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Not long after the Planck space mission launch, it appeared that the data from the High Frequency Instrument (HFI), based on 100 mK bolometric detectors, was heavily contaminated by cosmic rays. The heat dissipation in the detectors due to these particle hits created spurious signals, appearing as glitches in the data. Further post-launch studies allowed for most of these glitches to be removed. To avoid similar problems in future space or balloon-borne missions, prototype detectors must be tested for particle hit susceptibility to adapt their design for better immunity.
A large cryogenic facility has been developed for this purpose, allowing the irradiation of cryogenic detectors and focal plane components with particles such as protons of various energies with either an internal radioactive source or by connecting it with a particle accelerator. Our facility DRACuLA (Detector irRAdiation Cryogenic faciLity for Astrophysics) has been operated at the ALTO particle accelerator facility during May 2024 to study such effects by irradiating particles with different energy levels on a TES (Transition Edge Sensor). We present the cryogenic performances of this facility during these measurements, with experimental results.
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