Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Dark-matter search'

L'existence de la matière noire est connue en raison de ses effets gravitationnels et, bien que sa nature reste inconnue, un des candidats principaux est une particule massive interagissant faiblement (WIMP) ayant une masse de l'ordre de 100 GeV/c2 et un couplage avec la matière ordinaire à ou en dessous de l'échelle faible. Dans ce contexte, DarkSide-50 cherche à observer des collisions WIMP-nucléon dans une chambre de projection temporelle à double phase d'argon liquide située dans le sous-sol du Laboratoire National du Gran Sasso (LNGS), en Italie. Le travail présenté ici porte d'abord sur une étude de la réponse de l'argon aux reculs nucléaires et électroniques à basse énergie, réalisée par l’expérience ARIS. Le quenching nucléaire a été mesuré avec la meilleure précision à cette date et la probabilité de recombinaison a été comparée aux différents modèles décrivant le comportement de l’argon en présence d’un champ électrique. Une recherche de WIMP de faible masse effectuée avec les données DarkSide-50 est également présentée. Cette recherche porte sur le signal d'ionisation du TPC, conduisant à un seuil de détection beaucoup plus bas qu’en utilisant la scintillation. Les limites d'exclusion atteintes figurent parmi les meilleures pour des masses de WIMPs entre 2 et 6 GeV/c2 et sont les plus strictes pour une cible d'argon liquide. Enfin, une recherche préliminaire d'axions est présentée. Les axions sont un candidat alternatif à la matière noire, proposés comme solution au « problème CP fort ». Ils sont détectables dans DarkSide via leur couplage aux électrons. Cette recherche nécessitait l'amélioration de la modélisation des sources de fond en prenant en compte les effets atomiques dans les spectres d'émission bêta, ainsi qu'une redéfinition de l'échelle d'énergie convertissant l'énergie déposée dans l’argon en un certain nombre d'électrons extraits. Les résultats présentés montrent une sensibilité encourageante aux axions solaires et galactiques
The existence of dark matter is known because of its gravitational effects, and although its nature remains undisclosed, one of the leading candidate is the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) with mass of the order of 100 GeV/c2 and coupling with ordinary matter at or below the weak scale. In this context, DarkSide-50 aims to direct observe WIMP-nucleon collisions in a liquid argon dual phase time-projection chamber located deep underground at Gran Sasso National Laboratory, in Italy. This work first details the argon calibration realised by the ARIS experiment. ARIS characterised the argon response to low energy nuclear and electronic recoils, down to unprecedented energies. The nuclear quenching was measured with the best precision to this date, and the recombination probability extracted was compared to different models describing the behaviour of argon in presence of an electric field. A search for low mass WIMPs performed with DarkSide-50 data is also presented. This search focuses on the ionisation signal from the TPC, leading much to much lower detection threshold. The achieved exclusion limits are amongst the leading ones, and the most stringent for a liquid argon target. Finally a preliminary search for axions is presented. Axions are an alternative candidate to dark matter, proposed as a solution to the strong CP problem. They are detectable in DarkSide via their coupling to electrons. This search required the improvement of the modelling of the background sources, by taking into account atomic effects in beta emission spectra, as well as a redefinition of the energy scale converting the energy deposited into a number of extracted electrons. The results presented show an encouraging sensitivity to both solar and galactic axions

The existence of a significant non-baryonic component to the Universe is widely accepted, with worldwide efforts underway trying to detect this so-called dark matter. The ZEPLIN-III detector utilises liquid xenon (Xe) as a target medium in the search for the expected rare interactions of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, with ordinary baryonic matter. The neutralino, arising in supersymmetric extensions to the standard model of particle physics, provides a particularly well-motivated candidate. The ZEPLIN-III experiment, operating in two-phase (liquid/gas) mode, measures both the scintillation and ionisation signatures produced during an interaction. The first science run (FSR) of ZEPLIN-III was performed during three months in 2008. The run culminated in a published result which excluded a WIMP-nucleon interaction cross-section above 8:1 x 10-8 pb for a 60 GeVc-2 WIMP at the 90% confidence level. ZEPLIN-III then entered an upgrade period where the photomultiplier tube (PMT) array, previously the dominant source of background, was replaced with new, ultra-low background, PMTs. The radio-contamination of components used to make these PMTs has been thoroughly studied and their impact on the background rates in ZEPLIN-III characterised. Additionally, a new 1.5 tonne plastic scintillator veto detector was constructed, increasing the ability to reject WIMPlike signals caused by neutron induced nuclear recoil events and improving the γ-ray discrimination capability of ZEPLIN-III. The second science run (SSR) of ZEPLIN-III began in June 2010 and continued for 6 months, with a projected upper limit for the interaction cross-section of 1:52 x 10-8 pb for a 55 GeVc-2 WIMP at the 90% confidence level.

L'un des problèmes les plus intéressants de la physique moderne est celui de la matière noire de l'Univers, qui reste de nature insaisissable. L'existence de la matière noire est inférée par des preuves indirectes telles que les mesures des courbes de rotation des galaxies, des dispersions de vitesse des galaxies dans les amas galactiques et les effets de lentille gravitationnelle. Ces observations fournissent des preuves sur l'existence d'une matière invisible dominant notre Univers. Il n'existe cependant aucune indication claire sur sa nature. Les observations actuelles en font le constituant dominant de l'Univers, par opposition à la matière baryonique "normale". Deux solutions sont proposées pour résoudre ce mystère. La première est basée sur une modification de la loi de la gravité comme dans la dynamique newtonienne modifiée qui pourrait expliquer les divergences entre prédictions et observations de la dynamique des masses dans l'Univers. L'autre idée consiste à proposer l'existence d'une nouvelle particule massive qui n'interagit pas avec la lumière (appelée WIMP pour "Weakly Interactive Massive Particle"), mais pouvant influencer la matière lumineuse par gravité. Plusieurs théories proposent l'existence de telles nouvelles particules. La plus célèbre de ces théories est la supersymétrie, qui est une extension du Modèle Standard de la Physique des Particules. Si l'un des partenaires supersymétriques des bosons neutres est une particule stable et le plus léger de tous les superpartenaires, il devient alors un candidat idéal pour la matière noire. La supersymétrie est en général le cadre le plus favorable pour l'existence de la matière noire
The early history of modern physics have been full of problems fixed with un-orthodox yet brilliant solutions. From the Hydrogen electron orbit, black bodyradiation and the ultraviolet catastrophe, to the perihelion precession of Mercury.Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity not only solved these problems butthey opened the path to new observations and predictions about the Universe welive in and the introduction of new problems to be solved.One of the more modern problems we are facing today in physics is the largediscrepancy among measurements of the visible mass in the Universe and the pre-dictions of laws of gravity. An indisputable mass of evidence from different partsof observational cosmology is showing again and again that the observed lumi-nous mass in the Universe constitutes a tiny fraction of the matter that actuallyexists. The proposed solutions of this problem comes in two completely differentflavors. One proposed solution is that the laws of gravity are not the same in thelimit of tiny accelerations. Theories of modified gravitational dynamics proposea non-linear term in Newton law of gravity that becomes relevant at small accel-erations which in turn can explains the missing matter. The other solution to themissing matter is the introduction of new type of matter that does not interact withlight, making it invisible yet inferred to exist by its gravitational effect. The newmatter becomes a new elementary particle to be added to list of already knownelementary particles. While there are many candidates to this new elementaryparticle the favored one is called a WIMP or Weakly Interacting Massive Particle

