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Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 20
Book Description
An observation of the anisotropy of dark matter interactions in a direction-sensitive detector would provide decisive evidence for the discovery of galactic dark matter. Directional information would also provide a crucial input to understanding its distribution in the local Universe. Most of the existing directional dark matter detectors utilize particle tracking methods in a low-pressure gas time projection chamber. These low pressure detectors require excessively large volumes in order to be competitive in the search for physics beyond the current limit. In order to avoid these volume limitations, we consider a novel proposal, which exploits a columnar recombination effect in a high-pressure gas time projection chamber. The ratio of scintillation to ionization signals observed in the detector carries the angular information of the particle interactions. In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of a future directional detector focused on the proposed high-pressure Xenon gas time projection chamber. We study the prospect of detecting an anisotropy in the dark matter velocity distribution. We find that tens of events are needed to exclude an isotropic distribution of dark matter interactions at 95% confidence level in the most optimistic case with head-to-tail information. However, one needs at least 10-20 times more events without head-to-tail information for light dark matter below ~50 GeV. For an intermediate mass range, we find it challenging to observe an anisotropy of the dark matter distribution. Our results also show that the directional information significantly improves precision measurements of dark matter mass and the elastic scattering cross section for a heavy dark matter.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 20
Book Description
An observation of the anisotropy of dark matter interactions in a direction-sensitive detector would provide decisive evidence for the discovery of galactic dark matter. Directional information would also provide a crucial input to understanding its distribution in the local Universe. Most of the existing directional dark matter detectors utilize particle tracking methods in a low-pressure gas time projection chamber. These low pressure detectors require excessively large volumes in order to be competitive in the search for physics beyond the current limit. In order to avoid these volume limitations, we consider a novel proposal, which exploits a columnar recombination effect in a high-pressure gas time projection chamber. The ratio of scintillation to ionization signals observed in the detector carries the angular information of the particle interactions. In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of a future directional detector focused on the proposed high-pressure Xenon gas time projection chamber. We study the prospect of detecting an anisotropy in the dark matter velocity distribution. We find that tens of events are needed to exclude an isotropic distribution of dark matter interactions at 95% confidence level in the most optimistic case with head-to-tail information. However, one needs at least 10-20 times more events without head-to-tail information for light dark matter below ~50 GeV. For an intermediate mass range, we find it challenging to observe an anisotropy of the dark matter distribution. Our results also show that the directional information significantly improves precision measurements of dark matter mass and the elastic scattering cross section for a heavy dark matter.
Author: Cosmin Ştefan Deaconu Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 175
Book Description
Identification of the composition of dark matter is one of the major unsolved puzzles in modern physics. Detectors with sensitivity to the direction of certain classes of dark matter particles have potentially very powerful discrimination ability against more mundane backgrounds. The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is actively working on a directional detection method using low-pressure CF4 gas detectors with optical readout. This work constructs a model for the directional reconstruction ability of DMTPC detectors, evaluates the model against calibration data, and finally uses the model to project the directional sensitivity of the under-construction next generation DMTPC detector. This detector is expected to have a cubic meter of fiducial volume which, at 30 Torr, corresponds to a fluorine target mass of 120 g.
Author: Jacob Edward Cutter Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
One of the most important fundamental problems in physics today is to understand the nature of dark matter. The landscape of explanations for observed dark matter phenomena is vast and still expanding, and an impressive number of experiments have been built to probe the dark sector of the universe. A prominent class of detectors is aimed at discovering (or excluding) a particular kind of dark matter: the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP). Searching for this popular dark matter candidate requires an ultra-sensitive, low-background target; xenon detectors serve as such a target for dark matter interactions. The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) detector is a dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber (TPC) which was operated underground at the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota from 2013 to 2016, and was able to achieve the world's leading WIMP exclusion limit. However, successful reconstruction of WIMP-nucleus scatters in such detectors requires thorough understanding of the detection medium, which is made difficult by various confounding effects near the detector walls. Field-fringing is a major component of confusion in the periphery, and the large electric field non-uniformities in Run 4 of LUX provided a significant challenge in the dark matter analysis. Here is presented an algorithm to bijectively map between reconstructed event positions and true spatial coordinates, which serves as an important tool for studying field effects and fiducialization in LUX. Additionally, a successful dark matter search must model interfering background events in the WIMP search region which can't be directly vetoed. One class of unavoidable backgrounds comes from nuclear decay chain daughters in detector materials themselves, which may produce WIMP-like signals (an effect which is amplified due to various detector effects). The Davis Xenon (DAX) test bed system and a dual-phase TPC have been assembled and operated at UC Davis to characterize these common "wall backgrounds", as well as perform other R&D studies for the next-generation LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. The DAX TPC specifically measures the xenon response to heavy nuclei produced by custom [alpha] decay sources created using novel chemical deposition procedures. In this thesis, results will be presented for the light and charge yields of immersed localized sources of 206Pb ions in liquid xenon, as well as a method for tagging such recoil events in situ by using PIN diodes as charged particle detectors to capture the correlated [alpha] particles. We also compare our isolated 206Pb events with previous WIMP search data from LUX, and discuss the significance of 206Pb as a WIMP background. Such information is most useful to future experiments if it can improve existing background models and simulations. The Noble Element Simulation Technique (NEST) is the ultimate software package for calculating expected signal yields in xenon detectors, but is an empirical framework that relies on experimental data to inform the models. We discuss the development of current NEST v2 models, specifically the heavy nuclear recoil models, as well as our current understanding of the xenon microphysics. We also show NEST predictions for mono-energetic 206Pb recoils, and discuss how our most recent DAX 206Pb measurements may inform NEST models in future work.
