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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
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SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-1602
DTSTART:20091022T210000Z
DURATION:PT1H0M0S
DTSTAMP:20260422T050945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20091017T160608Z
LOCATION:4274 Chamberlin
SUMMARY:The Search for the Fundamental Nature of Dark Matter\, NPAC (N
 uclear/Particle/Astro/Cosmo) Forum\, Dan McKinsey\, Yale University
DESCRIPTION:Astrophysical evidence on a variety of distance scales cle
 arly shows that we cannot account for a large fraction of the mass of 
 the universe. This matter is "dark"\, not emitting or absorbing any el
 ectromagnetic radiation. A compelling explanation for this missing mas
 s is the existence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs).<br
 >
\n<br>
\nThese particles are well motivated by particle physics theo
 ries beyond the Standard Model\, and the discovery of WIMPs would have
  enormous impact on both astrophysics and particle physics. WIMPs\, if
  they exist\, would occasionally interact with normal matter. With a m
 ass in the range of 1 to 1000 times the mass of the proton\, and movin
 g at speeds relative to the Earth on the order of 200 km/s\, WIMPs wou
 ld only deposit a small amount of energy when scattering with nuclei.<
 br>
\n<br>
\nDetectors that are low in radioactivity and sensitive to 
 small energy depositions can search for the rare nuclear recoil events
  predicted by WIMP models. In recent years\, several new efforts on di
 rect dark matter detection have begun in which the detection material 
 is a noble liquid. Advantages include: large nuclear recoil signals in
  both scintillation and ionization channels\, good scalability to larg
 e target masses\, effective discrimination against gamma ray backgroun
 ds\, easy purification\, and reasonable cost. 
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=1602
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