Niall Madden

Accelerator testing of the general antiparticle spectrometer, a novel approach to indirect dark matter detection

We report on recent accelerator testing of a prototype general antiparticle spectrometer (GAPS). GAPS uses a novel approach for indirect dark matter searches that exploits the antideuterons produced in neutralino–neutralino annihilations. GAPS captures these antideuterons into a target with the subsequent formation of exotic atoms. These exotic atoms decay with the emission of x-rays of precisely defined energy and a correlated pion signature from nuclear annihilation. This signature uniquely characterizes the antideuterons. Preliminary analysis of data from a prototype GAPS in an antiproton beam at the KEK accelerator in Japan has confirmed the multiple x-ray/pion star topology and indicated x-ray yields consistent with prior expectations. Moreover, our success in utilizing solid rather than gas targets represents a significant simplification over our original approach and offers potential gains in sensitivity through reduced dead mass in the target area.

A Measurement of Atomic X-ray Yields in Exotic Atoms and Implications for an Antideuteron-Based Dark Matter Search

The General AntiParticle Spectrometer (GAPS) is a novel approach for the indirect dark matter search that exploits cosmic antideuterons. GAPS utilizes a distinctive detection method using atomic X-rays and charged particles from the exotic atom as well as the timing, stopping range and dE/dX energy deposit of the incoming particle, which provides excellent antideuteron identification. In anticipation of a future balloon experiment, an accelerator test was conducted in 2004 and 2005 at KEK, Japan, in order to prove the concept and to precisely measure the X-ray yields of antiprotonic exotic atoms formed with di erent target materials [1]. The X-ray yields of the exotic atoms with Al and S targets were obtained as 75%, which are higher than were previously assumed in [2]. A simple, but comprehensive cascade model has been developed not only to evaluate the measurement results but also to predict the X-ray yields of the exotic atoms formed with any materials in the GAPS instrument. The cascade model is extendable to any kind of exotic atom (any negatively charged cascading particles with any target materials), and it was compared and validated with other experimental data and cascade models for muonic and antiprotonic exotic atoms. The X-ray yields of the antideuteronic exotic atoms are predicted with a simple cascade model and the sensitivity for the GAPS antideuteron search was estimated for the proposed long duration balloon program [3], which suggests that GAPS has a strong potential to detect antideuterons as a dark matter signature. A GAPS prototype flight (pGAPS) was launched successfully from the JAXA/ISAS balloon facility in Hokkaido, Japan in summer 2012 [4, 5] and a proposed GAPS science flight is to fly from Antarctica in the austral summer of 2017-2018.

High energy, high resolution X-ray spectroscopy: microcalorimeters for nuclear line astrophysics

We introduce focusing optics and microcalorimeter spectroscopy to nuclear line emission astrophysics with a balloon payload concept called, B‐MINE. It is designed to probe the deepest regions of a supernova explosion by detecting 44Ti emission at 68 keV with spatial and spectral resolutions that are sufficient to determine the velocity distribution of the 44Ti emitting region. B‐MINE has a thin plastic foil telescope multilayered to maximize the reflectivity in a 20 keV band centered at 68 keV and a microcalorimeter array optimized for the same energy band. This combination provides a reduced background, an energy resolution of 50 eV and a 3σ sensitivity in 106 s of 6 × 10−8 ph cm−2 s−1 at 68 keV. During the course of a long duration balloon flight, B‐MINE could carry out a detailed study of the 44Ti emission line centroids and width in CAS A. Details of the spectrometer and simulated results are presented.