Speaker
Description
The next generation of large underground neutrino detectors will enable a broad physics program beyond neutrino oscillation measurements, including searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. In this context, the search for Boosted Dark Matter (BDM) in the large Liquid Argon TPCs (LArTPCs) of the DUNE far detector complex represents a particularly interesting opportunity. BDM models extend the traditional WIMP paradigm by introducing a relativistic dark matter component accelerated via dark-sector dynamics or astrophysical processes. Such particles can interact with ordinary matter and generate neutrino-like signatures in DUNE, typically with visible energies in the MeV to sub-GeV range.
Realizing the full sensitivity of DUNE to these signatures requires significant improvements in low-energy event reconstruction. The CADMO project tackles this challenge through the development of novel detector technologies aimed at enhancing the combined reconstruction of ionization charge and scintillation light in liquid argon. Building upon the SoLAr R&D activities for the DUNE Phase II program, CADMO focuses on integrated charge-light readout systems in which VUV-sensitive SiPMs are embedded within a pixelated charge-readout anode.
In this contribution, we present the latest results from the SoLAr/CADMO prototyping campaign. A 25 × 25 cm² anode tile equipped with 64 SiPMs has been tested in a 30 cm-drift LArTPC at the University of Bern, demonstrating the simultaneous detection of charge and scintillation light. Measurements of cosmic-ray muons are used to assess tracking and calorimetric performance and to quantify the benefits of combined charge–light reconstruction. We also discuss ongoing R&D on next-generation VUV photodetectors aimed at further enhancing the potential of direct light detection in liquid argon.
| Parallel session | New Physics Searches: Dark Matter and High-Frequency Gravitational Waves |
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