"Direct Searches for Dark Matter Using Noble Liquids"

提案编号：0800526机构：耶鲁大学NSF研究所：物理-粒子天体物理学研究所：麦肯锡，丹尼尔标题：“使用贵液直接研究暗物质” 天文学观测表明，宇宙中存在着一些未知的暗物质，其总质量超过正常物质的5-10倍。一个理论上受青睐的暗物质候选者是一种新的弱相互作用大质量粒子（WIMP），它的相互作用很弱，但在合适的目标中可以检测到罕见的核反冲。该奖项将提供资金，使耶鲁大学的这个研究小组能够为LUX暗物质实验做出贡献，该实验有望大幅提高对WIMP存在的敏感性或发现WIMP。 LUX是一个提议的两相（液体/气体）氙实验，液体氙（LXe）时间投影室质量为300公斤。LUX是基于相同的基本技术，作为最近的XENON 10实验，设置了严格的限制自旋无关的WIMP核子弹性散射截面。在LUX上，该小组将负责慢控制电子设备、氙净化系统和用于部署放射源以进行探测器校准的系统。在更广泛的影响中，与惰性液体探测器有关的技术的发展将在全世界越来越多的使用惰性液体作为探测材料的实验中得到应用。这些项目还将为研究生和本科生提供辐射探测、低温学和气体净化方面的技术培训。LNe、LAr和LNe可以实际应用于天体物理学、国土安全和医学成像的伽马射线成像，以及快中子探测。

PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0800526INSTITUTION: Yale UniversityNSF PROGRAM: PHY - PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICSPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: McKinsey, DanielTITLE: "Direct Searches for Dark Matter Using Noble Liquids" ABSTRACTAstronomical observations indicate that the universe is dominated by some unidentified dark matter whose total mass exceeds that of normal matter by a factor 5-10. A theoretically favored dark matter candidate is a new weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) interacting only weakly but nevertheless producing rare nuclear recoils detectable in suitable targets. This award will provide funds to enable this research group at Yale University to contribute to the LUX dark matter experiment that promises to substantially improve the sensitivity to, or discover, the existence of WIMPs. LUX is a proposed two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon experiment, with a liquid xenon (LXe) time projection chamber mass of 300 kg. LUX is based on the same basic technology as the recent XENON10 experiment which has set stringent limits on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering cross-section. On LUX, this group will be responsible for the slow control electronics, xenon purification systems, and a system for deploying radioactive sources for detector calibration. Among the Broader Impacts, the development of technology related to noble liquid detectors will find use in the increasing number of experiments worldwide using noble liquids as detection materials. These projects will also result in technical training in radiation detection, cryogenics, and gas purification for graduate and undergraduate students. LXe, LAr, and LNe may have practical application to gamma ray imaging for astrophysics, Homeland Security, and medical imaging, as well as for fast neutron detection.