Reduction of Radon-Induced Backgrounds for SuperCDMS and Beyond

观测表明，宇宙中80%的物质不是由正常原子组成的，而是不发射或吸收光的未被检测到的基本“暗物质”粒子。值得注意的是，由于其他原因而提出的粒子物理学理论预测了弱相互作用大质量粒子（WIMP）的存在，这些粒子的性质恰好是这种暗物质。如果WIMP是暗物质，那么当它们在地球上的探测器中散射时，它们可能是可以探测到的。直接探测WIMP暗物质将解决粒子物理学和宇宙学中的一个基本谜团，为了解宇宙的主要物质组成和粒子物理学标准模型之外的物理学提供一个独特的窗口。该项目将帮助培养本科生，研究生，和博士后在多学科领域使用技术在测量技术的前沿与应用领域的伟大社会兴趣此外，该项目将支持美国原住民学生为科学和工程中学后教育做好准备，通过参与南达科他州矿业与技术学院的GEAR-UP计划，提高美国科学工作者的多样性。低温暗物质搜索（CDMS）合作开创了低温声子的使用，介导的探测器，以检测核上的WIMP的罕见散射，并将它们从背景中区分出来。与其他技术相比，SuperCDMS技术提供的高背景抑制提供了显着的优势，在单个实验中对低质量暗物质和多目标互补产生了世界领先的灵敏度。为了达到完全的灵敏度，减少实验中氡引起的本底是至关重要的。该合同将使PI能够开发和实施具有成本效益的方法来降低空气中的氡浓度，特别是用于安装SuperCDMS SNOLAB探测器的地下洁净室。该小组将继续领导SuperCDMS Soudan数据分析。

Observations indicate that 80% of the matter in the Universe is not made of normal atoms, but must be otherwise undetected elementary "dark matter" particles that do not emit or absorb light. Remarkably, particle physics theories proposed for other reasons predict the existence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with just the right properties to be this dark matter. If WIMPs are the dark matter, they may be detectable when they scatter in Earth-based detectors. Direct detection of WIMP dark matter would solve a fundamental mystery in particle physics and cosmology, providing a unique window to learning about the primary matter constituent of the Universe and of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.The project will help train undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs in a multidisciplinary field using techniques at the leading edge of measurement technologies with applications in areas of great societal interest. Furthermore, the project will support the preparation of Native American students for post-secondary education in science and engineering, with the goal of improving the diversity of the nation's scientific workforce through the group's participation in the GEAR-UP program at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.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. The high background rejection that the SuperCDMS technology offers provides significant advantages compared to other technologies, yielding world-leading sensitivity to low-mass dark matter and multiple-target complementarity in a single experiment. To achieve the full sensitivity, it will be critical to reduce the radon-induced backgrounds of the experiment. This award will enable the PI to develop and implement cost-effective means to mitigate the concentration of radon in air, in particular for the underground cleanroom to be used for installation of the SuperCDMS SNOLAB detectors. The group will continue its leadership of SuperCDMS Soudan data analysis.