CAREER: Towards Second Generation Dark Matter Experiments

为了通过研究暗物质的组成来提高我们对宇宙的认识，该奖项的研究目标是将暗物质-核子散射的当前探测灵敏度提高约100倍，以便测量弱相互作用大质量粒子（wimp）与核子之间的截面或严格限制理论上有利的参数空间。为了实现这一目标，SuperCDMS实验必须保持一个少于一个事件的背景环境。该小组将利用新的交错z敏感电离和声子（iZIP）探测器推进分析技术，以区分电磁背景和暗物质信号，该探测器计划部署在苏丹。此外，他们正在进行计算和开发模拟，以估计SuperCDMS探测器周围材料中α -n和裂变相互作用的不可约内部背景。更广泛的影响：该奖项还将资助一个扩展项目，以提高公众对科学的欣赏。为了实现这一目标，教育目标是利用SuperCDMS通过QuarkNet计划支持中学教师，并为新大的本科生创造研究机会。在低温物理、高能物理、天体物理技术和数据分析等方面，为参与该项目的学生和博士后提供较强的科学和教育准备。

In pursuit of improving our understanding of the universe by studying the constituents of dark matter, the research objective of this award is to increase the current detection sensitivity of dark matter-nucleon scattering by a factor of about 100 in order to measure the cross-section between Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and nucleons or to severely restrict theoretically favorable parameter space. In order to achieve this objective, the SuperCDMS experiment must maintain a background environment of less than one event. This group will advance analysis techniques to discriminate electromagnetic backgrounds from dark matter signals using the new interleaved Z-sensitive Ionization and Phonon (iZIP) detectors which are scheduled to be deployed at Soudan. In addition, they are performing calculations and developing simulations to estimate the irreducible internal background from alpha-n and fission interactions in materials immediately surrounding the SuperCDMS detectors. Broader impacts: The award will also fund an outreach program that will increase the public's appreciation for science. In pursuit of this goal, the educational objective is to use SuperCDMS to support secondary teachers through the QuarkNet program and create research opportunities for undergraduates at SMU. Students and postdoctoral scholars working on this project will receive strong scientific and educational preparation in the techniques of low temperature physics, high energy physics and astrophysics and the analysis of data.