SuperCDMS Soudan

对星系、超星系团、遥远的超新星和宇宙微波背景辐射的观测告诉我们，宇宙中大约85%的物质不是由已知粒子组成的。破译这种暗物质的性质对于宇宙学、天体物理学和高能粒子物理学具有根本的重要性。一个主要的假设是，它是由弱相互作用大质量粒子（WIMP）组成的，这些粒子是在大爆炸后产生的。如果WIMP是暗物质，那么它们在银河系中的存在可以通过地面探测器中原子核的散射来探测。低温暗物质搜索（CDMS）合作组织率先使用低温声子介导探测器来探测WIMP在原子核上的罕见散射，并将它们与背景区分开来。这种强大的技术正在明尼苏达州苏丹矿井的地下深处运行。该合同为SuperCDMS Soudan项目提供了建设资金，该项目将把Soudan部署的锗目标质量从目前的4公斤扩大到15公斤。SuperCDMS实验将产生广泛的影响，其范围超出了暗物质的搜索。这些技术的发展将进一步推动声子介导探测器的发展，声子介导探测器已经在宇宙学、天文学和工业中得到了许多应用。该项目将有助于培养本科生和研究生以及博士后研究人员，使用测量技术的前沿技术。此外，SuperCDMS合作将扩大其在苏丹矿山的公共宣传计划。

Observations of galaxies, superclusters, distant supernovae, and the cosmic microwave background radiation tell us that about 85% of the matter in the universe is not made of known particles. Deciphering the nature of this dark matter would be of fundamental importance to cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy particle physics. A leading hypothesis is that it is comprised of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, that were produced moments after the Big Bang. If WIMPs are the dark matter, then their presence in our galaxy may be detectable via scattering from atomic nuclei in a terrestrial detector.The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) Collaboration has pioneered the use of low temperature phonon-mediated detectors to detect the rare scattering of WIMPs on nuclei and to distinguish them from backgrounds. This powerful technology is operating deep underground in the Soudan mine in Minnesota. This award provides construction funding for the SuperCDMS Soudan project which will extend the deployed germanium target mass at Soudan from the present 4 kg to 15 kg. The SuperCDMS experiment will have a broad impact which extends beyond the dark matter search. The technical developments will further advance phonon-mediated detectors, which have already found many applications in cosmology, astronomy and industry. The project will contribute to the training of undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, using techniques at the leading edge of measurement technologies. In addition, the SuperCDMS collaboration will expand its public outreach program at the Soudan mine.