Aboveground test of an advanced Li2MoO4 scintillating bolometer to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 100Mo

Large lithium molybdate (Li2MoO4) crystal boules were produced by using the low thermal gradient Czochralski growth technique from deeply purified molybdenum. A small sample from one of the boules was preliminary characterized in terms of X-ray-induced and thermally-excited luminescence. A large cylindrical crystalline element (with a size of ⊘40 × 40 mm) was used to fabricate a scintillating bolometer, which was operated aboveground at ∼15 mK by using a pulse-tube cryostat housing a high-power dilution refrigerator. The excellent detector performance in terms of energy resolution and α background suppression along with preliminary positive indications on the radiopurity of this material show the potentiality of Li2MoO4 scintillating bolometers for low-counting experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 100Mo.