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Light Dark Matter |
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Accounting for 85% of all matter, Dark Matter (DM) is the
dominant component of matter in the Universe, and yet it is unknown what it
is made of. In this project, we will bring together expertise from different
areas in DM research, to comprehensively explore a new mass range for DM
constituents - the range where masses of ordinary matter constituents lie. This
mass range is theoretically highly motivated, but experimentally open
territory. At the core of this Wallenberg Project is the Light Dark
Matter eXperiment, LDMX. It is to be operated at Stanford National
Accelerator Laboratory SLAC and will provide access to light dark matter with
orders of magnitude greater sensitivity than other experiments. We make
significant contributions in developing and building crucial parts of LDMX, in
the organisation and execution of its computing, in its physics studies, and in
coordinating the work of the international collaboration. This new territory requires developments in modelling and
simulation. For this reason, theoretical physics at Chalmers and at Lund
University and nuclear and particle physics at Lund University, integrate DM scenarios
with the world leading simulation packages for event generation (Pythia) and
for particle passage through matter (Geant4). LDMX needs a state-of-the-art statistical package to
extract maximum physics from its data. The participant from Stockholm
University (SU) brings experience from astroparticle physics to make a
corresponding tool for LDMX. Our team will also take the LDMX results into a
global fit including other experiments, to form the most complete
understanding we can about DM. This understanding sets the requirements for the next
generation DM direct detection experiments. Which detector material would
give the best sensitivity? We will search and verify the optimal material
bringing together DM modelling (Chalmers) with the expertise in direct
detection (SU) working together with Solid State Physics (SU). Light Dark Matter was approved (Dnr KAW 2019.0080) by the
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation 1 Oct 2019 and started 1 July 2020 for a
duration of seven years. |