Speaker
Prof.
Herman Wellenstein
Description
We developed a TPC with optical readout with the goal of detecting the sense and direction of the elastic recoils generated by Dark Matter interactions. The detector, filled with CF4 gas at low pressure, is equipped with a mesh-based amplification region that allows for a 2D imaging of the recoils in a CCD camera. The third coordinate of the recoil is provided by PMTs. The sense of the direction is determined by measuring the energy loss along the recoil track. The performance of this detector has been measured using alpha particles, low-energy neutrons, and x-rays. In particular, head-tail discrimination has been demonstrated for nuclear recoils down to ~100 keV. The enhanced sensitivity to Dark Matter due to the directional measurement allows this detector to improve on the present limits on spin-dependent interactions with just a few kg-year of exposure.
Author
Prof.
Herman Wellenstein
