The GeMSE facility for low-background γ-ray spectrometry

We describe a new high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector setup for low-background gamma-ray spectrometry. The GeMSE facility (Germanium Material and meteorite Screening Experiment) is dedicated to material screening for rare event searches in astroparticle physics as well as to the characterization of meteorites. It is installed in a medium depth (similar to 620 m. w. e.) underground laboratory in Switzerland in a multi-layer shielding and is equipped with an active muon veto. We have reached a very competitive integral background rate of (246 +/- 2) counts/day (100-2700 keV) and measured a sensitivity of similar to 0.5-0.6 mBq/kg for long-lived isotopes from the U-238/Th-232 chains in a similar to 1 kg sample screened for similar to 27 days. An extrapolation to higher sample masses and measurement times suggests a maximum sensitivity in the O (50) mu Bq/kg range. We describe the data analysis based on Bayesian statistics, background simulations, the efficiency calibration and first sample measurements.