L’Univers est principalement constitué d’un ensemble d’éléments non baryoniques et non lumineux appelé la matière noire. L’un des candidats actuellement favorisés est une particule massive interagissant faiblement avec la matière ordinaire (WIMP) issue du Big Bang. Le programme DarkSide vise à la détection directe de WIMPs à l’aide d’une chambre à projection temporelle utilisant de l’argon liquide en double phase. La première étape de l’expérience, DarkSide-50 ( (46 ± 0,7) kg de masse active) est en cours d’exécution. Une première campagne, avec un remplissage d’argon atmosphérique(AAr), a produit la meilleure limite sur la section efficace WIMP-nucleon jamais obtenue par une expérience à base d’argon. La deuxième phase, avec un remplissage d’argon souterrain (UAr, appauvri en Ar-39), représente une étape importante vers la construction de DarkSide-20k, une expérience à bas bruit de fond avec une masse fiducielle de 20 t. Ce travail est principalement consacré à la description de la simulation Monte Carlo de DarkSide (G4DS), et à ses applications. G4DS, basé sur GEANT4, fournit la description géométrique de chaque détecteur du programme DarkSide ; il a été calibré afin de reproduire la réponse de DarkSide-50 avec une précision de l’ordre de 1 % et intègre un modèle spécifiquement développé pour la description des mécanismes d’ionisation et de scintillation dans l’argon liquide, étalonné sur des données expérimentales. Les principales applications de la simulation comprennent l’estimation du bruit de fond dû aux neutrons et gammas pour DarkSide-50, la mesure du facteur d’appauvrissement de l’Ar-39 en UAr par rapport à l’AAr et les études de conception pour DarkSide-20k
A wide range of observational evidence suggests that the matter content of the Universe is dominated by a non-baryonic and non-luminous component: dark matter. One of the most favored candidate for dark matter is a big-bang relic population of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The DarkSide program aims to the direct detection of WIMPs with a dual-phase liquid argon TPC and a background free exposure. The first phase of the experiment, DarkSide-50, is running since Oct 2013 and has (46 ± 0.7) kg active mass. A first run, with an atmospheric argon fill (AAr), provided the most sensitive limit ever obtained by an argon-based experiment. The current run, with an underground argon fill (UAr, depleted in Ar-39), represents a milestone towards the construction of DarkSide-20k, a low-background dual-phase TPC with a fiducial mass of 20 t. This work is been mainly devoted to the description of G4DS, the DarkSide Monte Carlo simulation, and to its applications. G4DS is a GEANT4-based simulation, it provides the geometry description of each detector of the DarkSide program, it is tuned to reproduce the DarkSide-50 response at the percent level and incorporates a custom model for ionization and scintillation mechanisms in liquid argon, tuned on real data. The principal applications of the simulation include the estimate of the neutron and gamma backgrounds for DarkSide-50, the measurement of the Ar-39 depletion factor in UAr with respect to AAr and the design studies for DarkSide-20k

AMS-02 is running after great scientific goals since one year and a half: a final setting up for dark matter searches has been achieved, allowing to study the so important antiparticle to particle ratios, which will probably be the first dark matter signals ever corroborated. Even if primary cosmic rays fluxes are subjected to a lot of uncertainties sources, some statements can be done and have been written down about dark matter properties: DM should be a heavy Majorana fermion or Spin 0 or 1 boson, with a mass from about 1 TeV to 10 TeV - unveiling a new TeV-ish search age - which could be able to originate antiparticle fluxes enhancements at high energies, both for positrons and antiprotons. All the observations, direct and indirect, point to these new paradigms or can be traced back to them quite easily. These enhancements perfectly fall into the research window of AMS-02, allowing the experiment to attack each today credible theory. Also an investigation of the Sommerfeld effect-associated dark boson will be possible, in terms of antiparticle to particle ratios substructures. The first great AMS-02 measurement is the positron fraction: an official paper is going to be submitted in few months, where the correct behavior of the apparatus will be reviewed and the full positron fraction rate will be analyzed up to 200 GeV. In this concern, one of the objectives of this work is to test the AMS-02 capability and versatility in doing these dark matter researches, thanks to an orbital temporal (and geomagnetic) stability. The goal has been accomplished: the experiment is very stable in time, so that the temporal error associated to the positron fraction measurement is compatible with zero, offering a beyond belief opportunity to measure CR antiparticle to particle ratios.

AMS-02 is running after great scientific goals since one year and a half: a final setting up for dark matter searches has been achieved, allowing to study the so important antiparticle to particle ratios, which will probably be the first dark matter signals ever corroborated. Even if primary cosmic rays fluxes are subjected to a lot of uncertainties sources, some statements can be done and have been written down about dark matter properties: DM should be a heavy Majorana fermion or Spin 0 or 1 boson, with a mass from about 1 TeV to 10 TeV - unveiling a new TeV-ish search age - which could be able to originate antiparticle fluxes enhancements at high energies, both for positrons and antiprotons. All the observations, direct and indirect, point to these new paradigms or can be traced back to them quite easily. These enhancements perfectly fall into the research window of AMS-02, allowing the experiment to attack each today credible theory. Also an investigation of the Sommerfeld effect-associated dark boson will be possible, in terms of antiparticle to particle ratios substructures. The first great AMS-02 measurement is the positron fraction: an official paper is going to be submitted in few months, where the correct behavior of the apparatus will be reviewed and the full positron fraction rate will be analyzed up to 200 GeV. In this concern, one of the objectives of this work is to test the AMS-02 capability and versatility in doing these dark matter researches, thanks to an orbital temporal (and geomagnetic) stability. The goal has been accomplished: the experiment is very stable in time, so that the temporal error associated to the positron fraction measurement is compatible with zero, offering a beyond belief opportunity to measure CR antiparticle to particle ratios.

Several astrophysical observations, both on a galactic and cosmological scales, showing that there’s a “missing mass” in the observable Universe, can be explained assuming a non-luminous kind of matter, hence called “dark matter”. One of the most promising candidates is the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), a non-relativistic massive particle, gravitationally and weakly interacting with baryonic matter. The present work is specifically focused on the physics potential besides WIMP search of dark matter detectors filled with Liquid argon, like DarkSide and DEAP-3600. Liquid argon is an optimal target thanks to its high scintillation and ionization yields. DEAP-3600 is a single-phase detector, exploiting the scintillation channel only, while DarkSide-20k and Argo, future tonne scale experiments from the DarkSide program, are dual-phase Time Projection Chambers (TPCs), looking at both scintillation and ionization signals. The large mass (3.3 tons) of the DEAP-3600 target has allowed me to perform an analysis to search for Multi Interacting Massive Particles (MIMPs), a dark matter candidate alternative to WIMPs, at masses above 10^{ 16} GeV and with argon-dark matter spin-independent cross-section of about 10^{ −22 }cm^{ 2} , fully setting up the upcoming unblinding of three years of data taking. Going from the present to the future dark matter detectors, DarkSide-20k and Argo will be characterized by an extraordinary sensitivity at low energy recoils. This is mainly consequence of the high energy resolution of the chosen photodetectors, Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). Custom SiPMs have been designed for the dark matter search in DarkSide-20k; hence, SiPMs have been here characterized, with a focus on their correlated noises, namely afterpulses and optical crosstalks. The same sensitivity at low energy brings also to a strong potential in detecting supernova neutrinos via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) in argon by exploiting the ionization signal. The related sensitivity study is here performed showing that the neutrino emission will be detected for any galactic supernova, with a good accuracy in reconstructing the main parameters of the burst, namely the total energy of neutrinos and their average energy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2013.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 370-388).
Astrophysical and cosmological measurements on the scales of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the universe indicate that ~85% of the matter in the universe is composed of dark matter, made up of non-baryonic particles that interact with cross-sections on the weak scale or lower. Hypothetical Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, represent a potential solution to the dark matter problem, and naturally arise in certain Standard Model extensions. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) collaboration aims to detect the scattering of WIMP particles from nuclei in terrestrial detectors. Germanium and silicon particle detectors are deployed in the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota. These detectors are instrumented with phonon and ionization sensors, which allows for discrimination against electromagnetic backgrounds, which strike the detector at rates orders of magnitude higher than the expected WIMP signal. This dissertation presents the development of numerical models of the physics of the CDMS detectors, implemented in a computational package collectively known as the CDMS Detector Monte Carlo (DMC). After substantial validation of the models against data, the DMC is used to investigate potential backgrounds to the next iteration of the CDMS experiment, known as SuperCDMS. Finally, an investigation of using the DMC in a reverse Monte Carlo analysis of WIMP search data is presented. 140.23 kg-days of WIMP search data from the silicon detectors in the CDMSII experiment is also analyzed. The resulting upper limits on the WIMP-nucleon crosssection are higher than those published by other experiments at all WIMP masses, and the lowest limit on the WIMP-nucleon cross-section is 1.07*10-42 cm2 at a mass of 60 GeV/c2. These results do provide new and interesting constraints at WIMP masses <40 GeV/c2 and cross sections from 10-42 - 10-39 cm2, a region in which some WIMP search experiments have claimed evidence for a WIMP signal, which other experiments claim to have ruled out.
by Kevin McCarthy.
Ph.D.

