Speaker
Description
Status of the SABRE NaI (Tl) dark matter experiment
Burkhant Suerfu
March 2019
Abstract
SABRE is a dark matter experiment that utilizes an array of NaI (Tl) scintillating crystals. A primary goal
of the experiment is to test the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation signal claimed to be evidence for dark matter.
The experiment features ultra-low background NaI (Tl) crystals with liquid scintillator active veto system and twin
detector setup, one in Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy (LNGS) and the other in Stawell Underground
Physics Laboratory (SUPL). Most recently, we have successfully developed a NaI (Tl) single crystal with 4 ppb
of potassium measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), which is about 3 times lower
compared to DAMA/LIBRA crystals. In this talk, I will present an overview of the detector design followed
by the recent progresses on the development of low radioactivity NaI (Tl) crystals and the status of detector
commissioning in LNGS.
