The 50-CCD Tower of DAMIC-M to Search for Light Dark Matter Particles

暗物质（DM）无处不在，但不可见。它在我们的宇宙中有着巨大的影响：它将星系团结合在一起，使恒星在星系周围移动得更快，推动了宇宙中星系分布的大尺度结构，并在宇宙微波背景功率谱中留下了明确的印记。弱相互作用大质量粒子（WIMPs）是早期宇宙的遗迹，是一个令人信服的解释，在地下深处的实验室里进行了敏感的实验。然而，对理论上有利的重WIMP（大约是质子质量的100倍）的搜索迄今为止还没有成功。在欧洲核子研究中心的大型强子对撞机上也没有发现这种粒子的证据。替代方案现在正在出现，包括存在一个隐藏的较轻DM粒子部分，只能从它们与电子的相互作用中观察到。DAMIC计划通过检测电荷耦合器件（CCD）体硅中低质量DM粒子引起的核反冲和电子反冲来寻找超出重WIMP假设的DM候选者。SNOLAB的DAMIC实验目前正在运行，并已成为低质量DM粒子最灵敏的探测器之一。该计划的下一步是DAMIC-M：一个50-CCD探测器，目标质量为1公斤，位于法国Modane的Souterrain（LSM）。该奖项为华盛顿大学DAMIC-M小组的活动提供资金支持。华盛顿大学的活动将汇集不同的参与者群体，在国际环境中合作开发和建造尖端科学仪器。该经验将为学生提供必要的实验基础，以便在更大的协作环境中产生重大影响，因为他们在职业生涯中取得了进展。参与者将来自西雅图地区和太平洋西北地区的各种项目，这些项目实施积极的招募策略以增强多样性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dark matter (DM) is ubiquitous yet invisible. It has an enormous influence in our Universe: it binds together galaxy clusters, makes stars move faster around their galaxy, drove the large-scale structure in the galaxies' distribution in the Universe and left an unequivocal imprint in the cosmic microwave background power spectrum. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), relics from the early Universe, are a compelling explanation chased by sensitive experiments in deep underground laboratories. However, searches for the theoretically-favored heavy WIMPs (about 100 times the proton mass) have been so far unsuccessful. Nor has evidence for such particles been found at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Alternative scenarios are now emerging, including the existence of a hidden sector of lighter DM particles that can only be observed from their interactions with electrons. The DAMIC program searches for DM candidates beyond the heavy WIMP hypothesis by detecting nuclear and electronic recoils induced by low-mass DM particles in the bulk silicon of charge-coupled devices (CCDs). The DAMIC experiment at SNOLAB is currently in operation and has already established itself as one of the most sensitive detectors for low-mass DM particles. The next step in the program is DAMIC-M: a 50-CCD detector of 1 kg target mass at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) in France. This award provides funding to support the activities of the DAMIC-M group at the University of Washington.The activities at UW will bring together a diverse group of participants to collaborate in an international setting in the development and construction of a cutting-edge scientific apparatus. The experience will provide students with the experimental foundation necessary to have a significant impact in a larger collaborative setting as they progress in their careers. The cohort of participants will come from a variety of programs in the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest that implement active recruitment strategies to enhance diversity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.