DM-Ice: Current Status and Future Prospects

TL;DR

DM-Ice aims to directly detect dark matter using NaI(Tl) detectors in the Southern Hemisphere, with ongoing development to improve sensitivity and address previous experimental ambiguities.

Contribution

This paper reports on the final analysis of DM-Ice17 data and progress towards establishing a 250 kg dark matter detection array in the Southern Hemisphere.

Findings

DM-Ice17 data analysis completed.

Progress made in detector development and background reduction.

Ongoing R&D for larger, more sensitive detectors.

Abstract

DM-Ice is a program towards the first direct detection search for dark matter in the Southern Hemisphere with a 250 kg-scale NaI(Tl) crystal array. It will provide a definitive understanding of the modulation signal reported by DAMA by running an array at both Northern and Southern Hemisphere sites. A 17 kg predecessor, DM-Ice17, was deployed in December 2010 at a depth of 2457 m under the ice at the geographic South Pole and has concluded its 3.5 yr data run. An active R&D program is underway to investigate detectors with lower backgrounds and improved readout electronics; two crystals with 37 kg combined mass are currently operating at the Boulby Underground Laboratory. We report on the final analyses of the DM-Ice17 data and describe progress towards a 250 kg DM-Ice experiment.