Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Directional Dark Matter Detection Challenges and Results from an R&D Detector
Presented by Nguyen Phan, UNM
The nature of dark matter remains one of the most important unresolved questions in physics. One of the leading candidates is a class of particles known as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). A powerful and unambiguous signature for the detection of WIMPs can be obtained by measuring the direction of nuclear recoils induced by the WIMPs in a detector. We will highlight some of the challenges to directional detection and present results from measurements of low energy recoils using a low pressure optical TPC which demonstrates the capability of a near optimal but realistic directional dark matter detector. Results from those measurements, which employed a 252Cf neutron calibration source, are used to determine the number of events needed to confidently identify a directional WIMP signature. In addition, we show how the results from our measurements can be applied to optimizing detector parameters such as operating pressure for directional WIMP searches. Finally, we will briefly discuss some of the current work that is being done at UNM.
2:00 pm, Tuesday, April 28, 2015
PAIS-2540, PAIS
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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php