PHYSICS SEMINAR: CAP LECTURE
How to Know the Universe From a Hole in the Ground
Dr. Chris Jillings
SNOLAB Research Scientist
Laurentian University
Friday, February 17, 2012
12:45 p.m.
Hamilton 304
Abstract
We have a detailed model of the universe based on Einstein's theory and two decades worth of beautiful observations. The surprising results of this effort is that most of the universe is invisible, in the form of dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter gives the universe its clumpy texture and explains the gravitational lensing by clusters of galaxies, motions of galaxies within clusters, and stars within galaxies. The popular hypothesis that dark matter is composed of Weakly-Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) will be presented.
Direct searches for dark matter require ultra-low background environments to avoid conventional radiation mimicking the dark matter signal. For that reason the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory was expanded to become SNOLAB and several dark-matter experiments are operating or under construction. The particulars of SNOLAB will be presented. The world-wide effort to search for dark matter will be reviewed and the Dark Matter Experiment with Pulse-shape discrimination (DEAP) will be discussed.
This talk is sponsored by the Speaker's Committee and the Canadian Association of Physicists