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a general-purpose particle detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The goal of this experiment is to search for the Higgs boson and evidence of new physics and to test the prediction of the Standard Model (SM) at the TeV scale. This thesis describes the analysis of proton-proton collision data recorded by CMS during 2012 and support work for data taking during the same period. A search for the Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) produced Higgs boson invisible decays, using 19.5 fb^-1 of data recorded with prompt reconstruction triggers at a center of mass energy of 8 TeV, is presented. Events are selected with two forward jets and large Missing Transverse Momentum. Assuming the SM VBF production cross section and acceptance, the observed (expected) upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the BR(H → inv), is determined to be of 65% (49%) for mH=125 GeV. A second search for the VBF Higgs boson invisible decays, using 19.2 fb^-1 of data recorded with delayed reconstruction (parked) triggers at a center of mass energy of 8 TeV, is also presented. A new event selection was developed taking advantage of the lower trigger requirements. Assuming the SM VBF Higgs production cross section and acceptance, the observed (expected) upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the BR(H → inv), is determined to be 57% (40%) for mH=125 GeV. Monitoring for the CMS Level 1 Trigger system has been developed and used during the 2012 and subsequent LHC data acquisition periods. Contributing to the high reliability of this system during data taking and providing crucial information for validation of the data quality.

La naturalesa de la matèria fosca (DM) de l’univers segueix essent un misteri a dia d’avui malgrat els esforços de la comunitat científica. D’entre les partícules candidates, més enllà del model estàndard de física de partícules, destaca la Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) com una de les més prometedores. S’estima la seva massa entre pocs GeV i centenars de TeV, encaixant perfectament en l’interval d’energies testejades per a la cerca indirecta de la DM. Els telescopis MAGIC, situats a l’Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, a l’illa canària de La Palma, fan cerques indirectes de les WIMP des que van entrar en funcionament. Els objectes observats més comuns amb aquest objectiu són les galàxies nanes esferoïdals (dSphs) satèl·lits de la Via Làctia i el centre galàctic amb el seu halo. En aquesta tesis presento el resultat de les cerques indirectes d’anihilació de WIMPs en tres diferents objectes d’observació (el cúmul globular M15 i les dSphs Draco i Coma Berenices), així com els resultats obtinguts a partir de la combinació de les dades de les dues dSphs estudiades i dues dSphs analitzades prèviament dins de la col·laboració MAGIC. No s’ha trobat cap senyal en qualsevol dels 4 estudis. L’estudi de M15 ha constituït un repte, debut al modest excés de densitat de DM que se suposa hi ha en aquest tipus d’objectes i a les grans incerteses sistemàtiques associades als perfils de dispersió de la velocitat de les estrelles en els seus centres. Per tal d’obtenir una estimació de les sensibilitats que es poden obtenir amb aquest tipus d’anàlisis, s’han considerat quatre diferents perfils de densitat de DM en M15. S’han obtingut límits superiors estadístics sobre la mitjana de la secció eficaç d’anihilació de WIMPs multiplicada per la velocitat (en endavant velocity-averaged cross-section) considerant perfils de densitat de DM proporcionats en els treballs de H.E.S.S. i VERITAS. Els resultats obtinguts són compatibles amb els presentats en les seves respectives publicacions. Addicionalment, s’han trobat límits superior de prova considerant perfils de densitat de M15 i del seu contingut en matèria no bariònica en un escenari d’un cos dominat per DM. Els límits obtinguts amb aquest mètode són millors que els que s’obtenen amb les més prometedores dSphs, però al mateix temps són poc realistes i proporcionen només un valor mínim de la velocity-averaged cross-section que es pot assolir en M15, a l’espera de noves mesures cinemàtiques en les seves parts centrals. Les dSphs Draco i Coma Berenices han estat observades amb els telescopis MAGIC dins d’una campanya de diversificació de fonts d’observació plurianual. S’han obtingut límits superiors realistes amb un 95% de nivell de confiança en la velocity-averaged cross-section de WIMPs. La combinació de les dades d’aquestes dues dSphs amb les de les altres dues anteriorment observades amb MAGIC (Segue 1 i Ursa Major II) ha permés de millorar la sensibilitat en la cerca indirecta d’anihilació de WIMPs. Els resultats obtinguts constitueixen el llegat de la col·laboració MAGIC en aquest camp, i són els més restrictius trobats a MAGIC i els més estrictes en l’interval de massa de WIMP ~10-100 TeV en les cerques en astrofísica de raigs gamma, arribant a límits superiors de l’ordre de 10⁻²⁴ cm³/s sobre la velocity-averaged cross-section amb un nivel de confiança del 95%. En l’última part de la tesis es presenta la meva contribució al desenvolupament i posada a punt del Barcelona Raman LIDAR, un instrument avançat i no comercial optimitzat per a la monitorització de l’atmosfera sobre el Cherenkov Telescope Array.
La naturaleza de la materia oscura (DM) en el universo sigue siendo un enigma a día de hoy a pesar los esfuerzos de la comunidad científica. Entre las partículas candidatas más allá del modelo estándar de física de partículas destaca la Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) como una de las más prometedoras. Su masa se estima entre pocos GeV y cientos de TeV, encajando perfectamente en el intervalo de energías testeadas para la búsqueda indirecta de la materia oscura. Los telescopios MAGIC, situados en el Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos en la isla canaria de La Palma, realizan búsquedas indirectas de WIMP desde que entraron en operación. Los objetos observados más comunes para tal fin son las galaxias esferoidales enanas (dSphs) satélites de la Vía Láctea y el centro galáctico y su halo. En esta tesis presento el resultado de las búsquedas indirectas de aniquilación de WIMPs en tres diferentes objetos de observación (el cúmulo globular M15 y las dSphs Draco y Coma Berenices) así como los resultados obtenidos a partir de la combinación de los datos de las dos dSphs estudiadas y dos dSphs analizadas previamente dentro de la colaboración MAGIC. No se ha encontrado ninguna señal en cualquiera de los 4 estudios. El estudio de M15 ha constituido un reto debido al modesto exceso de densidad de DM supuesto en este tipo de objetos y las grandes incertidumbres asociadas a los perfiles de dispersión de la velocidad de las estrellas en sus centros. Para obtener una estimación de las sensibilidades que se pueden obtener en este tipo de análisis, se han considerado cuatro diferentes perfiles de densidad de DM de M15. Se han obtenido límites superiores estadísticos sobre el promedio de la sección eficaz de aniquilación de WIMPs multiplicada por la velocidad (en adelante velocity-averaged cross-section) considerando los perfiles de densidad de DM proporcionados en los trabajos de H.E.S.S. y VERITAS. Los resultados obtenidos son compatibles con los presentados por sus respectivas publicaciones. Adicionalmente, se han encontrado límites superiores de prueba considerando perfiles de densidad de DM obtenidos a partir de la convolución del perfil de densidad de M15 y de su contenido de materia no bariónica en un escenario de un cuerpo dominado por DM. Los límites obtenidos con este método son mejores que los que se obtienen con las más prometedoras dSphs, pero al mismo tiempo son poco realistas y proporcionan solamente un valor mínimo de la velocity-averaged cross-section alcanzable en M15, a la espera de nuevas medidas cinemáticas en sus partes centrales. Las dSphs Draco y Coma Berenices han sido observadas con los telescopios MAGIC dentro de una campaña de diversificación de fuentes de observación plurianual. Se han obtenido límites superiores realistas con un 95% de nivel de confianza en la velocity-averaged cross-section de WIMPs. La combinación de los datos de estas dos dSphs con los de las otras dos dSphs anteriormente observadas con MAGIC (Segue 1 y Ursa Major II) ha permitido mejorar la sensibilidad en la búsqueda indirecta de aniquilación de WIMPs. Los resultados obtenidos constituyen el legado de la colaboración MAGIC en este campo, y son los más restrictivos alcanzados en MAGIC y los más estrictos en el intervalo de masa de WIMP ~10-100 TeV en las búsquedas en astrofísica de rayos gamma, llegando a límites superiores del orden de 10⁻²⁴ cm³/s sobre la velocity-averaged cross-section con un nivel de confianza del 95%. En la última parte de la tesis se presenta mi contribución al desarrollo y puesta a punto del Barcelona Raman LIDAR, un instrumento avanzado y no comercial optimizado para la monitorización de la atmósfera encima del Cherenkov Telescope Array.
The nature of Dark Matter (DM) in the Universe is still an enigma at present day, despite the efforts of the scientific community. Among the favorite DM particle candidates beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) is of the most promising. Predicted to have a mass between few GeV and hundreds of TeV, it fits perfectly in the energy range tested by indirect dark matter searches with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. The MAGIC telescopes, located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, on the Canary Island of La Palma, perform indirect DM searches for WIMPs since their very beginning. Among the targets observed, dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies (dSphs) and the Galactic Center and halo are the most common, both expected to be embedded in a high DM overdensity. In this thesis I present the outcome of indirect WIMP annihilation searches from three different observation targets (the globular cluster M15 and the dSphs Draco and Coma Berenices) together with the results obtained by a combination of data from the two dSphs studied in this thesis and two dSphs previously analyzed by the MAGIC collaboration. No signal has been observed in any of the four searches. The study of M15 has been a challenge due to its relatively low DM overdensity predicted and the large systematic uncertainties resulting from the current lack of star velocity dispersion profiles at its core. In order to get an estimate of the sensitivities achievable with this type of analyses, four different realizations of the M15 DM density profile were investigated. Statistical upper limits on the velocity-averaged WIMP annihilation cross-section have been obtained with the use of the DM profiles provided by the H.E.S.S. and VERITAS experiments. The results obtained are compatible with those presented in their respective publications. Further toy statistical upper limits have been obtained taking into account DM density profiles from a convolution of the M15 density profile and its expected non-baryonic matter content in a scenario of DM domination. The limits retrieved with this method are better than the most promising ones from dSphs, but at the same time systematically unreliable, and provide only a minimum value of the velocity-averaged cross-section attainable in M15, awaiting for new kinematic measurements at globular clusters cores. The dSphs Draco and Coma Berenices were observed during the past years with the MAGIC telescopes within a multi-year diversification campaign. Reliable 95% CL upper limits on the velocity-averaged WIMP annihilation cross-section have been retrieved and are presented in this thesis. The data of these two dSphs are also combined with the ones of the two other dSphs previously observed with the MAGIC telescopes, namely Segue 1 and Ursa Major II, to achieve the best sensitivity for indirect WIMP DM annihilation searches. The results obtained constitute the MAGIC collaboration legacy in this field, and are the most constraining reached by MAGIC and the most stringent in the ~ 10-100 TeV WIMP DM mass interval in gamma-ray astrophysics searches so far, reaching upper limits of the order of 10⁻²⁴ cm³/s for the velocity-averaged cross-section. In the last part of this thesis, I present my contribution to the development and set up of the Barcelona Raman LIDAR, an advanced and no commercial instrument optimized for the atmospheric monitoring above the future Cherenkov Telescope Array.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Física

