Abstract
We present the first direct-detection search for sub-GeV dark matter using a new -gram high-resistivity Skipper CCD from a dedicated fabrication batch that was optimized for dark matter searches. Using 24 days of data acquired in the MINOS cavern at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, we measure the lowest rates in silicon detectors of events containing one, two, three, or four electrons, and achieve world-leading sensitivity for a large range of sub-GeV dark matter masses. Data taken with different thicknesses of the detector shield suggest a correlation between the rate of high-energy tracks and the rate of single-electron events previously classified as “dark current.” We detail key characteristics of the new Skipper CCDs, which augur well for the planned construction of the -gram SENSEI experiment at SNOLAB.
- Received 4 May 2020
- Revised 17 August 2020
- Accepted 11 September 2020
- Corrected 20 November 2020
- Corrected 2 November 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.171802
© 2020 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Corrections
2 November 2020
Correction: The omission of a support statement in the Acknowledgments section has been fixed.
20 November 2020
Second Correction: A sentence about the Skipper CCD was added after the first sentence in the third paragraph in the Introduction.
synopsis
Dark Matter Detector Proves its Sensitivity
Published 20 October 2020
A new sensor provides world-leading sensitivity for distinguishing lightweight dark matter from background noise.
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