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.

 

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