Novel Temperature Sensing with Silicon Shards in the Nab Experiment*

The Nab experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source aims to measure the electron-neutrino correlation coefficient 'a' and the Fierz interference term 'b,' utilizing pixelated silicon detectors to test CKM matrix unitarity. Accurate temperature monitoring is crucial for ensuring that the detectors meet the required temperature stability to achieve precision goals. In this context, the focus is on a broken silicon diode detector shard. A copper plate was designed for mounting to a closed-cycle refrigerator to measure the voltage needed for current flow under forward bias conditions. The objective is to establish a correlation between forward bias voltage and temperature by varying the temperature on the shard and recording the corresponding voltages at which current flows. The effectiveness of this technique for temperature measurement will be evaluated. Should the detector shard prove effective as a temperature sensor, it would provide evidence that the Nab experiment can perform in situ temperature measurements by forward biasing the detector.