Author: Jeremy Paul Lopez Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 199
Book Description
Astronomical and cosmological evidence suggests that 27% of the energy content of the universe is in the form of non-baryonic matter referred to as "dark matter." Weakly interacting massive particles have long been considered attractive candidates for this dark matter and can be found in a wide variety of models of physics beyond the Standard Model. The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber experiment uses low-pressure gas time projection chambers to search for nuclear recoils caused by interactions between nuclei inside a detector and weakly interacting massive particles in the dark matter halo of the Milky Way galaxy. These detectors are also able to reconstruct the directions of these nuclear recoils, allowing for better rejection of possible background events. This thesis describes the design of a small prototype detector and the strategies used by the DMTPC collaboration to reconstruct events, reject backgrounds, and identify nuclear recoil candidate events. It presents the results of several studies aimed at understanding background events in DMTPC detectors. Finally, this work will present the first results from a nuclear recoil search taken with this detector in a surface laboratory at MIT.
Author: Yixiong Meng Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 217
Book Description
Cosmological and Astrophysical observations provide compelling evidences for the existence of dark matter in the universe. One class of dark matter candidates, the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), has been predicted in many particle physics theories. Direct detection experiments using dual- phase liquid noble element detectors report the best sensitivities to the detection of the dark matter particles. The next generation direct detection experiments using the same technology, are actively been built and expected to give a factor of 100 improvement on the current best sensitivity. This thesis discusses the measurement of nuclear recoils in a dual-phase liquid argon detector using a bunched neutron beam generated by linear accelerator facility at accelerator laboratory in Notre Dame University. Nuclear recoils of en- ergy ranging from 10.8 keVnr to 49.9 keVnr are measured under different drift field configurations. An electric field quenching on nuclear recoils in liquid argon is dis- covered and quantified for the first time. This quenching effect is also found to be drift field and recoil energy dependent. By varying the drift field amplitude from 100 V/cm to 1000 V/cm for each nuclear recoil energy, the quenching effect are measured as a function of nuclear recoil energy and drift field amplitude. Results from this measurement is used in the direct dark matter detection experiment to calculate the final sensitivity of direct dark matter search. A separate work on the optimization of detector design for the XENON1T detector is also discussed in detail. Finite element simulation tool is used to design and optimize the electric field in XENON1T time projection chamber. As part of the design of XENON1T detector, electron transparency across metal grids of different geometrical configurations are also studied.
Author: Chang Lee Publisher: ISBN: Category : Astrophysics Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
While the existence of particle dark matter is widely accepted through multitude of astrophysics evidence, its exact nature remains mysterious. It is expected to comprise the local galactic halo, and one of the most favored candidates, weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP), is hypothesized to interact with baryonic matter. Such an interaction can be detected in a radio-quiet low-threshold detector such as the large underground xenon (LUX) detector. The LUX is a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC), and it operates at Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD. Analysis of the first science data with a 86.3 days live-time from LUX yielded the best spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section exclusion limit to date, with the lower limit of $7.6\times10^{-46}$~cm$^2$ at 33~GeV/c$^2$ with a 90\% confidence level. This thesis consists the following chapters. The case for cold dark matter from the current cosmological observations is reviewed. The natures of the expected WIMP-nucleon scattering signal and the techniques to discriminate the background events are discussed. Principles of the dual-phase TPC are explained, with details of the LUX hardware. The original works for this thesis follows. A campaign to remove radioactive noble impurities from the target xenon is described in depth. A position reconstruction algorithm based on comparison of observed data to simulation is developed. Background events from the detector's internal walls are studied and modeled for the profile likelihood ratio test of the second analysis. Finally, the first published results are reviewed in detail.
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Author: Cosmin Ştefan Deaconu
Author: Jacob Edward Cutter
Author: Julien Wulf
Author: Jeremy Paul Lopez
Author: Yixiong Meng
Author: Chang Lee
Author: Robert J. Hollingworth
Author: Stephan Rosendahl
Author: Elena Aprile