Speaker
Description
The quest to understand dark matter (DM) continues to be a driving force in astrophysics and particle physics. This talk discusses the potential of the RES-NOVA project, envisioned for detecting astrophysical neutrinos via Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS), to also serve as a DM observatory. Leveraging the array of cryogenic detectors made from archaeological Pb, known for its ultra-high radiopurity, RES-NOVA is uniquely positioned to detect both neutrino and DM interactions via nuclear recoils. The use of Pb significantly enhances the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross-section, in addition it is a unique probe for inelastic DM interaction, where mass splitting sensitivity is driven by the weight of the target. By extending the operational principles and sensitivity of CEvNS-based detectors, RES-NOVA may also be capable of observing DM particles from our galactic halo. The detector design, sensitivity, and the first results on a direct search of DM search using a RES-NOVA prototype detector are presented.