Sensitivity of Solid-Scintillator Detectors to Dark Matter

This paper shortly reviews the sensitivities that can be achieved to unambiguously point out the presence of a signal of Galactic origin in dark matter experiments with solid-scintillator detectors. Examples of the experimental sensitivities obtained by exploiting the annual and diurnal modulation signatures are reported with particular regard to the investigations performed in the framework of the DAMA Collaboration. The directionality approach in solid scintillators is also presented and, in particular, the perspectives of the ADAMO project are discussed.

MAJORANA NEUTRINO MASSES BY SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF DOUBLE BETA DECAYS AND MOON

This is a brief review of spectroscopic studies of neutrino-less double beta decays (0νββ) and the MOON (Mo Observatory Of Neutrinos) project. It aims at studying the Majorana nature of neutrinos and the mass spectrum by spectroscopic studies of 0νββ with ν-mass sensitivity of 〈mν〉 ≈ 30 meV . The solid scintillator option of the MOON detector is a super ensemble of multi-layer modules, each being composed by a scintillator plate and two tracking detector planes. Thin ββ source films are interleaved between the detector planes. High localization of the two β tracks enables one to select true signals and reject BG ones by spatial and time correlation analyses. MOON with detector ≠ ββ source is used for studying 0νββ decays from 100 Mo , 82 Se and other ββ isotopes with large nuclear sensitivity (large Qββ). Real-time exclusive measurements of low energy solar neutrinos can also be made by observing inverse β rays from solar-ν captures of 100 Mo in delayed coincidence with the subsequent β decay of 100 Tc .