Speaker
Description
Now that WIMP dark matter searches are rapidly approaching the neutrino floor, there has been a resurgence in interest towards detectors with directional sensitivity. A large enough detector with such a capability introduces the possibility of identifying a clear signature of dark matter particles with signals weaker than the neutrino background, all the while fulfilling a dual purpose in measuring these neutrinos from the Sun and other sources through the novel channel of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering. I will present results from a detailed analysis of the potential for observing a directional nuclear recoil signal using low-pressure gas time projection chamber (TPC) technology at recoil energies below 10 keV. Such a detector will be able to achieve excellent background discrimination, probe dark matter cross sections below the neutrino floor, make novel contributions to both dark matter and neutrino particle physics and measure astrophysical characteristics of the local dark matter velocity distribution.
