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Title: A Search for weakly interacting dark matter particles with low temperature detectors capable of simultaneously measuring ionization and heat

Thesis/Dissertation ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1421486· OSTI ID:1421486

Lots of gravitating material that doesn't emit or absorb light seems to be required in all sensible accounts of the dynamics of large-scale structures in the universe. The nature and extent of this mysterious "dark matter" has been one of the central puzzles in cosmology over the last decade. This dissertation describes an experiment that tests one possibility, that the dark matter is in the form of undiscovered Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) produced as a thermal relic of the big bang. In this chapter, we will review the most important observations that suggest the dark matter must exist and discuss the forms it could take.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
1421486
Report Number(s):
UMI-99-81577; FERMILAB-THESIS-1999-66; 518129
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English