Understanding Energy Reconstruction in CUORE using Topological Analysis*

CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events), located in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, is an experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in 130Te. Neutrinoless double beta decay is a theoretically predicted radioactive decay process that, if observed, would determine the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Experimentally confirming 0νββ would signify that neutrinos are their own antiparticle, allowing for a better understanding of the matter antimatter asymmetry present in the universe. Accurate reconstruction of 0νββ event energy is key to isolating 0νββ from background events. I present an analysis of the energy escape events occurring near (~1 cm) the surface of the TeO2 crystals, operated by CUORE. My work aims to understand and correct biases in the bolometric energy reconstruction and improve the systematic uncertainty on the CUORE energy resolution. Currently, there is little microphysical understanding of the energy biases present within the detectors. The analysis aims to classify energy reconstruction errors in terms of event topology, location, and possible variation of the pulse shape. I will present the current results of this endeavor.