CAREER: Towards a Definitive Test of DAMA's Annual Modulation Signal

天体物理学观测和宇宙学数据得出了一个明确的结论，即近四分之一的宇宙由暗物质组成。寻找暗物质解决了粒子天体物理学中的一个基本问题。目前的模型预测，我们的星系被包裹在暗物质的光环中。由于太阳绕银河系运行，地球绕太阳运行，我们预计每年穿过地球的暗物质通量会发生变化。如果意大利DAMA实验观察到的调制是由于暗物质，那么在南半球用相同的目标材料进行的实验将有望观察到具有相同相位和振幅的调制。这将是观测暗物质的明确证据。如果这种调制是由于与季节有关的环境背景造成的，则在两个半球的情况将相反。该奖项将资助一项综合研究和教育计划，重点开发用于暗物质物理的碘化钠（NaI）探测器。该研究计划包括三个主要活动：分析目前在南极冰层表面以下2500米运行的17公斤NaI探测器的数据，系统研究NaI探测器的特性和脉冲形状识别技术，以及拟在南半球安装的250公斤NaI探测器的模拟和灵敏度研究。更广泛的影响：该奖项还将资助一系列教育和推广活动，旨在通过展示物理学家的广泛职业机会，招募和留住STEM领域的物理学专业和物理学家。将特别注重征聘和留住妇女、残疾人和物理学领域代表性不足的少数民族。

Astrophysical observations and cosmological data have led to the unambiguous conclusion that nearly a quarter of the Universe consists of dark matter. The search for dark matter addresses one of the fundamental questions in particle astrophysics. Current models predict that our galaxy is encased in a halo of dark matter. As the Sun orbits around the galaxy and the Earth around the Sun, we expect there to be an annual modulation in the flux of dark matter that passes through the Earth. If the modulation observed by the DAMA experiment in Italy is due to dark matter, an experiment in the Southern Hemisphere with the same target material would expect to observe modulations with the same phase and amplitude. This would be unambiguous evidence for the observation of dark matter. If the modulation is due to an environmental background related to the seasons, it will be opposite in the two hemispheres.This award will fund an integrated research and education program focused on the development of sodium iodide-(NaI)-based detectors for dark matter physics. The research program consists of three main activities: analysis of data from a 17 kilogram NaI detector currently operating 2500 meters below the surface in the South Pole ice, a systematic study of the characteristics and pulse shape discrimination techniques of NaI detectors, and the simulations and sensitivity studies for a proposed 250 kilogram NaI detector to be mounted in the Southern Hemisphere. Broader impacts: This award will also fund a series of educational and outreach activities designed to recruit and retain physics majors and physicists in STEM fields by showcasing the wide range of careers available to physicists. A special focus will be given to recruit and retain women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in physics.