Search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles

这项奖励将提供部分资金，以支持南卡罗来纳大学对重的、弱相互作用的大质量粒子(WIMP)的研究，这些粒子可能构成我们银河系光晕中缺失的质量。为此，他们将使用低温探测器，对与重粒子碰撞引起的核反冲能量沉积引起的温度升高做出反应。研究的第一阶段将是建造超低放射性本底液氦-4低温恒温器，并开发超导颗粒探测器。探测器将由对弱相互作用粒子敏感的大型超导传感器阵列组成。这些进展将为一般弱相互作用粒子，例如太阳中微子的新一代探测技术提供可行性研究。该项目将是南卡罗来纳大学、马里兰大学、不列颠哥伦比亚大学和应用研究公司之间的合作努力。

This award will provide funds to partially support a grant from the University of South Carolina to do research on heavy, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP's) that might constitute the missing mass in the halo of our galaxy. For this, they will employ cryogenic detectors that respond to the increase in temperature caused by the energy deposition from nuclear recoil induced by collisions with the heavy particles. The first phase of the research will be the construction of an ultralow radioactive background liquid helium-4 cryostat and the development of a superconducting granular detector. The detector will consist of large arrays of superconducting sensors sensitive to the weakly interacting particles. These developments will provide the feasibility study of a new generation of detection techniques for weakly interacting particles in general, e.g. solar neutrinos. This project will be a collaborative effort between the University of South Carolina, the University of Maryland, the University of British Columbia and Applied Research Corporation.