BiCoQ Seminar: BULLKID-DM
by
U2-02
Bicocca
Abstract: BULLKID-DM is an experiment searching for hypothetical WIMP-like particles with mass around 1 GeV/c² or lower and with nucleon cross-section below 10⁻⁴¹ cm². The detector will feature an 800 g target composed of 2300 silicon dice, instrumented with phonon-mediated kinetic inductance detectors. Compared to other solid-state experiments in the field, BULLKID-DM seeks to achieve superior background rejection by using a fully active detector volume and employing fiducialization techniques. The experiment is planned to be installed in Italy at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS). In this seminar I will present results from a 60 g demonstrator array of 180 silicon dice, provide an update on the status of the full experiment, and discuss the projected dark matter sensitivity.
About the speaker: Marco Vignati is Professor of Experimental Physics at Sapienza University of Rome. He previously held the position of Associate Professor at the same university and was Senior Researcher at the INFN. His research focuses on particle physics, with particular emphasis on neutrinos and dark matter. He is the founder of the BULLKID-DM experiment for dark matter detection, collaborates on the NUCLEUS experiment for precision measurements of reactor neutrinos, and has worked on the CUORE and CUPID-0 experiments at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories, dedicated to the search for Majorana neutrinos. He leads the Cryogenic Detectors Laboratory at Sapienza U., where his group develops innovative detectors based on the kinetic inductance of superconductors. He is the Principal Investigator of the ERC Consolidator Grant project "DANAE", and was previously awarded the ERC Starting Grant "CALDER".