This book discusses the physical properties of noble fluids, operational principles of detectors based on these media, and the best technical solutions to the design of these detectors. Essential attention is given to detector technology: purification methods and monitoring of purity, information readout methods, electronics, detection of hard ultra-violet light emission, selection of materials, cryogenics etc. The book is mostly addressed to physicists and graduate students involved in the preparation of fundamental next generation experiments, nuclear engineers developing instrumentation for national nuclear security and for monitoring nuclear materials.
A host of astrophysical measurements suggest that most of the matter in the Universe is an invisible, nonluminous substance that physicists call “dark matter.” Understanding the nature of dark matter is one of the greatest challenges of modern physics and is of paramount importance to our theories of cosmology and particle physics. This text explores one of the leading hypotheses to explain dark matter: that it consists of ultralight bosons forming an oscillating field that feebly interacts with light and matter. Many new experiments have emerged over the last decade to test this hypothesis, involving state-of-the-art microwave cavities, precision nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements, dark matter “radios,” and synchronized global networks of atomic clocks, magnetometers, and interferometers. The editors have gathered leading experts from around the world to present the theories motivating these searches, evidence about dark matter from astrophysics, and the diverse experimental techniques employed in searches for ultralight bosonic dark matter. The text provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to this blossoming field of research for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduate students, or anyone new to the field, with tutorials and solved problems in every chapter. The multifaceted nature of the research – combining ideas and methods from atomic, molecular, and optical physics, nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, electrical engineering, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology – makes this introductory approach attractive for beginning researchers as well as members of the broader scientific community. This is an open access book.
This volume contains the talks presented at the International Workshop on Aspects of Dark Matter in Astro- and Particle Physics (DARK '96). It provides a thorough presentation and discussion of the topic of dark matter, which currently seems to be one of the most exciting problems of modern physics, in the perspectives of different disciplines like astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and particle physics.The lectures and talks range from astronomical evidence in galaxies and galaxy clusters, recent information provided by X rays (ROSAT satellite) and by observation of MACHOs, to early universe and particle physics solutions to the dark matter problem, including simultaneous solutions to the problems of baryogenesis and dark matter. Beyond the favoured supersymmetric candidates, the more exotic dark matter proposals are also discussed. The experimental section examines the most recent efforts in direct and indirect experiments, including new techniques like cryogenic detectors and superheated droplet detectors, as well as efforts with large scale underground detectors like MACRO, Baksan, Baikal and AMANDA. Also, the potential of present and future (LHC) high energy accelerators is thoroughly discussed. A section on hot dark matter gives the current status of experiments searching for a neutrino mass, like double beta decay and neutrino oscillation experiments, including intermediate scale long baseline experiments.
The objective of the workshop series ?The Identification of Dark Matter? is to assess critically the status of work attempting to identify what constitutes dark matter; in particular, to consider what techniques are currently being used, how successful they are, and what new techniques are likely to improve the prospects for identifying dark matter candidates in the future. This proceedings volume includes reviews on major particle astrophysics topics in the field of dark matter, as well as short contributed papers.
There can be little doubt now that 90-99% of the Universe comprises dark matter. Hence it is of critical importance now not just to pursue further evidence for its existence but rather to identify what the dark matter is. Assessment of progress in this area was the objective of the first International Workshop on the Identification of Dark Matter, in particular to consider what techniques, both observational and experimental, are currently being used, how successful they are now and what new techniques will improve the prospects of identifying the likely candidates. The meeting included reviews on major particle astrophysics topics in dark matter but was largely devoted to short contributed talks on new work in the field. This book is the written proceedings of the meeting.
Dark matter in the Universe has become one of the most exciting and central fields of astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. The lectures and talks in this book emphasize the experimental and theoretical status and perspectives of the ongoing search for dark matter, and the future potential of the field into the next millennium, stressing in particular the interplay between astro- and particle physics.
The search for Dark Matter in the Universe has established itself as one of the most exciting and central fields of astrophysics, particle physics, and cosmology.
This second open access volume of the handbook series deals with detectors, large experimental facilities and data handling, both for accelerator and non-accelerator based experiments. It also covers applications in medicine and life sciences. A joint CERN-Springer initiative, the "Particle Physics Reference Library" provides revised and updated contributions based on previously published material in the well-known Landolt-Boernstein series on particle physics, accelerators and detectors (volumes 21A, B1,B2,C), which took stock of the field approximately one decade ago. Central to this new initiative is publication under full open access
This book contains written versions of the presentations made at the 4th International Workshop on the Identification of Dark Matter (IDM 2002), held in York, UK, in September 2002. The objective of this workshop series is to assess the status of work attempting to identify what constitutes dark matter — in particular, to consider the techniques being used, how successful they are, and what new techniques are likely to improve prospects for identifying likely dark matter candidates in the future. At IDM 2002 special emphasis was placed on recent results obtained in searches for baryonic and non-baryonic dark matter. The proceedings include reviews of major topics on dark matter, as well as short contributed talks.
