target for direct detection of low-mass dark matter candidates. Following the realization of the first low-threshold cryogenic detector that uses diamond as absorber for astroparticle physics applications, we now present the resulting exclusion limits on the elastic spin-independent interaction cross-section of dark matter with diamond. We measured two 0.175 g CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) diamond samples, each instrumented with a Transition Edge Sensor made of Tungsten (W-TES). Thanks to the energy threshold of just 16.8 eV of one of the two detectors, we set exclusion limits on the elastic spin-independent interaction of dark matter particles with carbon nuclei down to dark matter masses as low as 0.122 GeV/c ^2 . This work shows the scientific potential of cryogenic detectors made from diamond and lays the foundation for the use of this material as target for direct detection dark matter experiments.

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE ν NS) poses an irreducible background in the search for dark matter-nucleus elastic scatterings, which is commonly known as the neutrino floor. As direct dark matter search experiments keep improving their sensitivity into so far unexplored regions, they face the challenge of approaching this neutrino floor. A precise description of the CE ν NS signal is therefore crucial for the description of backgrounds for future DM searches. In this work we discuss the scenario of detecting neutrinos in low-threshold, high-exposure cryogenic solid state experiments optimized for the search of low-mass dark matter. The energy range considered is completely dominated by solar neutrinos. In absence of any dark matter events, we treat solar neutrinos as the main signal of interest. We show that sensitivity to the flux of neutrinos from different production mechanisms can be achieved. In particular we investigate the sensitivity to the flux of pp and ^7 Be neutrinos, as well as CNO neutrinos. Furthermore, we investigate the sensitivity to dark matter signals in the presence of a solar neutrino background for different experimental scenarios, which are defined by three parameters: the target material, the energy threshold and the exposure. We show that experiments with thresholds of 𝒪 (eV) and exposures of 𝒪 (tonne-years), using CaWO_4 or Al_2O_3 targets, have discovery potential for dark matter interaction cross sections in the neutrino floor.

Rare-event search experiments located on-surface, such as short-baseline reactor neutrino experiments, are often limited by muon-induced background events. Highly efficient muon vetos are essential to reduce the detector background and to reach the sensitivity goals. We demonstrate the feasibility of deploying organic plastic scintillators at sub-Kelvin temperatures. For the NUCLEUS experiment, we developed a cryogenic muon veto equipped with wavelength shifting fibers and a silicon photo multiplier operating inside a dilution refrigerator. The achievable compactness of cryostat-internal integration is a key factor in keeping the muon rate to a minimum while maximizing coverage. The thermal and light output properties of a plastic scintillation detector were examined. We report first data on the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the polystyrene-based scintillator UPS-923A over a wide range of temperatures extending below one Kelvin. The light output was measured down to 0.8 K and observed to increase by a factor of 1.61 ± 0.05 compared to 300 K. The development of an organic plastic scintillation muon veto operating in sub-Kelvin temperature environments opens new perspectives for rare-event searches with cryogenic detectors at sites lacking substantial overburden.

CRESST is an experiment for the direct detection of dark matter, capable of detecting nuclear recoils down to 10 eV, which results in an impressive sensitivity for sub-GeV dark matter particles. For a better understanding of the measured background a background model is developed. The background components are considered via Geant4 simulations. At the current state, the CRESST background model only considers bulk contaminations and treats all detector surfaces as perfect plains. This contribution presents potential effects of a surface contamination with radiogenic nuclides, in combination with the influence of the crystals surface roughness. Nuclide decays near the crystal surface may lead to partial energy deposition inside the detector, potentially causing MeV energy events to influence the background in the keV energy range. Since default Geant4 is not capable of simulating a rough surface, a new extension for simulating a rough surface is developed and the impact of different roughness configurations is studied.

