Recent astronomical and astrophysical measurements provide strong support to the Λ-CDM cosmological model in which the Universe is flat with Ω_Λ ~ 0.7, Ω_Matter ~ 0.3, and Ω_baryon ~ 0.04. The difference between the total matter content and the baryonic content of the Universe is expected to be composed of weakly interacting non-relativistic particles (Cold Dark Matter) for which a leading candidate, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMP), is provided for by Supersymmetric extentions to the Standard Model. A number of experiments which attempt to directly detect the WIMPs are currently able to reach sensitivities which are consistent with the predictions of some Supersymmetric models and thus begin to confirm or rule them out. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search II (CDMS II) is among the forefront of these experiments. Using cryogenic detector technology to measure both the phonon and ionization response to a particle recoil, the CDMS detectors are sensitive to WIMP recoils while being able to reject the large majority of background events due to gammas, betas, and muons. This talk will discuss the technology behind the CDMS detectors and will present the latest results from the recently concluded 2002 experimental run. I will also touch upon the ongoing upgrade of the experiment which will increase the sensitivity by > two orders of magnitude within the next few years.

Thursday, October 3rd 2002, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Boardroom (room 104)