Dark matter particles in the form of supersymmetric Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) could accumulate in the centre of the Sun because of gravitational trapping. Pair-wise annihilations of WIMPs could create standard model particles out of which neutrinos could reach the Earth. Data from the IceCube 22-string neutrino telescope have been searched for signals from dark matter annihilations in the Sun. Highly sophisticated analysis methods have been developed to discern signal neutrinos from the severe background of atmospheric particle showers. No signal has been found in a dataset of 104 days livetime taken in 2007, and an upper limit has been placed on the muon flux in the South Pole ice induced by neutrinos from the Sun, reaching down to 330 km-2y-1. The flux limit has been converted into an upper limit on the neutralino scattering cross-section, which reaches down to 2.8*10-40 cm2 for spin-dependent interactions.
Four articles are appended to the thesis:I. G. Wikström for the IceCube collaboration, Proc. of the 30th ICRC,arXiv/0711.0353 [astro-ph] (2007) 135.II. A. Gross, C. Ha, C. Rott, M. Tluczykont, E. Resconi, T. DeYoung and G. Wikström for the IceCube Collaboration, Proc. of the 30th ICRC,arXiv/0711.0353 [astro-ph] (2007) 11.III. G. Wikström and J. Edsjö, JCAP 04 (2009) 009.IV. R. Abbasi et al. (IceCube collaboration), accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett., arXiv/0902.2460v3 [astro-ph.CO] (2009).
IceCube

