SPECIAL ATOMIC PHYSICS SEMINAR

Daniel McKinsey
Yale University

Note different date, time and room

Thursday, April 19, 2007
3:30 pm in SPL 57

New Results from the XENON10 Dark Matter Search

Abstract: A compelling model for the dark matter is that it is made up of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs. This hypothesis can be tested directly using sensitive detectors located underground in a low-radioactivity environment. Energized by the recent development of technologies based on noble liquids, combining powerful discrimination against radioactive backgrounds with scalability to large detector masses, this field is expected to make rapid progress in the next several years. I will describe methods based on liquid xenon, liquid argon, liquid neon, and liquid helium, and present the first results from the XENON10 dark matter experiment.