The main goal of the CRESST-III experiment is the direct detection of dark matter particles via their scattering off target nuclei in cryogenic detectors. In this work we present the results of a silicon-onsapphire (SOS) detector with a mass of 0.6 g and an energy threshold of (6.7 + 0.2) eV with a baseline energy resolution of (1.0 + 0.2) eV. This allowed for a calibration via the detection of single luminescence photons in the eV-range, which could be observed in CRESST for the first time. We present new exclusion limits on the spin-independent and spin-dependent dark matter-nucleon cross section that extend to dark matter particle masses of less than 100 MeV/c2.

Using CaWO$_4$ crystals as cryogenic calorimeters, the CRESST experiment searches for nuclear recoils caused by the scattering of potential Dark Matter particles. A reliable identification of a potential signal crucially depends on an accurate background model. In this work we introduce an improved normalisation method for CRESST's model of the electromagnetic backgrounds. Spectral templates, based on Geant4 simulations, are normalised via a Bayesian likelihood fit to experimental background data. Contrary to our previous work, no assumption of partial secular equilibrium is required, which results in a more robust and versatile applicability. Furthermore, considering the correlation between all background components allows us to explain 82.7% of the experimental background within [1 keV, 40 keV], an improvement of 18.6% compared to our previous method.

In recent times, the sensitivity of low-mass direct dark matter searches has been limited by unknown low energy backgrounds close to the energy threshold of the experiments known as the low energy excess (LEE). The CRESST experiment utilises advanced cryogenic detectors constructed with different types of crystals equipped with Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) to measure signals of nuclear recoils induced by the scattering of dark matter particles in the detector. In CRESST, this low energy background manifests itself as a steeply rising population of events below 200 eV. A novel detector design named doubleTES using two identical TESs on the target crystal was studied to investigate the hypothesis that the events are sensor-related. We present the first results from two such modules, demonstrating their ability to differentiate between events originating from the crystal's bulk and those occurring in the sensor or in its close proximity.

Cryogenic phonon detectors with transition-edge sensors achieve the best sensitivity to light dark matter-nucleus scattering in current direct detection dark matter searches. In such devices, the temperature of the thermometer and the bias current in its readout circuit need careful optimization to achieve optimal detector performance. This task is not trivial and is typically done manually by an expert. In our work, we automated the procedure with reinforcement learning in two settings. First, we trained on a simulation of the response of three CRESST detectors used as a virtual reinforcement learning environment. Second, we trained live on the same detectors operated in the CRESST underground setup. In both cases, we were able to optimize a standard detector as fast and with comparable results as human experts. Our method enables the tuning of large-scale cryogenic detector setups with minimal manual interventions.

Recently low-mass dark matter direct searches have been hindered by a low energy background, drastically reducing the physics reach of the experiments. In the CRESST-III experiment, this signal is characterised by a significant increase of events below 200 eV. As the origin of this background is still unknown, it became necessary to develop new detector designs to reach a better understanding of the observations. Within the CRESST collaboration, three new different detector layouts have been developed and they are presented in this contribution.

Lambda-Cold Dark Matter (Lambda CDM) has been successful at explaining the large-scale structures in the universe but faces severe issues on smaller scales when compared to observations. Introducing self-interactions between dark matter particles claims to provide a solution to the small-scale issues in the Lambda CDM simulations while being consistent with the observations at large scales. The existence of the energy region in which these self-interactions between dark matter particles come close to saturating the S-wave unitarity bound can result in the formation of dark matter bound states called darkonium. In this scenario, all the low energy scattering properties are determined by a single parameter, the inverse scattering length gamma. In this work, we set bounds on gamma by studying the impact of darkonium on the observations at direct detection experiments using data from CRESST-III and XENON1T. The exclusion limits on gamma are then subsequently converted to exclusion limits on the self-interaction cross-section and compared with the constraints from astrophysics and N-body simulations.

The Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers (CRESST) experiment employs scintillating crystals at extremely low temperatures (O 10mK) to search for nuclear recoils from hypothetical dark matter (DM) particles. CRESST has achieved thresholds below 100 eV with a wide range of target materials including CaWO4, LiAlO2, Al2O3, and Si. However, at these energies, the ability to discriminate between potential DM signals and electromagnetic background is insufficient. A detailed Geant4-based electromagnetic background model was developed for CRESST and is being continuously adapted to CRESST's current inventory of detector modules. We use a high-dimensional Bayesian likelihood fit of spectral templates to the measured spectrum to infer activities of various background sources. A template for the calibration source used to calculate the energy scale will be included in the likelihood fit. We present the status of CRESST's background model, and results from the simulation of the energy calibration. Our future plans of improving the background model are also discussed.

The COSINUS direct dark matter experiment situated at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy is set to investigate the nature of the annually modulating signal detected by the DAMA/LIBRA experiment. COSINUS has already demonstrated that sodium iodide crystals can be operated at mK temperature as cryogenic scintillating calorimeters using transition edge sensors, despite the complication of handling a hygroscopic and low melting point material. With results from a new COSINUS prototype, we show that particle discrimination on an event-by-event basis in NaI is feasible using the dual-channel readout of both phonons and scintillation light. The detector was mounted in the novel remoTES design and operated in an above-ground facility for 9.06 g$\cdot$d of exposure. With a 3.7 g NaI crystal, e$^-$/$\gamma$ events could be clearly distinguished from nuclear recoils down to the nuclear recoil energy threshold of 15 keV.

Cryogenic scintillating calorimeters are ultrasensitive particle detectors for rare event searches, particularly for the search for dark matter and the measurement of neutrino properties. These detectors are made from scintillating target crystals generating two signals for each particle interaction. The phonon (heat) signal precisely measures the deposited energy independent of the type of interacting particle. The scintillation light signal yields particle discrimination on an event-by-event basis. This paper presents a likelihood framework modeling backgrounds and a potential dark matter signal in the two-dimensional plane spanned by phonon and scintillation light energies. We apply the framework to data from CaWO$_4$-based detectors operated in the CRESST dark matter search. For the first time, a single likelihood framework is used in CRESST to model the data and extract results on dark matter in one step by using a profile likelihood ratio test. Our framework simultaneously fits (neutron) calibration data and physics (background) data and allows combining data from multiple detectors. Although tailored to CaWO$_4$-targets and the CRESST experiment, the framework can easily be expanded to other materials and experiments using scintillating cryogenic calorimeters for dark matter search and neutrino physics.

New-generation direct searches for low mass dark matter feature detection thresholds at energies well below 100 eV, much lower than the energies of commonly used X-ray calibration sources. This requires new calibration sources with sub-keV energies. When searching for nuclear recoil signals, the calibration source should ideally cause mono-energetic nuclear recoils in the relevant energy range. Recently, a new calibration method based on the radiative neutron capture on ^182W with subsequent de-excitation via single γ-emission leading to a nuclear recoil peak at 112 eV was proposed. The CRESST-III dark matter search operated several CaWO_4-based detector modules with detection thresholds below 100 eV in the past years. We report the observation of a peak around the expected energy of 112 eV in the data of three different detector modules recorded while irradiated with neutrons from different AmBe calibration sources. We compare the properties of the observed peaks with Geant-4 simulations and assess the prospects of using this for the energy calibration of CRESST-III detectors.

Low-temperature calorimeters based on a readout via Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) and operated below $100$ mK are well suited for rare event searches with outstanding resolution and low thresholds. We present first experimental results from two detector prototypes using a novel design of the thermometer coupling denoted remoTES, which further extends the applicability of the TES technology by including a wider class of potential absorber materials. In particular, this design facilitates the use of materials whose physical and chemical properties, as e.g. hygroscopicity, low hardness and low melting point, prevent the direct fabrication of the TES onto their surface. This is especially relevant in the context of the COSINUS experiment (Cryogenic Observatory for SIgnals seen in Next-Generation Underground Searches), where sodium iodide (NaI) is used as absorber material. With two remoTES prototype detectors operated in an above-ground R&D facility, we achieve energy resolutions of $\sigma=87.8$ eV for a $2.33$ g silicon absorber and $\sigma = 193.5$ eV for a $2.27$ g $\alpha$-TeO$_{2}$ absorber, respectively. RemoTES calorimeters offer - besides the wider choice of absorber materials - a simpler production process combined with a higher reproducibility for large detector arrays and an enhanced radiopurity standard.