There is now compelling evidence that ordinary baryonic matter only represents 15% of the matter content of the Universe. Observational results suggest that the remaining 85% may be constituted of dark matter possibly in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). One of the potential ways to detect these WIMPS is to look for their scattering interactions with nuclei. This is the basis of direct detection experiments. In particular, galactic signature direct detection experiments look for the characteristic properties of the WIMP signal. The current landscape of galactic signature experiments is dominated by two main types of experiments. Firstly, NaI (Tl) detectors are searching for the annual modulation of the WIMP recoil rate induced by the revolution of the Earth. Secondly, directional time projection chambers (TPCs) can reconstruct the momentum of the incoming scattering particle and determinate whether its origin is compatible with the WIMP wind. In this thesis, both types of experiments are addressed. For these rare-event searches, the performance of the detector is dictated by two linked parameters, the mass of target materials and the rate of background events. A new generation of galactic signature experiments is currently being developed. This work addresses the issue of the background levels through the use of Monte-Carlo simulations to predict the event rate associated with the different backgrounds. In the context of the COSINE experiment, these simulations investigate the neutron background in the detector and compare the associated rate to a theoretical model which proposes that neutrons may be responsible for the positive signal seen by the DAMA experiment. Otherwise, for the proposed CYGNUS experiments, these simulations are done in a way to facilitate the design effort of the collaboration and orientate the blueprints towards detectors which could potentially achieve background event rates below 1 per year. These efforts may potentially lead to the creation of background-free experiments larger than the DRIFT-IId TPC. Background-free status was achieved in DRIFT with the discovery of minority carriers in 2013. This thesis presents the current world-leading directional limit on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section achieved with the DRIFT-IId detector. The recent detection of fast neutrons from the rock at the Boulby underground laboratory is also discussed. This is the first ever measurement of the concentration of radioisotopes in an underground laboratory using a TPC. This thesis is considering the impact that this new technique may have on future dark matter searches and how it may provide a new tool for neutron metrology in nuclear physics.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-294).
An overwhelming proportion of the universe (83% by mass) is composed of particles we know next to nothing about. Detecting these dark matter particles directly, through hypothesized weak-force-mediated recoils with nuclear targets here on earth, could shed light on what these particles are, how they relate to the standard model, and how the standard model fits within a more fundamental understanding. This thesis describes two such experimental efforts: CDMS 11 (2007-2009) and SuperCDMS Soudan (ongoing). The general abilities and sensitivities of both experiments are laid out, placing a special emphasis on the detector technology, and how this technology has evolved from the first to the second experiment. Some topics on which I spent significant efforts are described here only in overview (in particular the details of the CDMS II analysis, which has been laid out many times before), and some topics which are not described elsewhere are given a somewhat deeper treatment. In particular, this thesis is hopefully a good reference for those interested in the annual modulation limits placed on the low-energy portion of the CDMS II exposure, the design of the detectors for SuperCDMS Soudan, and an overview of the extremely informative data these detectors produce. It is an exciting time. The technology I've had the honor to work on the past few years provides a wealth of information about each event, more so than any other direct detection experiment, and we are still learning how to optimally use all this information. Initial tests from the surface and now underground suggest this technology has the background rejection abilities necessary for a planned 200kg experiment or even ton-scale experiment, putting us on the threshold of probing parameter space orders of magnitude from where the field currently stands.
by Scott A. Hertel.
Ph.D.

CRESST has an established analysis procedure to evaluate the energy of the events it detects, in an attempt to detect WIMP dark matter. It was shown that unless eight classes of contaminant event were removed prior to this analysis, the output energy spectrum would be significantly biased. For both scientific and practical reasons, the removal process should be blind, and a series of cuts were developed to flag these events automatically, without removing any true events. An event simulation package was developed to optimise these cuts. It was shown that noise fluctuations could also reduce CRESST’s sensitivity, so a noise-dependent acceptance region was introduced to resolve this. The upgraded CRESST experiment included a new electronics system to provide heating and bias currents for 66 detectors. This system was integrated into the CRESST set-up, and it was shown that the electronics contributed no extra noise to the detectors. Data with an exposure of 50 kg days were analysed using the cuts and the noise-dependent acceptance. The cuts were successful, with no contaminant event retained and a live time reduction of just 2.3%. The data were used to set an upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon cross section for elastic scattering with a minimum of 6.3 × 10^(−7) pb at a WIMP mass of 61 GeV. This is a factor of 2.5 better than the previous best CRESST limit.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Physics. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Les courants stellaires de marée sont des structures en étoile immaculées qui jouent un rôle central dans la résolution des mystères de longue date de l'archéologie galactique. Étant donné que les flux sont de nature orbitale, ils possèdent intrinsèquement les caractéristiques de résolution de la distribution de masse sous-jacente de la galaxie et peuvent être utilisés pour sonder la forme du halo de matière noire. En plus de tester le scénario de «fusion hiérarchique» de la formation de galaxies, les brèches de ruisseau peuvent également fournir une preuve indirecte de l’existence de sous-halos de matière noire (ce qui, en principe, limite la nature de la particule de matière noire elle-même). Pour toutes ces raisons, l'analyse dynamique des flux stellaires de la Voie Lactée devient naturellement l'un des problèmes les plus intéressants. Cependant, le principal défi consiste à détecter ces structures. Au cours de la thèse, l’algorithme STREAMFINDER (un algorithme à la pointe de la technologie) a été conçu pour traiter systématiquement le jeu de données Gaia (le nouveau catalogue astrophysique de l’ESA contenant des solutions astrométriques sans précédent de plus de 1,6 milliard d’étoiles) pour la détection des flux stellaires de la Voie lactée. Cette lourde entreprise a permis de détecter 10 structures de flux de confiance, dont 5 étaient considérées comme de nouvelles découvertes. Cette récolte de structures a également facilité, pour la première fois, la création d’une carte structurale et cinématique panoramique des flux stellaires de la rivière Milky. Halo, poussant notre communauté encore plus loin dans l’histoire complexe de la formation de notre galaxie. Ce projet a été immédiatement suivi de l'analyse orbitale de l'un des flux détectés (à savoir GD-1) pour explorer les améliorations des modèles de potentiel gravitationnel de notre galaxie. Les contraintes imposées à la masse de la Voie lactée et à la forme de son halo de matière noire, obtenues simplement en utilisant ce seul flux, ont révélé la puissance potentielle que l'analyse d'un ensemble de flux permettrait de sonder la distribution globale de la masse galactique de notre galaxie. Ainsi, la thèse a ouvert la voie à de nouvelles découvertes des sous-structures stellaires, soulignant également les perspectives d'avenir dans ce domaine
Tidal stellar streams are pristine star structures that play central role in addressing long standing mysteries of the Galactic archaeology. Since streams are orbital in nature, they inherently possess the characteristics of unravelling the underlying mass distribution of the galaxy, and can be used to probe the shape of the dark matter halo. Besides testing the ‘hierarchical merging’ scenario of galaxy formation, stream gaps can also provide indirect evidence for the existence of dark matter sub-halos (thereby, in principle, constraining the nature of the dark matter particle itself). Due to all these reasons, the dynamical analysis of stellar streams of the Milky Way Galaxy naturally becomes one of the interesting problems. However, the foremost challenge is to detect these structures. During the thesis, STREAMFINDER algorithm (a state of the art algorithm) was designed to systematically process the Gaia dataset (ESA’s novel astrophysical catalogue containing unprecedented astrometric solutions of over 1.6 billion stars) for the detection of the stellar streams of the Milky Way. This hefty endeavour led to the detection of 10 high confidence stream structures, of which 5 were reported as new discoveries.This harvest of structures also facilitated, for the first time, creation of a panoramic structural and kinematic map of the stellar streams of the Milky Way halo, taking our community a step further in unravelling the complex formation history of our Galaxy. This project was instantly followed by the orbital analysis of one of the detected streams (namely GD-1) to explore the improvements in the gravitational potential models of our Galaxy. The constraints on the Milky Way’s mass and that on the shape of its dark matter halo, that were obtained by simply employing this single stream, revealed the potential power the analysis of an ensemble of streams would hold in in probing the overall galactic mass distribtuion of our Galaxy. Thereby, the thesis paved way for new discoveries of the stellar substructures, also highlighting the future prospects in this field

