DAMIC-100: Low-Mass Dark Matter Particles Detection with CCDs

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There is strong cosmological and astrophysical evidence for non-baryonic, cold dark matter as a major constituent of the universe. The nature of Dark Matter, so far elusive, constitutes one of the most fundamental questions in science. Its discovery as a yet unknown particle would have profound implications in our understanding of the universe, and open new directions in particle physics and cosmology. A compelling explanation for what might constitute dark matter is the existence of hitherto unknown Weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs), and a world-wide experimental effort is on-going to test this hypothesis. This project is part of that effort. Immersive research experiences developed in collaboration with programs focused on underrepresented groups will enhance diversity at the graduate and undergrad levels. Innovative partnerships with Adler Planetarium and the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC) will bring Dark Matter science to broad and diverse audiences. Visitor experiences at the Adler Planetarium (450,000 visitors/year) will be enhanced by the participation of DAMIC scientists and the integration of visualizations of particle interactions with charge-coupled devices (CCDs). In collaboration with SAIC, an advanced STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) program will inspire art students as well as experienced professionals (e.g. designers) via explorations of software and modeling tools to display current scientific data.The Dark Matter In CCDs (DAMIC) experiment searches for low mass WIMPs with scientific-grade silicon CCDs. With this novel technique, WIMP-induced signals are detected with an unprecedented low energy threshold, and unique spatial resolution. DAMIC-100, to be installed in 2015 at the SNOLAB underground laboratory in Sudbury, Canada, will have an active detector mass of 100 g. This award provides support for the participation of the U. Chicago group to DAMIC-100. They have played a major role in the DAMIC R&D phase and in the construction of the 100 g detector. The group will have strong responsibilities in the test and calibration of the CCDs, in the installation and commissioning of the experiment, and in the data analysis. In addition, a calibration of the nuclear recoil energy scale will be performed at U. Chicago with a neutron source.