Calendar of Events

Speaker: Matthew Szydagis (University at Albany)

We have sought dark matter for decades, eliminating enormous amounts of parameter space in terms of cross-section and mass for this undiscovered quarter of our Universe. I will summarize the current state of the field, including the formerly world-leading null results of the LUX (Large Underground Xenon) experiment seeking WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) but, more importantly, focus on the potential of its multi-tonne-scale second-generation successor LZ (LUX-ZEPLIN) with its unprecedented potential for discovery of WIMPs in the mass range of ~10-1,000 GeV/c^2. New Monte Carlo and data analysis techniques will be highlighted, coupled to the larger detector and more sophisticated design that is LZ, under construction this year. Lastly, I will touch on new R&D efforts geared toward finding WIMPs in the 1 GeV-mass range, not well covered by the current suite of experiments, using table-top-size water-based detectors, including the newly discovered snowball chamber, the last unexplored frontier in phase-transition-based technology.