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Cushman, P

Publications and source records attributed to Cushman, P.

Planning the Future of U.S. Particle Physics (Snowmass 2013): Chapter 8: Instrumentation Frontier

These reports present the results of the 2013 Community Summer Study of the APS Division of Particles and Fields ("Snowmass 2013") on the future program of particle physics in the U.S. Chapter 8, on the Instrumentation Frontier, discusses the instrumentation needs of future experiments in the Energy, Intensity, and Cosmic Frontiers, promising new technologies for particle physics research, and issues of gathering resources for long-term research in this area.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Time Evolution of Electric Fields in CDMS Detectors

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) utilizes large mass, 3-inch diameter x 1-inch thick target masses as particle detectors. The target is instrumented with both phonon and ionization sensors, the later providing a {approx}1 V cm{sup -1} electric field in the detector bulk. Cumulative radiation exposure which creates {approx}200 x 10{sup 6} electron-hole pairs could be sufficient to produce a comparable reverse field in the detector thereby degrading the ionization channel performance, if it was not shielded by image charges on the electrodes. To study this, the existing CDMS detector Monte Carlo has been modified to allow for an event by event evolution of the bulk electric field, in three spatial dimensions. Surprisingly, this simple model is not sufficient to explain the degradation of detector performance. Our most recent results and interpretation are discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Validation of Phonon Physics in the CDMS Detector Monte Carlo

The SuperCDMS collaboration is a dark matter search effort aimed at detecting the scattering of WIMP dark matter from nuclei in cryogenic germanium targets. The CDMS Detector Monte Carlo (CDMS-DMC) is a simulation tool aimed at achieving a deeper understanding of the performance of the SuperCDMS detectors and aiding the dark matter search analysis. We present results from validation of the phonon physics described in the CDMS-DMC and outline work towards utilizing it in future WIMP search analyses.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A Low-threshold Analysis of CDMS Shallow-site Data

Data taken during the final shallow-site run of the first tower of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS II) detectors have been reanalyzed with improved sensitivity to small energy depositions. Four {approx}224 g germanium and two {approx}105 g silicon detectors were operated at the Stanford Underground Facility (SUF) between December 2001 and June 2002, yielding 118 live days of raw exposure. Three of the germanium and both silicon detectors were analyzed with a new low-threshold technique, making it possible to lower the germanium and silicon analysis thresholds down to the actual trigger thresholds of {approx}1 and {approx}2 keV, respectively. Limits on the spin-independent cross section for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) to elastically scatter from nuclei based on these data exclude interesting parameter space for WIMPs with masses below 9 GeV/c{sup 2}. Under standard halo assumptions, these data partially exclude parameter space favored by interpretations of the DAMA/LIBRA and CoGeNT experiments data as WIMP signals, and exclude new parameter space for WIMP masses between 3 and 4 GeV/c{sup 2}.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The CDMS II data acquisition system

The Data Acquisition System for the CDMS II dark matter experiment was designed and built when the experiment moved to its new underground installation at the Soudan Lab. The combination of remote operation and increased data load necessitated a completely new design. Elements of the original LabView system remained as stand-alone diagnostic programs, but the main data processing moved to a VME-based system with custom electronics for signal conditioning, trigger formation and buffering. The data rate was increased 100-fold and the automated cryogenic system was linked to the data acquisition. A modular server framework with associated user interfaces was implemented in Java to allow control and monitoring of the entire experiment remotely.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