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arXiv · 0810.2769

DMTPC-10L: Direction-Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Prototype

Abstract

The known direction of motion of dark matter particles relative to the Earth may be a key for their unambiguous identification even in the presence of backgrounds. We describe a prototype detector that is able to reconstruct direction vectors of weakly interacting massive particles that may the dominant constituent of the dark matter in our galaxy. The detector uses a low-density gas (CF4) in a 10liter time-projection chamber with mesh-based electrodes and optical and charge readout. Initial results confirm good performance in the reconstruction of direction angle and sense ('head-tail') for low-momentum nuclear recoils.

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D. Dujmic, P. Fisher, R. Lanza, J. Lopez, A. Kaboth, G. Kohse, J. Monroe, R. Vanderspek, G. Sciolla, R. Yamamoto, S. Ahlen, K. Otis, A. Roccaro, H. Tomita, N. Skvorodnev, H. Wellenstein. 2008-10-15. DMTPC-10L: Direction-Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Prototype. https://arxiv.org/abs/0810.2769

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