Orateur
Description
BULLKID-DM is a new experiment aimed at searching for hypothetical
WIMP-like Dark-Matter particles with mass around 1 GeV or below and
cross-section with nucleons smaller than $10^{-41}$ cm$^{2}$. The
target detector consists of a stack of diced silicon phonon collectors,
acting as an array of particle absorbers sensed by multiplexed Kinetic
Inductance Detectors (KIDs). The target will amount to 800~g subdivided
in more than 2000 silicon dice. The aim is to control the backgrounds
by creating a fully active structure and by applying fiducialization
techniques. A first 20~g prototype of the detector was built with
60 cubic voxels (of dimensions 5.4x5.4x5~mm$^{3}$) that are carved
out of a single 5 mm thick 3'' silicon wafer. The carvings leave intact
a 0.5~mm thick common disk acting as a holder for the dices and as
a substrate to host the KID structures.
Following the encouraging results from the 20~g prototype detector,
here we present the first operation of 3-wafer demonstrator array
(for a total of 60~g and 180 silicon dice), operated on surface with
a mild shield. The recorded background is here compared with Geant4
simulations conducted by the collaboration.
Finally, we present the plan for the deployment of the experiment
at the shielded underground site of Gran Sasso laboratories in Italy.
The commissioning will happen in two stages: first, the demonstrator
array will be deployed at the beginning of 2026 in the cryo-platform.
Once the success of the demonstrator stage is ensured and the setup
is fully characterized, the full experimental setup will follow and
is expected to be commissioned at Gran Sasso in the beginning of 2027.
| Title | BULLKID-DM: phonon mediated Kinetic Inductance Detectors for light WIMP direct detection |
|---|---|
| Topic | Solid state sensors |
