Reduction of Radon-Induced Backgrounds for SuperCDMS and Beyond

减少 SuperCDMS 及其他系统中氡气引起的本底

• 批准号: 1506033
• 负责人: Richard Schnee
• 金额: $ 43.9万
• 依托单位: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-06-15 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1506033&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Reduction; Radon; Induced; Backgrounds; SuperCDMS

Observations indicate that 80% of the matter in the Universe is not made of normal atoms, but must be otherwise undetected elementary "dark matter" particles that do not emit or absorb light. Remarkably, particle physics theories proposed for other reasons predict the existence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with just the right properties to be this dark matter. If WIMPs are the dark matter, they may be detectable when they scatter in Earth-based detectors. Direct detection of WIMP dark matter would solve a fundamental mystery in particle physics and cosmology, providing a unique window to learning about the primary matter constituent of the Universe and of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.The project will help train undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs in a multidisciplinary field using techniques at the leading edge of measurement technologies with applications in areas of great societal interest. Furthermore, the project will support the preparation of Native American students for post-secondary education in science and engineering, with the goal of improving the diversity of the nation's scientific workforce through the group's participation in the GEAR-UP program at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) Collaboration has pioneered the use of low temperature phonon-mediated detectors to detect the rare scattering of WIMPs on nuclei and to distinguish them from backgrounds. The high background rejection that the SuperCDMS technology offers provides significant advantages compared to other technologies, yielding world-leading sensitivity to low-mass dark matter and multiple-target complementarity in a single experiment. To achieve the full sensitivity, it will be critical to reduce the radon-induced backgrounds of the experiment. This award will enable the PI to develop and implement cost-effective means to mitigate the concentration of radon in air, in particular for the underground cleanroom to be used for installation of the SuperCDMS SNOLAB detectors. The group will continue its leadership of SuperCDMS Soudan data analysis.

观察结果表明，宇宙中80％的物质不是由正常原子制成的，但必须是未发现的基本“暗物质”颗粒，这些颗粒不会发出或吸收光。值得注意的是，出于其他原因提出的粒子物理学理论预测了弱相互作用的质量颗粒（WIMP）的存在，而正确的特性则是这种暗物质。如果wim是暗物质，则当它们散布在基于地球的探测器中时，它们可能是可以检测到的。直接检测WIMP暗物质将解决粒子物理和宇宙学上的基本谜团，为学习宇宙的主要物质和物理学的主要物理构成提供了独特的窗口。该项目将帮助培训在衡量领先技术方面的多学科领域中培训本科生，毕业生，毕业生以及在多学科领域的领域中的研究。此外，该项目将支持准备美国原住民学生进行科学和工程学的上学后教育，以通过该小组参与南达科他州矿业和技术学院的Gear-Up计划来改善国家的科学劳动力的多样性。并将它们与背景区分开。与其他技术相比，SuperCDMS技术提供的高背景拒绝具有显着优势，从而在单个实验中对低质量暗物质和多目标互补性产生了世界领先的敏感性。为了达到完整的灵敏度，减少实验的ra诱导背景至关重要。该奖项将使PI能够开发和实施具有成本效益的方法来减轻空气中的ra浓度，特别是对于地下洁净室，用于安装SuperCDMS Snolab检测器。该小组将继续领导SuperCDMS Soudan数据分析。