skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Directionality and signal amplification in cryogenic dark matter detection

Abstract

A mounting body of evidence suggests that most of the mass in our universe is not contained in stars, but rather exists in some non- luminous form. The evidence comes independently from astronomical observation, cosmological theory, and particle physics. All of this missing mass is collectively referred to as dark matter. In this thesis we discuss two ways to improve the performance of dark matter detectors based on the measurement of ballistic phonons. First, we address the issue of signal identification through solitons. Secondly, we discuss a method for lowering the detection threshold and improving the energy sensitivity: amplifying phonons through the evaporation of helium atoms from a superfluid film coating the target and the adsorption of the evaporated atoms onto a helium-free substrate. A phonon amplifier would also be of use in many other applications in which a few phonons are to be measured at low temperatures. Factors contributing to the low amplifier gains achieved thus far are described and proposals for avoiding them are analyzed and discussed. 101 refs., 30 figs., 2 tabs.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States); Department of Education, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
387535
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/40452-12
ON: DE96015381; TRN: 96:029081
DOE Contract Number:  
FG02-88ER40452
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: TH: Thesis (Ph.D.); PBD: May 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
44 INSTRUMENTATION, INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS; 66 PHYSICS; NONLUMINOUS MATTER; DETECTION; POSTULATED PARTICLES; RADIATION DETECTORS; DESIGN; SOLITONS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS; PHONONS; AMPLIFICATION; GAIN; EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Citation Formats

More, T. Directionality and signal amplification in cryogenic dark matter detection. United States: N. p., 1996. Web. doi:10.2172/387535.
More, T. Directionality and signal amplification in cryogenic dark matter detection. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/387535
More, T. 1996. "Directionality and signal amplification in cryogenic dark matter detection". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/387535. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/387535.
@article{osti_387535,
title = {Directionality and signal amplification in cryogenic dark matter detection},
author = {More, T.},
abstractNote = {A mounting body of evidence suggests that most of the mass in our universe is not contained in stars, but rather exists in some non- luminous form. The evidence comes independently from astronomical observation, cosmological theory, and particle physics. All of this missing mass is collectively referred to as dark matter. In this thesis we discuss two ways to improve the performance of dark matter detectors based on the measurement of ballistic phonons. First, we address the issue of signal identification through solitons. Secondly, we discuss a method for lowering the detection threshold and improving the energy sensitivity: amplifying phonons through the evaporation of helium atoms from a superfluid film coating the target and the adsorption of the evaporated atoms onto a helium-free substrate. A phonon amplifier would also be of use in many other applications in which a few phonons are to be measured at low temperatures. Factors contributing to the low amplifier gains achieved thus far are described and proposals for avoiding them are analyzed and discussed. 101 refs., 30 figs., 2 tabs.},
doi = {10.2172/387535},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/387535}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996},
month = {Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996}
}