Astroparticle Detection

项目编号：0801536机构：凯斯西保护区项目：物理-粒子天体物理学项目负责人：Akerib， Daniel s .标题：天体粒子探测摘要：对星系、超星系团、遥远超新星和宇宙微波背景辐射的观测告诉我们，宇宙中大约85%的物质不是由普通粒子组成的，而是以某种黑暗的形式存在的。破译暗物质的本质对宇宙学、天体物理学和高能粒子物理学具有根本性的重要性。一个主要的假设是，它是由大爆炸后瞬间产生的弱相互作用大质量粒子（wimp）组成的。如果wimp是暗物质，那么它们在我们银河系中的存在可能会通过地球探测器的原子核散射而被探测到。该提案要求继续为低温暗物质搜索（CDMS）实验提供基础项目支持，该实验与SuperCDMS项目赠款的初始资金相结合，将允许(a)完成CDMS- ii实验，该实验已在Soudan矿山完全构建并获取科学数据，(b)在Soudan的CDMS- ii基础设施中测试和地下运行两个新的超级塔，？每个都包括六个下一代探测器，以及(c)长期研发的适度努力，为可能的后续实验开发和测试新的硬件和探测器。这个项目将比WIMP搜索结果产生更广泛的影响。这项技术的发展将推动声子介导探测器的发展，声子介导探测器在天体物理学中的应用越来越多，从光学天文学到x射线和宇宙微波背景研究，以及物理学的其他分支，如量子计算。此外，超级cdms合作将继续支持苏丹的公共宣传项目，该项目每年接待数千名游客参观该矿和实验室。

PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0801536INSTITUTION: Case Western ReserveNSF PROGRAM: PHY - PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICSPRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Akerib, Daniel S.TITLE: Astroparticle Detection ABSTRACTObservations of galaxies, superclusters, distant supernovae and the cosmic microwave background radiation tell us that about 85% of the matter in the universe is not made of ordinary particles, but exists in some dark form. Deciphering the nature of this dark matter is of fundamental importance to cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy particle physics. A leading hypothesis is that it is comprised of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, that were produced moments after the Big Bang. If WIMPs are the dark matter, then their presence in our Milky Way may be detectable via scattering from atomic nuclei in a terrestrial detector. This proposal requests continued base-program support to work on the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment which, in conjunction with the initial funding of the SuperCDMS project grant, will allow for (a) the completion of the CDMS-II experiment, which is fully constructed and acquiring science data at the Soudan Mine, (b) the testing and underground operation in the CDMS-II infrastructure at Soudan of two new ?SuperTowers,? each comprised of six next-generation detectors, and (c) a modest effort of long-range R&D to develop and test new hardware and detectors for possible followup experiments. This program will have broader impact than the WIMP search results. The technical development will push the envelope of phonon-mediated detectors, which have increasing applications in astrophysics, from optical astronomy to x-rays and cosmic microwave backgrounds studies, as well as other branches of physics such as quantum computing. In addition, the SuperCDMS collaboration will continue its support of public outreach program at Soudan, which hosts thousands of visitors each year for tours of the mine and laboratory.