Special Physics Seminar

Capturing dark matter with underground cameras

Danielle Norcini

Kavli Institute
University of Chicago

The existence of dark matter has been long established through astrophysical and cosmological observations, yet we still do not know what it is made of. Direct detection experiments have extensively searched for dark matter particles above the proton mass for decades. However, recent technological developments have made it possible to look for lighter, sub-GeV dark matter candidates with single-electron cameras. These "skipper" charged-coupled devices (CCDs) are used as both the target material and detector in the DAMIC-M experiment underneath the French Alps. We will discuss the status of DAMIC-M, recent calibration studies, and the first search for light dark matter with the prototype Low Background Chamber.