April 6th, 2016. Prof. Reina Maruyama (Yale University)

Post date: Apr 9, 2016 11:17:21 AM

* Speaker: Prof. Reina Maruyama

* Time: April 6th (Wed.), 1:00 PM

* Location: Seminar room, 7th floor of Samsung Library, Sungkyunkwan Univ. Natural Science Campus

* Title: Results from DM-Ice17

* Abstract: Astrophysical observations give overwhelming evidence for the existence of dark matter. For over 15 years, the DAMA collaboration has asserted that they observe a dark matter-induced annual modulation signal but their observation has yet to be confirmed. I will describe DM-Ice a low-background NaI(Tl)-based dark matter experiment aimed at understanding the DAMA signal and unambiguously testing the hypothesis of a dark-matter induced annual modulation signal. DM-Ice17, a prototype experiment consisting of 17kg of NaI(Tl) detectors, has been continuously operating at the South Pole for over 4 years, demonstrating the feasibility of a low-background experiment in the Antarctic ice. The results from DM-Ice17 and prospects for the next generation will be presented.