Rare Event Searches in Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chambers

阿比盖尔·科佩克被授予NSF数学和物理科学提升博士后研究奖学金，以在加州大学圣地亚哥分校开展研究和教育项目。Kopec将在新的XENONnT实验中领导对颗粒暗物质和中微子特征的搜索，并研究单相液体氙气时间投影室(TPC)对单电子信号的灵敏度，以增强探测器的低能量灵敏度。作为该计划的关键部分，Kopec将在拟议的项目中指导本科生和研究生，并参与部门活动，以促进积极的包容性文化，并计划在氙气合作中发挥领导作用，指导新成员。暗物质的粒子性质仍然是当今物理学中最大的谜团之一。对中微子性质的研究已经提供了明确的证据，表明标准模型是不完整的，而第一批被证实的粒子暗物质探测将代表着标准模型以外的物理学的特征。加强XENONnT TPC低能测量的计划在这两个领域都有可能产生重大影响，包括提高对低质量弱相互作用大质量粒子暗物质的敏感性，以及利用太阳中微子提供潜在的第一次对氙原子上相干弹性中微子-核散射的观测。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Abigail Kopec is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the University of California, San Diego. Kopec will lead searches for signatures of particulate dark matter and neutrinos in the new XENONnT experiment, and investigate the sensitivity of a single-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC) to single-electron signals to enhance the detector’s low-energy sensitivity. As a key part of the program, Kopec will mentor undergraduate and graduate students in the proposed projects and participate in department activities to promote a positive inclusive culture and plans to take on leadership roles mentoring newer members within the XENON Collaboration. The particle nature of dark matter remains one of the greatest mysteries in physics today. The study of neutrino properties has provided clear evidence that the Standard Model is incomplete, and the first confirmed particle dark matter detections would represent a signature of physics beyond the Standard Model. The program to enhance the the XENONnT TPC low-energy measurements holds the potential for significant impact in both of these areas, including increased sensitivity to lower-mass weakly interacting massive-particle dark matter, and harnessing solar neutrinos to provide the potential first observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nuclear scattering on xenon atoms.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.