Creating and Using Sb-124 to Calibrate a Bubble Chamber Dark Matter Detector
Session Number
Project ID: PHYS 21
Advisor(s)
Dr. Eric Dahl, PhD, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Northwestern University
Discipline
Physical Science
Start Date
20-4-2022 10:45 AM
End Date
20-4-2022 11:00 AM
Abstract
One of the longest-standing fundamental questions in physics is the nature of dark matter. Galactic rotation curves, gravitational lensing, cosmic microwave background, and galaxy cluster collisions have all supported the existence of a large invisible matter component to the universe since 1933 and Zwicky's early observations of objects at the edge of the Coma cluster.
To address this problem, the Dahl Group's goal, in collaboration with the Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) Collaboration, is to introduce and develop new nuclear recoil detection technology that combines two existing technologies: bubble chamber electron recoil rejection and liquid scintillator event-by-event energy resolution. This technique searches for WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), a leading dark matter candidate that would interact with normal matter by scattering elastically off atomic nuclei. The SBC Collaboration has suggested that a scintillating liquid argon bubble chamber be operated and analyzed at Fermilab for dark matter and neutrino studies.
This contribution to the development of a scintillating liquid argon bubble chamber focuses on nuclear recoil sensitivity calibration to identify the lowest energy nuclear recoils while simultaneously excluding electron recoil events and background events. The Neutron Therapy Facility at Fermilab will be aid in developing reliable antimony-beryllium neutron sources, which are explored and modeled both experimentally and initially via simulations to ideal sources for optimal calibration.
Creating and Using Sb-124 to Calibrate a Bubble Chamber Dark Matter Detector
One of the longest-standing fundamental questions in physics is the nature of dark matter. Galactic rotation curves, gravitational lensing, cosmic microwave background, and galaxy cluster collisions have all supported the existence of a large invisible matter component to the universe since 1933 and Zwicky's early observations of objects at the edge of the Coma cluster.
To address this problem, the Dahl Group's goal, in collaboration with the Scintillating Bubble Chamber (SBC) Collaboration, is to introduce and develop new nuclear recoil detection technology that combines two existing technologies: bubble chamber electron recoil rejection and liquid scintillator event-by-event energy resolution. This technique searches for WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), a leading dark matter candidate that would interact with normal matter by scattering elastically off atomic nuclei. The SBC Collaboration has suggested that a scintillating liquid argon bubble chamber be operated and analyzed at Fermilab for dark matter and neutrino studies.
This contribution to the development of a scintillating liquid argon bubble chamber focuses on nuclear recoil sensitivity calibration to identify the lowest energy nuclear recoils while simultaneously excluding electron recoil events and background events. The Neutron Therapy Facility at Fermilab will be aid in developing reliable antimony-beryllium neutron sources, which are explored and modeled both experimentally and initially via simulations to ideal sources for optimal calibration.