L’expérience H.E.S.S. (High Energy Spectroscopic System) composée de cinq télescopes Tcherenkov observe le ciel en rayons gamma au-delà d'une centaine de GeV jusqu'à plusieurs dizaines de TeV. Les rayons gamma sont produits par des phénomènes non-thermiques parmi les plus violents dans l'univers au voisinage d'objets astrophysique comme les pulsars, supernovae ou trous noirs, mais pourraient être également produits par l'annihilation de particules de matière noire.De nombreuses sondes cosmologiques et astrophysiques suggèrent que 85% de la matière dans l'Univers est d'origine inconnue. Cette matière appelée matière noire, de nature non baryonique, serait constituée de particules non encore découvertes dont les candidats privilégiés seraient des particules massives interagissant faiblement (WIMPs) avec la matière ordinaire, particules prédites au-delà du Modèle Standard de la physique des particules.Des particules de matière noire peuvent s'annihiler en particules du Modèle Standard dans les régions denses de l'Univers. Parmi les produits d'annihilations se trouvent les photons dont la détection à hautes énergies par des télescopes au sol à effet Tcherenkov pourrait apporter des informations uniques sur la nature de la matière noire.H.E.S.S. observe des régions du ciel dense en matière noire comme le Centre Galactique et des galaxies naines satellites de la Voie Lactée.Une interprétation d'un excès de rayons gamma détecté au Centre Galactique par H.E.S.S. en termes d’accélération de protons par une population de pulsars millisecondes est présenté.10 ans d'observations du Centre Galactique avec le réseau H.E.S.S. I de quatre télescopes, cinq ans de prise de données vers la région du Centre Galactique avec le réseau complet H.E.S.S. II, et un jeu de deux ans de données vers des galaxies naines découvertes récemment sont analysés. Les recherches de signaux d'annihilation de matière noire vers ces cibles ont produit les limites plus fortes à présent sur la section efficace d'annihilation de matière noire dans la plage en masse du TeV. Le potentiel de détection de matière noire avec le futur réseau de télescopes CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array) vers la région central du halo Galactique est étudiés
The H.E.S.S. (High Energy Spectroscopic System) experiment is an array of five Cherenkov telescopes that observe the sky in gamma-rays from about 100 GeV up to several ten TeV.Gamma rays are produced in violent non-thermal phenomena in the Universe in the neighborhood of pulsars, supernovae, black holes, ..., and could also be produced by the annihilation of dark matter particles.Numerous cosmological and astrophysical probes suggest that 85% of the total matter budget in the Universe is of unknown origin. This component of matter known as dark matter is non baryonic and could consist of yet undiscovered particles which privileged candidates are arguably massive particles with electroweak couplings with ordinary matter (WIMPs).Dark matter particles may annihilate into Standard Model particles in dense regions of the Universe. Among the annihilation products are photons which detection at high energy with ground-based Cherenkov telescopes could bring unique information on the nature of the dark matter.H.E.S.S. observes dark-matter-dense regions of the sky such as the Galactic Center and dwarf galaxy satellites of the Milky Way. A study on the interpretation of an excess of gamma-rays detected by H.E.S.S. at the Galactic Center in terms of acceleration of protons by a population of unresolved millisecond pulsars is performed.10 years of observations of the Galactic Center with the four-telescope H.E.S.S.-I array, five years of data taking towards the Galactic Center region with the full H.E.S.S.-II array and a two-years dataset towards newly discovered dwarf spheroidal galaxies are analyzed. The search for dark matter annihilation signals towards these targets provided the strongest limits so far on dark matter annihilation cross section in gamma rays of TeV energies. The potential of dark matter detection with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) towards the inner Galactic halo are studied. They may annihilate into Standard Model particles in dense regions of the Universe. Among the annihilation products are high energy photons. The detection of these photons with ground-based Cherenkov telescopes may reveal the nature of the dark matter. H.E.S.S. have observed some dark-matter-dense regions of the sky likethe Galactic Center and dwarf galaxies satellites of the Milky Way. In this work 10 years of observations of the Galactic Center with the four-telescopes H.E.S.S.-I array, five years of data taking towards the Galactic Center region with the full H.E.S.S.-II array and a two-years dataset towards newly discovered dwarf spheroidal galaxies are analyzed. The searches for dark matter annihilation signals towards these targets produced the strongest limits so far on dark matter annihilation cross section in gamma rays of TeV energies.Perspectives of dark matter detection with the future array CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array) towards the inner Galactic halo are also discussed. A study on the interpretation of an excess of gamma-rays detected by H.E.S.S. at the Galactic Center in terms of acceleration of protons by a population of unresolved millisecond pulsars complements the dark matter searches

The LHC at CERN is now undergoing a set of upgrades to increase the center of mass energy for the colliding particles to be able to explore new physical processes. The focus of this thesis lies on the so called phase II upgrade which will preliminarily be completed in 2023. After the upgrade the LHC will be able to accelerate proton beams to such a velocity thateach proton has a center of mass energy of 14 TeV. One disadvantage of the upgrade is that it will be harder for the atlas detector to isolate unique particle collisions since more and more collisions will occur simultaneously, so called pile-up. For 14 TeV there does not exist a full simulation of the atlas detector. This thesis instead uses data from Monte Carlo simulations for the particle collisions and then uses so called smearing functions to emulate the detector responses. This thesis focuses on how a mono-jet analysis looking for different wimp models of dark matter will be affected by this increase in pile-up rate. The signal models which are in focus are those which try to explain dark matter without adding new theories to the standard model or QFT, such as the effective theory D5 operator and light vector mediator models. The exclusion limits set for the D5 operators mass suppression scale at 14 TeV and 1000 fb-1are 2-3 times better than previous results at 8 TeV and 10 fb-1. For the first time limits have been set on which vector mediator mass models can be excluded at 14 TeV.

Identifying the matter in the universe is one of the main challenges of modern cosmology and astrophysics. An important part of this matter seems to be made of non-baryonic particles. EDELWEISS is a direct dark matter search using cryogenic germanium bolometers in order to look for particles that interact very weakly with the ordinary matter, generically known as WIMPs. An important challenge for EDELWEISS is the radioactive background and one of the ways to identify it is to use a larger variety of target crystals. Sapphire is a light target which can be complementary to the germanium crystals already in use. Spectroscopic characterization studies have been performed using different sapphire samples in order to find the optimum doping concentration for good low temperature scintillation. Ti doped crystals with weak Ti concentrations have been used for systematic X ray excitation tests both at room temperature and down to 30 K. The tests have shown that the best Ti concentration for optimum room temperature scintillation is 100 ppm and 50 ppm at T = 45 K. All concentrations have been checked by optical absorption and fluorescence.
After having shown that sapphire had interesting characteristics for building heat-scintillation detectors, we have tested if using a sapphire detector was feasible within a dark matter search. During the first commissioning tests of EDELWEISS II, we have proved the compatibility between a sapphire heat-scintillation detector and the experimental setup.

A search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) annihilating in the Sun was performed with the IceCube and AMANDA neutrino telescopes, using data from 2008 corresponding to 149 days of livetime. Assuming that particles in the dark matter halo scatter and accumulate in the centre of the Sun, Majorana WIMPs may pair-wise annihilate and give rise to a neutrino signal detectable in an experiment at Earth. No excess of muon-neutrinos from the Sun was observed, and limits on the νμ-flux were set for masses between 50 GeV and 5 TeV considering WIMPs annihilating into b‾b and W+W-. Separate limits were also calculated for the case of the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle. The flux limits were converted to limits on the spin-dependent and spin-independent WIMP-proton cross sections, σSD and σSI. The search was combined using a joint likelihood method with AMANDA and IceCube data from 2001-2007, yielding the 90% CL upper limits Φμ < 103 km-2y-1 for a WIMP mass of 1000 GeV and σSD < 1.28×10-4 pb for 250 GeV, both for the W+W- spectrum.
IceCube