One of the most energetic events in the Universe are core-collapse Supernovae (SNe), where almost all the star's binding energy is released as neutrinos. These particles are direct probes of the processes occurring in the stellar core and provide unique insights into the gravitational collapse. RES-NOVA will revolutionize how we detect neutrinos from astrophysical sources, by deploying the first ton-scale array of cryogenic detectors made from archaeological lead. Pb offers the highest neutrino interaction cross-section via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS). Such process will enable RES-NOVA to be equally sensitive to all neutrino flavors. For the first time, we propose to use archaeological Pb as sensitive target material in order to achieve an ultra-low background level in the region of interest (\textit{O}(1keV)). All these features make possible the deployment of the first cm-scale neutrino telescope for the investigation of astrophysical sources. In this contribution, we will characterize the radiopurity level and the performance of a small-scale proof-of-principle detector of RES-NOVA, consisting in a PbWO$_4$ crystal made from archaeological-Pb operated as cryogenic detector.

CRESST is a leading direct detection sub-GeVc-2 dark matter experiment. During its second phase, cryogenic bolometers were used to detect nuclear recoils off the CaWO4 target crystal nuclei. The previously established electromagnetic background model relies on Secular Equilibrium (SE) assumptions. In this work, a validation of SE is attempted by comparing two likelihood-based normalisation results using a recently developed spectral template normalisation method based on Bayesian likelihood. Albeit we find deviations from SE in some cases we conclude that these deviations are artefacts of the fit and that the assumptions of SE is physically meaningful.

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and low-mass dark matter detectors rely crucially on the understanding of their response to nuclear recoils. We report the first observation of a nuclear recoil peak at around 112 eV induced by neutron capture. The measurement was performed with a CaWO_{4} cryogenic detector from the NUCLEUS experiment exposed to a ^{252}Cf source placed in a compact moderator. We identify the expected peak structure from the single-γ de-excitation of ^{183}W with 3σ and its origin by neutron capture with 6σ significance. This result demonstrates a new method for precise, in situ, and nonintrusive calibration of low-threshold experiments.

The CRESST-III experiment aims at the direct detection of dark matter particles via their elastic scattering off nuclei in a scintillating CaWO_44 target crystal. For many years CaWO_44 crystals have successfully been produced in-house at Technische Universität München with a focus on high radiopurity. To further improve the CaWO_44 crystals, an extensive chemical purification of the raw materials has been performed and the crystal TUM93 was produced from this powder. We present results from an \alphaα-decay rate analysis performed on 344 days of data collected in the ongoing CRESST-III data-taking campaign. The \alphaα-decay rate could significantly be reduced.

The CRESST experiment employs cryogenic calorimeters for the sensitive measurement of nuclear recoils induced by dark matter particles. The recorded signals need to undergo a careful cleaning process to avoid wrongly reconstructed recoil energies caused by pile-up and read-out artefacts. We frame this process as a time series classification task and propose to automate it with neural networks. With a data set of over one million labeled records from 68 detectors, recorded between 2013 and 2019 by CRESST, we test the capability of four commonly used neural network architectures to learn the data cleaning task. Our best performing model achieves a balanced accuracy of 0.932 on our test set. We show on an exemplary detector that about half of the wrongly predicted events are in fact wrongly labeled events, and a large share of the remaining ones have a context-dependent ground truth. We furthermore evaluate the recall and selectivity of our classifiers with simulated data. The results confirm that the trained classifiers are well suited for the data cleaning task.