Speaker
Description
Liquid argon has proven to be a powerful medium for detecting GeV‑scale dark matter, as demonstrated by the DEAP‑3600 and DarkSide‑50 experiments. Building on these successes, DarkSide‑20k is now under construction at LNGS as the first flagship detector of the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration. With a 50‑tonne ultra‑pure argon target and exceptionally low backgrounds, DarkSide‑20k, in about 10 years of data‑taking, will scan for any WIMP interaction in argon above the neutrino fog for WIMP masses above a few GeV and up to 10$^5$ GeV.
To push noble liquid experiments sensitivity below the GeV scale, new detection strategies are required. At Queen’s University, we are investigating the use of molecular dopants—introduced at part‑per‑million concentrations into liquid argon—to enhance ionization yield and lower the effective energy threshold. Identifying the optimal dopant mixture would enable a next‑generation experiment proposed for SNOLAB within the coming decade. Such an experiment could exclude, or potentially discover, sub‑GeV dark matter interacting as faintly as solar neutrinos within roughly one year of data‑taking, opening a new observational window on the fundamental composition of the Universe.
| Your current academic level | Faculty/research staff |
|---|---|
| Your email address | michela.lai@queensu.ca |
| Affiliation | Queen's University |
| Supervisor name | n/a |
| Supervisor email | michela.lai@queensu.ca |