One of the greatest mysteries of the universe that, for the present, puzzles the mind of most astronomers, cosmologists and physicists is the question: "What makes up our universe?". This is due to how a certain substance named Dark Matter came under speculation. It is believed this enigmatic substance, of type unknown, accounts for almost three-quarters of the cosmos within the universe, could be the answer to several questions raised by the models of the expanding universe astronomers have created, and even decide the fate of the expansion of the universe. There is strong observational evidence for the dominance of non-baryonic Dark Matter (DM) over baryonic matter in the universe. Such evidence comes from many independent observations over different length scales. The most stringent constraint on the abundance of DM comes from the analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies. In particular, the WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe) experiment restricts the abundance of matter and the abundance of baryonic matter in good agreement with predictions from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. It is commonly believed that such a non-baryonic component could consist of new, as yet undiscovered, particles, usually referred to as WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). Some extensions of the standard model (SM) of particle physics predict the existence of particles that would be excellent DM candidates. In particular great attention has been dedicated to candidates arising in supersymmetric theories: the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle (LSP). In the most supersymmetric scenarios, the so-called neutralino seems to be a natural candidate, being stable in theories with conservation of R-parity and having masses and cross sections of typical WIMPs. The EDELWEISS collaboration is a direct dark matter search experiment, aiming to detect directly a WIMP interaction in a target material, high purity germanium crystal working at cryogenic temperatures. It relies in the measurement of nuclear recoils that produce measurable effects in the crystal such ionization and heat. My PhD thesis is organized as follows. The first chapter aims to provide an introduction to the theoretical framework and the scientific motivation for the following work. The nature of DM has been one of the most challenging topics in contemporary physics since the first evidences of its existence had been found in the 1930s. Cosmologists and astrophysicists on one side, together with particle theorists on the other have put a lot of effort into this field: I will briefly account for their achievements and for the experimental strategies which can be set in this scenario. Since this thesis work was carried out within the EDELWEISS-II direct dark matter experiment, I will focus the next chapter on this topic, describing the main features. The second chapter is related to the set-up of the EDELWEISS-II, the current stage of the EDELWEISS experiment necessary after a first phase that achieved the best upper limit on the WIMP elastic scattering on nucleon as a function of WIMP mass in 2004. [....]

A wealth of astrophysical research supports the existence of dark matter in the universe, yet the exact identity and nature of this unknown particle remain elusive. The Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), one of the most promising dark matter candidates, is thought to interact with Standard Model particles only through the gravitational and weak nuclear forces. The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment is one of a large number of experiments that seek to detect WIMPs through their rare but discernible scatters off of target nuclei. Specifically, LUX is a 370-kg dual-phase xenon-based time projection chamber (TPC) that operates by detecting light and ionization signals from particles incident upon a xenon target. The first part of this dissertation details the design of the LUX experiment and describes several novel hardware subsystems that allow LUX to detect extremely rare events with high precision. With the 2013 release of the world's first sub-zeptobarn spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section limit, the LUX (Large Underground Xenon) experiment has emerged as a frontrunner in the field of dark matter direct detection.

However, tension between experiments and the absence of a definitive positive detection suggest it would be prudent to search for answers outside the standard spin-independent/spin-dependent analyses. hi particular, the standard analyses neglect momentum- and velocity-dependent interactions on the grounds that WIMP-nucleus collisions are nonrelativistic. At the parton level, this is not always the case, and moreover, models exist in which the standard spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions are subdominant to new kinds of interactions. Recent theoretical work has identified a complete set of 14 possible independent WIMP-nucleon interactions using basic symmetries and an effective field theory formulation. These interactions produce not only spin-independent and spin-dependent nuclear responses but also novel nuclear responses such as angular-momentum-dependent and spin-orbit couplings. In the second portion of this dissertation we report on the extension of the LUX analysis to search for all 14 of these operators, we comment on the possible suppression of event rates due to operator interference, and we show that under this new framework, LUX again exhibits world-leading sensitivity.

Identifying the matter in the universe is one of the main challenges of modern cosmology and astrophysics. An important part of this matter seems to be made of non-baryonic particles. EDELWEISS is a direct dark matter search using cryogenic germanium bolometers in order to look for particles that interact very weakly with the ordinary matter, generically known as WIMPs. An important challenge for EDELWEISS is the radioactive background and one of the ways to identify it is to use a larger variety of target crystals. Sapphire is a light target which can be complementary to the germanium crystals already in use. Spectroscopic characterization studies have been performed using different sapphire samples in order to find the optimum doping concentration for good low temperature scintillation. Ti doped crystals with weak Ti concentrations have been used for systematic X ray excitation tests both at room temperature and down to 30 K. The tests have shown that the best Ti concentration for optimum room temperature scintillation is 100 ppm and 50 ppm at T = 45 K. All concentrations have been checked by optical absorption and fluorescence. After having shown that sapphire had interesting characteristics for building heat-scintillation detectors, we have tested if using a sapphire detector was feasible within a dark matter search. During the first commissioning tests of EDELWEISS II, we have proved the compatibility between a sapphire heatscintillation detector and the experimental setup

The existence of a significant non-baryonic component to the universe is widely accepted, with worldwide efforts underway trying to detect this so-called dark matter. The ZEPLIN detectors utilise liquid xenon as a target medium in the search of the expected rare interactions of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs, with ordinary baryonic matter. The neutralino, arising in supersymmetric extensions to the standard model of particle physics, provides a particularly well-motivated candidate. The ZEPLIN-II and ZEPLIN-III experiments, operate in two-phase mode (liquid/gas), measuring both the scintillation and ionisation signatures produced during an interaction. These instruments form the basis of this thesis. The ZEPLIN-II experiment was operated underground at the Boulby Underground Laboratory, culminating in a WIMP search run lasting 57 days. Some key operational aspects are discussed, and a full description of the data analysis is given, which yielded a competitive upper limit on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering crosssection with a minimum of 6.6×10−7 pb for a 65 GeV/c2 WIMP with 90% confidence. Subsequently, a smaller collaboration proceeded with the commissioning and operation of ZEPLIN-III at Boulby. The detector was operated stably for 12 months, culminating in the first science run, which excluded a cross-section above 7.7 × 10−8 pb for a 55 GeV/c2 WIMP. This placed ZEPLIN-III as one of the world’s leading WIMP search experiments. Along with the WIMP search results, the data collected from these instruments have been exploited to extract information about the underlying xenon physics processes, which will play an important role in design of future systems. This includes the first quantitative measurements of single electron emission in a two-phase noble gas detector, studies of the field dependence of their response and of the anti-correlation between the scintillation and ionisation channels.

In this work I aim to point out some theoretical issues and caveats in DM search. In the first chapters I review the evidence for DM existence, the DM candidates and the different kinds of DM experimental search. The bulk of the work investigates three different topics. In the first topic, concerning neutrino from the Sun, I show the fact that evaporation does not allow to probe part of the parameter space, in the low mass range. In the second one, I show that, like in the case of the detected positron excess, that could be explained both by DM or by astrophysical source, even a possible excess of antiprotons could suffer from the same kind of degeneracy. In the third part, I consider DM search at collider. I point out some problems about using the EFT low-energy approximation at LHC, arising from the fact that the experimental bounds and the average energy of collisions at LHC are of the same order of magnitude. Afterward, to take this fact into account, I propose a method to rescale experimental bounds, and I review an alternative way of analyzing experimental results, that is using Simplified Models. Finally, I also show which is the part of the parameter space for both Simplified Models and EFT giving the DM the right relic abundance, in the case of thermal freeze-out.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the most powerful and complex particle accelerator ever built. The ATLAS and the CMS are the two multipurpose particle detectors at the LHC, designed to cover a wide range of physics measurements. Three physics studies performed using data of proton-proton collisions collected with the ATLAS detector are presented. The identification of jets originating from b quarks, also known as b-tagging, is a crucial tool for many physics analyses at the LHC. This thesis presents a calibration of the b-tagging efficiency for high transverse momentum jets using a new calibration technique. This analysis is based on template fits and uses multi-jet events, which allows to perform the calibration for jets with transverse momenta up to 1200 GeV. This thesis also describes a completed and connected technical project on the development of the b-tagging ATLAS software. Dark Matter (DM) is a new phenomenon introduced to explain astrophysical observations. The nature of DM is one of the most important subjects of investigations in the modern physics, and many of these investigations are carried out at the LHC. A search for DM production in association with a pair of heavy flavour quarks has been recently performed in ATLAS at a centre-of-mass energy √s = 8 TeV under the Effective Field Theory approach. A re-interpretation of the results of this search under assumption of the simplified models is presented. A set of simplified models is considered with various DM masses, masses of the spin-0 exchange particle, that mediates the interaction between DM and the regular matter, and various values of couplings. Benchmark models are chosen to be used in the DM searches at √s = 13 TeV. The last part of the thesis presents a search for DM production in association with a pair of top quarks performed under assumption of the simplified models with spin-0 mediator, using the data collected at a centre-of-mass energy √s = 13 TeV. The observed data are shown to be in good agreement with the Standard Model predictions, and upper limits are set on a ratio between the observed DM production cross section and the value expected by the simplified model.

