First results from a 20-liter prototype dark matter detector with directional sensitivity

Astronomical and cosmological evidence suggests that 27% of the energy content of the universe is in the form of non-baryonic matter referred to as "dark matter." Weakly interacting massive particles have long been considered attractive candidates for this dark matter and can be found in a wide variety of models of physics beyond the Standard Model. The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber experiment uses low-pressure gas time projection chambers to search for nuclear recoils caused by interactions between nuclei inside a detector and weakly interacting massive particles in the dark matter halo of the Milky Way galaxy. These detectors are also able to reconstruct the directions of these nuclear recoils, allowing for better rejection of possible background events. This thesis describes the design of a small prototype detector and the strategies used by the DMTPC collaboration to reconstruct events, reject backgrounds, and identify nuclear recoil candidate events. It presents the results of several studies aimed at understanding background events in DMTPC detectors. Finally, this work will present the first results from a nuclear recoil search taken with this detector in a surface laboratory at MIT.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Lopez, Jeremy Paul

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Peter Fisher.

• Physics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91390

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/91390