IFIC seminar: "In the Search for Dark Matter: Advances in Direct Detection and the DarkSide-20k Experiment"

por Dr. Paolo Franchini (University of Oxford)

martes 4 nov. 2025 12:00 → 14:00 Europe/Madrid

1001-Primera-1-1-1 - Paterna. Seminario (Universe)

The nature of dark matter remains one of the most compelling mysteries in modern physics. Direct searches aim to observe the tiny recoils produced when dark matter particles scatter off nuclei in ultra-sensitive detectors. In this seminar, I will give an overview of the principles and challenges of direct dark matter detection, from early experiments to the latest generation of liquid noble detectors. Particular attention will be given to DarkSide-20k, a next-generation liquid argon time projection chamber employing custom Silicon Photo-Multipliers, currently under construction at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy.
Designed to operate with unprecedented background suppression and a target mass of 20 tonnes of low-radioactivity argon, DarkSide-20k aims to probe spin-independent WIMP–nucleon cross sections below 10^−47 cm2.
I will discuss the detector design, expected performance, and physics reach, as well as its role in the broader landscape of the global dark matter search.