The DarkSide-20k detector, currently under construction at INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory, consists of a 51 tonne dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber aiming to directly detect GeV – TeV mass WIMPs. WIMPs are one of the most promising dark matter candidates, but no direct detection experiment has yet observed evidence sufficient to claim a WIMP discovery.
Building on the successful use of low radioactivity underground argon in DarkSide-50, DarkSide-20k is designed to achieve unprecedented sensitivity for direct dark matter detection using several novel technologies. DarkSide-20k is designed to be free of instrumental backgrounds and is expected to reach a WIMP-nucleon cross-section exclusion sensitivity of 7.4x10-48 cm² for a 1 TeV/c² WIMP with an exposure of 200 tonne years.
An overview of the status of construction will be given, outlining some of the novel technologies used in DarkSide-20k, including the use of ultra-low-radioactivity underground argon, and large-area cryogenic Silicon Photomultipliers integrated with custom-made, compact electronics. Results will also be presented from the development and testing of the novel Silicon Photomultipliers, and an overview of the physics program of DarkSide-20k will be given.