Reduction of Backgrounds for WIMP Dark Matter

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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 don't 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.This award will provide funding for this Syracuse group to collaborate on the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (now SuperCDMS) that has a track record as one of the world's most sensitive. The PI will lead his group to achieve better rejection of surface interactions and identify neutrons that multiply scatter within a detector, aided by detailed simulations of the detector response. The group will help develop and construct a detector to veto events caused by neutrons and measure the expected neutron background in SuperCDMS. The group will take part in SuperCDMS detector testing, including making key contributions to a unique deep facility, demonstrating the rejection capabilities of new detectors and providing critical feedback for detector fabrication and development. The long-term activities include additional cryogenic detector research, focusing on technologies that allow easier manufacturing and the possibility of a single cost-effective experiment to detect both dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay.Broader Impacts: Technological development of phonon-mediated detectors has widespread applications in astronomy and 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 societal interest.