Silicon Detector Technology for the DarkSide-20k Dark Matter Search Experiment

导师：John Lipp(Ral)+Jocelyn Monroe(牛津大学)暗物质的性质是当今宇宙的基本问题之一，处于物理学研究的前沿。直接探测实验旨在观察暗物质粒子与原子核的相互作用。这一领域的探测器发展已经将粒子探测技术推向了低能量和非常低的本底水平。DarkSide-20k是一个国际合作项目，致力于开发用于低本底搜索的下一代液体Ar(Lar)探测器。位于意大利Gran Sasso的LNGS实验室正在建造50吨重的Darkside-20K探测器，与目前搜索质量在TeV级的暗物质粒子相比，探测器的灵敏度将提高一个数量级以上。随着寻找暗物质的实验变得越来越灵敏，对超低背景的要求达到了前所未有的水平。Darkside-20k已经开发出新的硅光传感器技术和读数，它将允许识别信号和背景事件，同时还可以最大限度地减少它们自己的辐射足迹，这是将暗物质搜索的背景降到最低的关键要求。这个学生项目致力于暗物质搜索中使用的硅光传感器的开发，包括测试、安装、数据采集、模拟和数据分析。Darkside-UK团队正在为Darkside-20k建造25%的光电传感器，这名博士生将为表征和校准光电传感器硬件做出贡献，并开发分析工具来搜索Darkside-20k数据中的暗物质相互作用特征。该项目将探索传感器系统硅中暗物质相互作用的特征，目标是开发一种具有灵活性的暗物质搜索分析，以搜索包括超出WIMP暗物质假说的奇异暗物质候选的信号。

Supervisors: John Lipp (RAL) + Jocelyn Monroe (Oxford University)The nature of dark matter is one of the fundamental questions about the universe today, at the forefront of physics research. Direct detection experiments seek to observe interactions of dark matter particles with atomic nuclei. Detector development in this area has pushed the technology of particle detection to low energies and very low background levels.DarkSide-20k is an international collaboration engaged in a staged program to develop the next generation of liquid argon (LAr) detectors for low-background searches. The 50 tonne DarkSide-20k detector is under construction at the LNGS laboratory, in Gran Sasso, Italy, and will reach more than an order of magnitude increase in the sensitivity over current searches for dark matter particles with masses at the TeV scale. As experiments become increasingly sensitive in search of dark matter, ultra-low backgrounds are required, at levels never before achieved. DarkSide-20k has developed novel silicon photosensor technology and readout that will allow the identification of signal and background events whilst also minimising their own radioactive footprint, a key requirement to minimise backgrounds to the dark matter search. This studentship project is to work on development of the silicon photosensors used in the dark matter search, including testing, installation, data acquisition, simulation and data analysis. The DarkSide-UK groups are building 25% of the photosensors for DarkSide-20k, and the PhD student will contribute to characterising and calibrating the photosensor hardware, and developing analysis tools to search for dark matter interaction signatures in DarkSide-20k data. The project will explore signatures of dark matter interactions in the silicon of the sensor system, with the goal of developing a dark matter search analysis with flexibility to search for signals including exotic dark matter candidates beyond the WIMP dark matter hypothesis.