An analysis of the sensitivity of a low pressure time projection chamber to a directional anisotropy due to WIMP interactions
Name
930599199-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
7.72 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
d271407126a3e68b086eb53511dbf106
Author(s)
Zayas, Evan M
Advisor(s)
Peter Fisher.
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is a dark matter direct detection effort which develops TPCs to observe and reconstruct nuclear recoils generated by incident particles. If some of these recoils are the result of dark matter interactions, we can in theory observe an anisotropy in the direction of these recoils which is consistent with the galactic halo models of dark matter. Such an observation would serve as convincing evidence that these incident particles have an extrasolar origin. In this thesis I discuss the workings of a TPC known as the 4-shooter, the analysis used to identify nuclear recoil candidates, and the mathematics to quantify the anisotropy of a distribution. I then discuss the ways in which the pressure of the target gas in the TPC affects rejection power, and construct a framework to determine an optimal operating pressure for the 4-shooter and future DMTPC detectors.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-60).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
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