Texas A&M researchers advance dark matter search with cryogenic quantum detectors (SuperCDMS and TESSERACT)

Texas A&M University researchers, led by experimental particle physicist Rupak Mahapatra, are pushing the search for dark matter with cryogenic quantum detectors fabricated on campus. The team is advancing devices used in the SuperCDMS experiment and contributing to the TESSERACT program, aiming to detect rare dark-matter interactions that would otherwise escape observation. The work underscores the role of ultra-sensitive sensing technologies in probing the universe’s hidden mass and energy components and hints at broad applications, including potential quantum computing advances. The article is published by the Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications and highlights collaboration across institutions and the potential impact on fundamental physics.

Overview

The article describes how Advanced quantum detectors designed at Texas A&M are reinvigorating the search for dark matter, an unseen component that accounts for a significant portion of the universe. The focus is on ultra-sensitive detectors fabricated at Texas A&M using cryogenic quantum sensors, powering experiments worldwide and potentially enabling quantum computing applications. Rupak Mahapatra, an experimental particle physicist, leads work that builds on decades of detector development to probe weakly interacting particles believed to constitute dark matter.

"The challenge is that dark matter interacts so weakly that we need detectors capable of seeing events that might happen once in a year, or even once in a decade," - Rupak Mahapatra

Dark Matter and Detection Strategies

Dark matter and dark energy together form about 95% of the universe, with ordinary matter making up the remaining 5%. The research emphasizes that dark matter does not emit light, making detection reliant on gravitational effects and rare interactions with normal matter. The team’s detectors aim to amplify faint signals that could betray the presence of dark matter particles, pushing the limits of sensitivity and background noise rejection.

"No single experiment will give us all the answers," - Rupak Mahapatra

TESSERACT and SuperCDMS

The article highlights TESSERACT as a world-leading detector project connected to Texas A&M through collaborations with multiple institutions. It also notes the historical context of SuperCDMS and how voltage-assisted calorimetric ionization detection has increased sensitivity to low-mass WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), a leading dark matter candidate. The combination of underground operation, cryogenic temperatures, and sophisticated readout enables probing previously inaccessible parameter spaces.

"If we can detect dark matter, we’ll open a new chapter in physics," - Rupak Mahapatra

Impact and Broader Context

Beyond fundamental physics, the detectors have potential applications in quantum computing and other technologies, illustrating the synergy between particle physics instrumentation and emerging quantum technologies. The work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, reflecting the importance of government funding in pursuing frontier science.

"We’re finding ways to amplify signals that were previously buried in noise," - Rupak Mahapatra

Conclusion

The article concludes that there is no single path to understanding dark matter. Instead, a consortium of methods and detectors, including those developed at Texas A&M and deployed in experiments like TESSERACT and SuperCDMS, will collectively advance the field and potentially reveal new physics and technologies.