Megavolts Episode 12: Testing dark matter detector purity

Friday 14 February 2025 10am

The challenge with detecting dark matter is that the signal will probably be incredibly small – perhaps only a couple of particles per day. So it would be really easy to be fooled by some other signal, such as lead-210, which is radioactive.

Dr Anton Wallner is testing the crystals that will be used in the search for dark matter, working out how much radioactive lead is waiting there to trick us. This involves taking an expensive caesium iodide crystal detector, and crushing it into a powder!

More episodes of Megavolts, taking you inside the ANU Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), can be found here.

Or visit our online tour, which features 360 degree photos, popups with interesting details, and students and staff dropping in on video to explain what you’re looking at.

Contact

Professor Mahananda Dasgupta
E: Mahananda.Dasgupta@anu.edu.au
T: (02)61252081

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