Astroparticle Detection

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL NUMBER: 0801536 INSTITUTION: Case Western Reserve NSF PROGRAM: PHY - PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Akerib, Daniel S. TITLE: Astroparticle Detection ABSTRACT Observations of galaxies, superclusters, distant supernovae and the cosmic microwave background radiation tell us that about 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 WIMPs are the dark matter, then their presence in our Milky Way may be detectable via scattering from atomic nuclei in a terrestrial detector. This proposal requests continued base-program support to work on the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment which, in conjunction with the initial funding of the SuperCDMS project grant, will allow for (a) the completion of the CDMS-II experiment, which is fully constructed and acquiring science data at the Soudan Mine, (b) the testing and underground operation in the CDMS-II infrastructure at Soudan of two new ?SuperTowers,? each comprised of six next-generation detectors, and (c) a modest effort of long-range R&D to develop and test new hardware and detectors for possible followup experiments. This program will have broader impact than the WIMP search results. The technical development will push the envelope of phonon-mediated detectors, which have increasing applications in astrophysics, from optical astronomy to x-rays and cosmic microwave backgrounds studies, as well as other branches of physics such as quantum computing. In addition, the SuperCDMS collaboration will continue its support of public outreach program at Soudan, which hosts thousands of visitors each year for tours of the mine and laboratory.