Searching for light Dark Matter with the DAMIC and DAMIC-M CCDs

Abstract: 

The DArk Matter In CCDs experiments at the SNOLAB and Modane underground laboratories aim for direct detection of light dark matter particles (m<10 GeV/c^2). Their fully-depleted, 675 um-thick Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) are characterized by electron-order readout noise and minimal leakage current (≲1E-3 e-/pixel/day). DAMIC at Modane CCDs additionally feature skipper readout amplifiers, which can achieve sub-electron resolution by means of repeated non-destructive charge measurements. This talk will detail the construction of the first comprehensive CCD background model in DAMIC at SNOLAB, and report on the deployment and science run of the DAMIC-M prototype detector, the Low Background Chamber (LBC).

Speaker : 

Michelangelo Traina, Sorbonne University

Location: 

CENPA Conference Room NPL-178