The Road to Discovering Sub-GeV Dark Matter Using Supercooled Liquids
ORAL
Abstract
The latest developments in the search for low-mass dark matter with the snowball chamber technology, essentially a reverse bubble chamber using supercooled water instead of superheating, will be presented. The latest calibration data sets with neutron and gamma-ray radioactive calibration sources will be discussed, with implications reviewed on the extremely low energy threshold expected (sub-keV) and background discrimination as a function of thermodynamic conditions. The most recent three-dimensional image analysis will be shown with position reconstruction and multiple scattering. Information gathered from all prototypes will be analyzed together to form a projected sensitivity curve for both spin-independent and spin-dependent (proton) coupling.
*This work was supported by the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY), under new faculty startup funding provided to Prof. Szydagis for 2014-18, and under the generous Presidential Innovation Fund for Research and Scholarship (PIFRS) grant awarded to Prof. Szydagis for 2017-18 by the Office of the Vice President for Research, Division of Research, the University at Albany, SUNY, as well as with a FRAP-A award (Faculty Research Award Program) and the startup funds of Prof. Cecilia Levy. The research was partially supported by the Department of Energy under Award No. DE-SC0015535, allowing R&D part-time.
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