Superconducting Electronics Readout Systems for WIMP Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments (CDMS)

University Of Colorado At Denver-Downtown Campus, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0801708 INSTITUTION: University of Colorado Denver NSF PROGRAM: PHY - PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Huber, Martin E. TITLE: Superconducting Electronics Readout Systems for WIMP Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments (CDMS) ABSTRACT Astronomical observations tell us that approximately 85% of the matter in the universe is not made of ordinary particles, but exists in some dark form. Deciphering the nature of this dark matter is of fundamental importance to cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy particle physics. A leading hypothesis is that it is comprised of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, that were produced moments after the Big Bang. If so, then the presence of WIMPs in our Milky Way may be detectable via scattering from atomic nuclei in a terrestrial detector. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) Collaboration has pioneered the use of low-temperature phonon-mediated devices to search for the rare scattering of WIMPs on nuclei and to distinguish them from background interactions. This award provides support for the UCD group that, in conjunction with the initial SuperCDMS project grants, will enable (a) the completion of the CDMSII experiment, which is fully constructed and acquiring science data at the Soudan Mine, (b) the testing and underground operation at Soudan of two new ?SuperTowers,? each comprised of six next-generation detectors and (c) a modest effort of long-range research and development to develop and test new hardware and detectors for possible followup experiments. Specifically, this proposal will support the PI's activities in the CDMS projects as well as the group's long-term development and implementation of a two-stage superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) pre-amplifier phonon-readout system and development of a SQUID-based ionization-readout system for future detector technology. As part of the Broader Impacts of this program, the technical development will push the envelope of phonon-mediated detectors, which have increasing utility in astrophysics, from optical astronomy to x-rays and cosmic microwave backgrounds studies, as well as other branches of physics such as quantum computing.