Cryogenic detectors for the EDELWEISS dark matter search

EDELWEISS is a direct dark matter search looking for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). In order to measure the low energies of nuclear recoils coming from the scattering of WIMPs from the galactic halo, EDELWEISS uses very sensitive cryogenic Ge detectors in a low-radioactivity environment. During its first stage, up to three 320-g Ge detectors were used simultaneously. The second stage, which started in January 2006 with an increased detection mass and improved detectors, aims to gain two orders of magnitude in sensitivity.