Searches for Dark Matter with the DarkSide Experiment, Results and Perspective
Dr Paolo Agnes (University of Houston)
A big-bang relic population of WIMPs remains one of the most favoured candidates for the yet-to-be-discovered dark matter. DarkSide uses dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) to search for WIMPs. The current phase of the experiment, DarkSide-50, uses a 50-kg-active-mass TPC filled with argon from an underground source. The recent results of the experiment include a background free search for high-mass WIMPs (>10 GeV/c2) and the world-leading exclusion limit for WIMPs with mass between 2 and 6 GeV/c2. I will discuss these recent results and the important milestones for the future of the program. I will then address the status of the future phase, DarkSide-20k. It will use a 20 tonne fiducial mass TPC, equipped with novel SiPM photosensors, and it is designed to attain unprecedented sensitivity, while remaining free from any instrumental background.
