Experimental set-up for the growth of solid crystals of inert gases for particle detection

Low energy threshold detectors are necessary in many frontier fields of the experimental physics. In this work we present a novel detection approach based on pure or doped matrices of inert gases solidified at cryogenic temperature. The small energy release of the incident particle can be transferred directly (in pure crystals) or through a laser - driven ionization (in doped materials) to the electrons of the medium that are then converted into free electrons. The charge collection process of the electrons that consists in their drift within the crystal and in their extraction through the solid - vacuum interface gives rise to the detector signal. We present the very preliminary charge collection and crystal quality tests carried out in different matrices of neon and Methane using an UV - assisted setup for electrons injection in crystals.