A large and growing body of scientific evidence suggests that most of the matter in the universe is in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) whose properties are largely unknown. Since the halo of the Milky Way galaxy appears to be mostly dark matter, the possibility of direct detection in the laboratory exists via observation of WIMP collisions with normal atoms. Measurement of the rate and energy transfer spectrum of these collisions would provide critical information needed to determine the nature of this matter. Since dark matter is the dominant form of matter in the universe, direct detection is one of the most important challenges in physics and cosmology.
Over the last three years, the Texas A&M group has maintained a modest R&D effort to investigate the potential of high-pressure, room-temperature neon gas for dark matter detection. As the next stage in the development of a possible future experiment, this group proposes a one year program to: 1) measure the absolute light and charge yield and gamma discrimination as a function of recoil energy for a variety of gas mixtures at ~ 100 bar pressure; 2) develop a Wave Length Shifter fiber readout and gating structure for a full length 75 kg test module; 3) develop the use of an internal photocathode; and 4) screen materials for a radio-quiet pressure vessel to be built in the future.
In the area of Broader Impacts, the development of a new instrument to detect subatomic particle interactions will strongly impact the education of undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral associates connected to the project.
