First results with the ORPHEUS dark matter detector

The ORPHEUS dark matter detector is operating at our underground laboratory in Bern (70 m.w.e.). The detector relies on measuring the magnetic flux variation produced by weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) as they heat micron-sized superheated superconducting tin granules (SSG) and induce superconducting-to-normal phase transitions. In an initial phase, 0.45 kg of tin granules in a segmented detector volume have been used. In this paper a general description of the experimental set-up, overall performance of the detector, and first results are presented.