LOW-TEMPERATURE DETECTORS FOR ELEMENTARY-PARTICLES

The development of low temperature particle detectors is largely motiv ated by the need for very good energy resolution in a number of partic le physics experiments, and by the need to detect very small energy de positions. Good energy resolution can be obtained by utilizing the sma llness of the superconducting energy gap, and also by detecting the ph onons which are produced by particle interactions. These detection sch emes require low temperatures, where in addition the thermal fluctuati ons are small compared to the minute energies expected to be deposited by individual events in some experiments. An additional feature is th at these detection schemes permit the tailoring of the target or absor ber materials to match the particle physics goals. The basic physics b ehind the detection of excitations induced by particle interactions in bulk single crystal materials at low temperatures by a variety of met hods is reviewed. We also present an overview of progress towards the implementation of particle physics experiments, such as the detection of low-energy neutrinos, search for dark-matter particles, search for neutrinoless double beta-decay, and beta- and gamma-ray spectroscopy u sing low temperature detectors.