Development of a Novel Dark Matter Search with the GAPS Experiment

Perez Kerstin M, Brooklyn PA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Kerstin Perez is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Columbia University. The current cosmological paradigm includes two significant and unknown entities called "dark matter" and "dark energy." The physics of the Universe is dominated by their presence even though their nature remains unknown. Current investigations into the identity of dark matter focus on finding entirely new massive particles. Many dark matter search experiments are currently planned or ongoing, and many of them are challenged by the large background signal from conventional astrophysical processes and a vast array of signatures that could indicate a dark matter interaction. This project, part of the General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) experiment, aims to characterize the dark matter by detecting the low-energy subatomic particles predicted to be created as dark matter particles self-annihilate in the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy. The postdoctoral fellow of this award will lead the commissioning of the detector system that would detect these particles in this project. The strength of the GAPS experiment is that it promises to provide an essentially background-free signature of dark matter, and the anticipated measurements will probe large portions of the theoretical parameter spaces of both supersymmetry and extra-dimensional theories, the leading models of dark matter production, and will complement and extend the reach of current experiments. Layers of semiconducting Si(Li) tracking detectors with excellent time and energy resolution are essential to the success of the GAPS detection and background rejection scheme. GAPS will utilize over 1000 of these detectors, and thus a consistent procedure for qualification and calibration will be the bridge between the ideal experimental design and its final performance. The fellow will spearhead the analysis of data from a prototype balloon flight and will lead the commissioning and calibration of these detectors. The broader impacts of this project include a significant educational component. The fellow will work with the Columbia University Double Discovery Center (DDC) to implement a laboratory course and mentoring program aimed at encouraging underrepresented students to pursue an education in a scientific field. The fellow will establish a laboratory science course for junior high school students with lessons based on research pursued by members of the Columbia University community. A key aspect of this course will be to confront students' preconceived notions of where a science education leads by promoting interaction with role models from science backgrounds who have pursued a variety of professions.