The dark-PMT: A novel directional light dark matter detector based on vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Vol. 1050; p. 168116
• Main Authors: Pandolfi, Francesco, Rago, Ilaria, Cavoto, Gianluca, Mariani, Carlo, Apponi, Alice, Ruocco, Alessandro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-05-2023
• Subjects: Carbon nanotubes; Dark matter; 99-00; Carbon nanotubes; 00-01; Dark matter
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2023.168116

The ANDROMeDa project, recently funded by the italian ministry of research with a 1M€grant, has the objective of developing, over the course of the next three years, a novel dark matter (DM) detector based on carbon nanotubes: the ‘dark-PMT’. Such a detector would be sensitive to DM-electron recoils in the eV energy range, and could have world-leading sensitivity for DM masses below 30 MeV with an exposure of only 1g⋅year. Significant R&D is needed to produce carbon nanotubes with ideal properties for a DM target. In particular two by-products of synthesis (non-aligned crust layer and the sub-μm ‘waviness’) are expected to reduce electron transmission probability, and therefore need to be minimized. This will be done via a precise tuning of the evaporation and growth parameters, and of post-growth plasma etching.