The Cryogenic Observatory for SIgnatures seen in Next-generation Underground Searches (COSINUS) is a scientific collaboration aimed at developing cryogenic detectors for the direct detection of dark matter, particularly in relation to results observed by other experiments like DAMA/LIBRA.
[1] The goal of COSINUS is to confirm or refute these results by using different detection techniques while maintaining high sensitivity to dark matter interactions.
[3] The experiment is conducted in the underground laboratory of the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy, which provides the necessary shielding from cosmic radiation and environmental interference for the detection of rare dark matter interactions.
[4] Similar to CRESST, COSINUS utilizes cryogenic detectors that operate at temperatures of a few millikelvin to achieve high energy resolution.
The detectors are designed to measure both phonon (heat) and photon (light) signals, using scintillating sodium iodide (NaI) crystals, to discriminate between dark matter signals and background noise.