Speaker
Mr.
Yohan Ricci
(Queen's University)
Description
Dark Matter (DM) is thought to make up ∼ 84.5% of the matter content of the universe. It is a key ingredient of the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM) and could provide a window to new theories beyond the standard model of particle physics. There has been much recent interest in low-mass (O(5 GeV)) Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, as predicted by certain supersymmetric models and other theories, and motivated by various hints from direct detection experiments. The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment is currently operating 15 upgraded germanium detectors at the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota, USA. Theses detectors were used to set competitive constraints in the search for low-mass WIMPs.
I will present the results and prospects of a very low-threshold operational mode called CDMSlite (CDMS low ionization threshold experiment). For this innovative experiment, we operated a single detector with a higher voltage than usual. This allows for voltage assisted calorimetric amplification, resulting in the lowest ionization threshold obtained with a germanium dark-matter detector. The 170 eVee threshold allowed the exploration of new WIMP parameter space below 6 GeV. A longer run in this mode started in February 2014 and will continue for several months.
Primary author
Mr.
Yohan Ricci
(Queen's University)
