This grant will support a two year program of research involving a search for electrically charged, massive particles thought to make up a significant part of the mass of the universe. Such "charged dark matter" is made up of particles called CHAMPS, and is thought to exist in order to explain various cosmological phenomena. The existence of dark matter has never been established, but searches for it form an interesting component of current research in particle physics. The proponent hopes to participate in theoretical studies of the interactions of CHAMPS with the atmosphere of Earth as well as that in space, and to conduct an experiment using an apparatus mounted on a balloon to be launched later in 1992.