L’Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) é un rivelatore per raggi cosmici (CR) progettato e costruito da una collaborazione internazionale di 56 istituti e 16 paesi ed installato il 19 Maggio del 2011 sulla Stazione Spaziale Internazionale (ISS). Orbitando intorno alla Terra, AMS-02 sará in grado di studiare con un livello di accuratezza mai raggiunto prima la composizione dei raggi cosmici, esplorando nuove frontiere nella fisica delle particelle, ricercando antimateria primordiale ed evidenze indirette di materia oscura. Durante il mio lavoro di tesi, ho utilizzato il software GALPROP per studiare la propagazione dei CR nella nostra Galassia attraverso il mezzo interstellare (ISM), cercando di individuare un set di parametri in grado di fornire un buon accordo con i dati preliminari di AMS-02. In particolare, mi sono dedicata all’analisi del processo di propagazione di nuclei, studiando i loro flussi e i relativi rapporti. Il set di propagazione ottenuto dall’analisi é stato poi utilizzato per studiare ipotetici flussi da materia oscura e le possibili implicazioni per la ricerca indiretta attraverso AMS-02.

Le but de l'expérience EDELWEISS est la détection directe de matière noire sousforme de WIMPs, par l'étude de leur diffusion élastique sur les noyaux de germanium des détecteurs bolomètriques. Le plus problématique des bruits de fond provient des neutrons pouvant mimer l'interaction d'un WIMP dans un détecteur. Ces neutrons sont notamment produits par les rares muons cosmiques de haute énergie qui atteignent le laboratoire souterrain malgré les 4800 m w.e. de roche. Les muons résiduels sont détectés par un système veto de 46 modules de scintillateur plastique entourant l'expérience, qui permet de rejeter la plupart du bruit de fond associé. La détermination précise du bruit de fond neutron résiduel induit par ces muons dans EDELWEISS-III, essentielle pour l'identification des WIMPs, est le but de cette thèse. Le taux de bruit de fond dépend de la géométrie de l'expérience ainsi que des matériaux utilisés, qui ont subi d'importantes modifications depuis EDELWEISS-II. Des simulations GEANT4 du passage des muons dans la nouvelle géométrie ont été réalisées afin d'extraire le taux d'événements induits par les muons dans les bolomètres. Ce taux est en bon accord avec le taux mesuré extrait des données du Run308. En parallèle, une limite inférieure sur l'efficacité du veto muon a été extraite à partir des données bolomètres. Une nouvelle méthode basée sur l'utilisation d'une source d'AmBe a été développée afin d'extraire l'efficacité de chaque module de la simulation. À partir de ces résultats, il a été montré que le bruit de fond attendu est négligeable pour la recherche de WIMPs avec les données du Run308 et ne limitera pas la sensibilité future d'EDELWEISS-III
The aim of the EDELWEISS-III experiment is to detect the elastic scattering of WIMPs from the galactic dark matter halo on germanium bolometers. The most problematic background arises from neutrons, which can mimic a WIMP interaction in a detector. Neutrons are notably induced by high energy cosmic ray muons reaching the underground laboratory despite the 4800 m w.e. of rock overburdened. Remaining muons are tagged using an active muon-veto system of 46 plastic scintillator modules surrounding the experiment, which allows to reject most of the associated background. The goal of this thesis was to give a precise estimation of the irreducible muon-induced neutron background, needed to identify a potential WIMP signal. The expected background depends on the geometry of the experiment as well as on the used materials, both strongly modified since EDELWEISS-II. Geant4-based simulations of muons through the modified geometry were performed to derive the rate of events induced by muons in the bolometer array. This rate has been shown to be in good agreement with the measured one extracted from the Run308 data. In parallel, a lower limit on the muon-veto efficiency was derived using bolometer data only. A new method based on an AmBe source was developed to extract precisely the detection efficiency of individual modules from the simulation. From these results, it was shown that the expected background is negligible for the WIMP search analyses performed with the Run308 data and won't limit the future sensitivity of the EDELWEISS-III experiment

This licentiate thesis presents contributions to the luminosity measurement from the data recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2017 using a track-counting technique, as well as a search for dark matter in the ATLAS experiment using 139 fb-1 of √s = 13 TeV pp collision data delivered by the LHC from 2015 to 2018. Track-counting luminosity measurements in low-luminosity operations are performed to study the effect of low collision rates on luminosity determination. The luminosity measured in a calibration transfer procedure using the track-counting technique is used to correct the pile-up dependence observed in ATLAS’s main luminosity detector called LUCID. A search in the final state of a lepton, jets and missing transverse energy, where the final state is produced from a pair of top quarks and a spin-0 scalar/pseudoscalar mediator, is presented. A dedicated signal region is designed to target this final state in which the mediator decays into dark matter particles. The signal region covers the search in the mass plane of the mediator and the dark matter particle. Dedicated control regions are designed to estimate the top-quark background events, as well as the events where a Zboson is produced in association with the top quarks. The signal region event counts in the data have not been unblinded yet, but expected exclusion limits at 95% confidence level as a function of mediator mass are presented. Scalar and pseudoscalar mediators are expected to be excluded up to 200 and 250 GeV, respectively, for the dark matter mass of 1 GeV, and the coupling strengths of the mediator to the dark matter and Standard Model particles of 1.

Dark matter (DM) constitutes one of the most intriguing but so far unresolved issues in physics. In many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics, the existence of a stable Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) is predicted. The WIMP is an excellent DM particle candidate. One of the most interesting scenarios is the creation of monochromatic gamma-rays from the annihilation or decay of these particles. This type of signal would represent a “smoking gun” for DM, since no other known astrophysical process should be able to produce it. In this thesis, the search for spectral lines with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) is presented. The satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, on 11 June, 2008. The energy resolution and performance of the detector are both key factors in the search and are investigated here using beam test data, taken at CERN in 2006 with a scaled-down version of the Fermi-LAT instrument. A variety of statistical methods, based on both hypothesis tests and confidence interval calculations, are then reviewed and tested in terms of their statistical power and coverage. A selection of the statistical methods are further developed into peak finding algorithms and applied to a simulated data set called obssim2, which corresponds to one year of observations with the Fermi-LAT instrument, and to almost one year of Fermi-LAT data in the energy range 20–300 GeV. The analysis on Fermi-LAT data yielded no detection of spectral lines, so limits are placed on the velocity-averaged cross-section, , and the decay lifetime, , and theoretical implications are discussed.
QC20100525
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