Title: Projected sensitivity of the SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment

Abstract

SuperCDMS SNOLAB will be a next-generation experiment aimed at directly detecting low-mass (< 10 GeV/c$^2$) particles that may constitute dark matter by using cryogenic detectors of two types (HV and iZIP) and two target materials (germanium and silicon). The experiment is being designed with an initial sensitivity to nuclear recoil cross sections ~ 1 x 10$$^{-43}$$ cm$^2$ for a dark matter particle mass of 1 GeV/c$^2$, and with capacity to continue exploration to both smaller masses and better sensitivities. The phonon sensitivity of the HV detectors will be sufficient to detect nuclear recoils from sub-GeV dark matter. A detailed calibration of the detector response to low energy recoils will be needed to optimize running conditions of the HV detectors and to interpret their data for dark matter searches. Low-activity shielding, and the depth of SNOLAB, will reduce most backgrounds, but cosmogenically produced $$^{3}$$H and naturally occurring $$^{32}$$Si will be present in the detectors at some level. Even if these backgrounds are x10 higher than expected, the science reach of the HV detectors would be over three orders of magnitude beyond current results for a dark matter mass of 1 GeV/c$^2$. The iZIP detectors are relatively insensitive to variations in detector response and backgrounds, and will provide better sensitivity for dark matter particle masses (> 5 GeV/c$^2$). The mix of detector types (HV and iZIP), and targets (germanium and silicon), planned for the experiment, as well as flexibility in how the detectors are operated, will allow us to maximize the low-mass reach, and understand the backgrounds that the experiment will encounter. Upgrades to the experiment, perhaps with a variety of ultra-low-background cryogenic detectors, will extend dark matter sensitivity down to the "neutrino floor", where coherent scatters of solar neutrinos become a limiting background.

Authors:

Agnese, R.; Anderson, A. J.; Aramaki, T.; Arnquist, I.; Baker, W.; Barker, D.; Basu Thakur, R.; Bauer, D. A.; Borgland, A.; Bowles, M. A.; Brink, P. L.; Bunker, R.; Cabrera, B.; Caldwell, D. O.; Calkins, R.; Cartaro, C.; Cerdeño, D. G.; Chagani, H.; Chen, Y.; Cooley, J. more »; Cornell, B.; Cushman, P.; Daal, M.; Di Stefano, P. C. F.; Doughty, T.; Esteban, L.; Fallows, S.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Fritts, M.; Gerbier, G.; Ghaith, M.; Godfrey, G. L.; Golwala, S. R.; Hall, J.; Harris, H. R.; Hofer, T.; Holmgren, D.; Hong, Z.; Hoppe, E.; Hsu, L.; Huber, M. E.; Iyer, V.; Jardin, D.; Jastram, A.; Kelsey, M. H.; Kennedy, A.; Kubik, A.; Kurinsky, N. A.; Leder, A.; Loer, B.; Lopez Asamar, E.; Lukens, P.; Mahapatra, R.; Mandic, V.; Mast, N.; Mirabolfathi, N.; Moffatt, R. A.; Morales Mendoza, J. D.; Orrell, J. L.; Oser, S. M.; Page, K.; Page, W. A.; Partridge, R.; Pepin, M.; Phipps, A.; Poudel, S.; Pyle, M.; Qiu, H.; Rau, W.; Redl, P.; Reisetter, A.; Roberts, A.; Robinson, A. E.; Rogers, H. E.; Saab, T.; Sadoulet, B.; Sander, J.; Schneck, K.; Schnee, R. W.; Serfass, B.; Speller, D.; Stein, M.; Street, J.; Tanaka, H. A.; Toback, D.; Underwood, R.; Villano, A. N.; von Krosigk, B.; Welliver, B.; Wilson, J. S.; Wright, D. H.; Yellin, S.; Yen, J. J.; Young, B. A.; Zhang, X.; Zhao, X. « less

Publication Date:

Fri Apr 07 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Univ. of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)

Contributing Org.:

SuperCDMS Collaboration; SuperCDMS

OSTI Identifier:

1389551

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1350517; OSTI ID: 1350792; OSTI ID: 1458490; OSTI ID: 1598297

Report Number(s):

arXiv:1610.00006; FERMILAB-PUB-16-467-AE; PNNL-SA-128797
Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0010; PRVDAQ

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-76SF00515; AC02-07CH11359; AC05-76RL01830; AC02-05CH11231; SC0015657

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Physical Review D

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 95; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0010

Publisher:

American Physical Society (APS)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; dark matter; particle astrophysics; particle dark matter; weakly interacting massive particles