RUI: Phonon Sensors for Crystal Acoustic Detectors

这是RUI更新的研究请求，旨在开发足够灵敏的探测器，用于搜索“暗物质”。大量天体物理测量结果有力地证明了这种物质的存在。它与引力相互作用，但无法直接观察。它可能由弱相互作用的非重子基本粒子组成，如中微子或大统一理论预测的其他物种。这种粒子的探测器需要比传统装置更低的灵敏度阈值和更大的横截面。PI与斯坦福大学的B. Cabrera博士和天普大学的C. J. Martoff博士合作，提出了一种“硅晶体声学探测器（SiCAD）”的开发方案，该探测器可以探测入射粒子与冷却至0.1K以下的超纯单晶硅立方体中的原子核或电子碰撞产生的弹道声子。目前的提案集中在她开发极其敏感的超导隧道结作为声子传感器的努力上，并使用现代集成电路制造技术，其中许多技术是在前三年拨款期间在她的旧金山州立实验室在当地开发的。

This is an RUI renewal request for research aimed at the development of detectors sufficiently sensitive to be used in a search for "dark matter." Such matter's existence is strongly suggested by a number of astrophysical measurements. It interacts gravitationally, but eludes direct observation. It may consist of weakly interacting, non-baryonic elementary particles such as neutrinos or other species predicted by grand unified theories. Detectors of such particles require much lower threshold of sensitivity and larger cross section than offered by conventional devices. The PI, in collaboration with Dr. B. Cabrera of Stanford U. and Dr. C. J. Martoff of Temple University has proposed the development of a "silicon crystal acoustic detector (SiCAD)" which senses ballistic phonons generated by the collision of incident particles with a nucleus or electron in a cube of ultra pure single-crystal silicon cooled below 0.1K. The present proposal focusses upon her efforts to develop extremely sensitive superconducting tunnel junctions as phonon sensors, and uses modern integrated circuit fabrication techniques, many of which were developed locally in her S.F. State laboratory during the first three year grant.