Dark matter searches with NEWS-G and future experiments

Dark matter makes up around 85% of the matter density in the universe, however, its precise particle nature remains one of the greatest mysteries in modern physics. This PhD project will work towards elucidating the dark matter conundrum, working on direct detection with the NEWS-G experiment. The detector of choice for NEWS-G, the spherical proportional counter, is a novel gaseous detector that allows previously uncharted dark matter parameter space to be explored. The experiment is currently taking data with a spherical proportional counter in SNOLAB (Canada). Led by the University of Birmingham group, we are currently designing a next generation spherical proportional counter experiment, DarkSPHERE, for the Boulby Underground Laboratory - the UK’s deep underground science facility. Towards this, a new detector with exciting physics potential will begin construction in Boulby in the next year. The group has strong leadership in the experiment and is at the forefront of all aspects, for example, spearheading the development of ultra-pure materials, the detector instrumentation and understanding, and simulation framework. 

You will work in a variety of active research areas across the entire breadth of the experiment, including dark matter search data analysis, detector development, and experiment simulation. Through this research you will gain experience in the cutting-edge techniques and methods that are allowing unprecedented sensitivity in the dark matter candidate parameter space to be explored. Travel and work at Boulby is envisaged, and likely to other national and international institutes during the course of the project.

For further information about the project, please get in touch. More general information is available at:

http://www.ep.ph.bham.ac.uk/index.php?page=exp/phdentry/index