Speaker
Robert Nelson
(Cal Tech)
Description
The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search II (CDMS II) operated a set of germanium
detectors with a payload of 4.75 kg. A subset of these detectors with the
lowest energy thresholds were chosen to search for low-mass weakly
interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a contender for the dark matter
posited in the Universe. Two new searches were performed: an
annual-modulation search for WIMPs as the flux changes due to the Earth's
motion through the WIMP halo and a maximum-likelihood method to estimate
the backgrounds and possible WIMP signal component, where the signal would
appear as an exponential excess of nuclear recoil events. This talk
discusses the CDMS II experiment and presents the status of the
annual-modulation search and the maximum-likelihood analysis.
Primary author
Robert Nelson
(Cal Tech)
