DEAP-3600 Operation and Analysis

DEAP-3600合作小组由来自加拿大和英国几个机构的60多名研究人员组成，一直非常积极地建造和实施DEAP-3600探测器，所有探测器部件现在都在现场，并被安装到SNOLAB立方体大厅。DEAP-3600是一项新的实验，旨在寻找暗物质粒子在SNOLAB设施地下深处测量的大型目标(3.6吨)上的直接散射，自2006年以来一直在开发中。这个独特的SNOLAB站点利用淡水河谷Creighton矿6800英尺的岩石覆盖层来过滤可能模仿真正暗物质信号的宇宙射线。一旦投入使用，DEAP探测器将使我们对暗物质粒子相互作用的敏感度比目前的搜索提高50倍，并将带来重大的发现潜力。探测器的安装和调试进展顺利，预计将持续到2013年，计划在2014年进行调试和第一批数据。探测器的核心是一个大型超纯丙烯酸容器，自2011年以来一直在建设中，将于2013年11月完工。宇宙中暗物质的起源是目前粒子天体物理学中最重要的问题之一。众所周知，我们宇宙中的大多数物质都是暗的，一个受欢迎的假设是，暗物质由WIMP组成，WIMP是一种弱相互作用的大质量粒子，可以通过观察它们与原子核的弹性散射来探测到它们。到目前为止，这些粒子都躲过了探测，无论是在直接搜索实验中，还是在其他实验中，要么是在寻找它们的湮灭产物，要么是在大型强子对撞机上通过非常高能量的碰撞来寻找它们存在的证据。当DEAP-3600探测器在2014年启动时，它将是第一个吨级的直接暗物质探测器，也是能够探测目前允许的超对称性理论模型的最灵敏的探测器。超对称性理论模型是由粒子物理驱动的模型，可以预测一组新的粒子，其中一个可能是暗物质的候选者。如果观察到，这种粒子将被认为是宇宙中大部分物质的来源，它的重量远远超过组成恒星、行星和我们自己的正常物质。这笔资金将为该项目的数据收集阶段的研究人员提供支持，并建立在过去对粒子天体物理研究的投资基础上。已经为DEAP-3600建立了一支强大的团队和专业知识，我们正在计划几年的数据收集、校准和分析，以充分开发该项目的物理潜力。这项建议将导致加拿大在粒子物理和粒子天体物理研究的前沿进一步培养高素质的人才。除了吸引学生和国际高素质的研究人员外，预计在整个分析阶段，几名博士后研究员、研究助理和学生将得到这一请求的支持。

The DEAP-3600 collaboration, a group of over 60 researchers from several institutions in Canada and the UK, has been very active with construction and implementation of the DEAP-3600 detector, with all detector components now onsite and being installed into the SNOLAB Cube Hall. DEAP-3600 is a novel experiment searching for direct scattering of dark matter particles on a large target (3.6 tonnes) of cryogenic liquid argon instrumented deep underground at the SNOLAB facility, and has been under development since 2006. The unique SNOLAB site uses the 6800 feet of rock overburden at Vale's Creighton Mine to filter out cosmic rays that could mimic a genuine dark matter signal. Once operational, the DEAP detector will enhance our sensitivity to dark matter particle interactions by a factor of 50 over current searches, and will allow a significant discovery potential. Installation and commissioning of the detector is progressing well and is expected to continue through the 2013 calendar year, with commissioning and first data planned for 2014. The heart of the detector, a large ultra-pure acrylic vessel, has been under construction since 2011 and will be completed in November, 2013. The origin of the dark matter in our Universe is currently one of the most important questions in particle astrophysics. It is well-established that most of the matter in our Universe is dark, and a favored hypothesis is that the dark matter consists of WIMPs, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, which could be detected by observing their elastic scattering from nuclei. So far these particles have evaded detection, both in direct search experiments, and in other experiments searching either for their annihilation products, or for evidence of their their existence through very energetic collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. When the DEAP-3600 detector turns on in 2014, it will be the first direct dark matter detector at the tonne-scale, and the most sensitive detector capable of probing the currently allowed theoretical models of Supersymmetry, models motivated by particle physics that predict a new set of particles, one of which could be a candidate for dark matter. If observed, this particle would be known to account for most of the matter in the universe, far outweighing the normal matter that makes up stars, planets, and ourselves. This funding will provide support for research personnel for the data-collection phase of the project and builds on past investments that have been made toward particle astrophysics research. A substantial team and expertise has been built up for DEAP-3600, and we are planning several years of data collection, calibration and analysis to fully exploit the physics potential of the project. This proposal will lead to further world-class training of highly qualified personnel in Canada, at the leading edges of particle physics and particle astrophysics research. In addition to attracting students and international highly qualified researchers, it is anticipated that several Post-Doctoral Fellows, Research Associates, and students will be supported by this request, throughout the analysis phase.