Simulating the Temperatures and Pressures of a COUPP Dark Matter Detector

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Austin Conner

Abstract

It is well known today that there is much more mass in the
Universe than can be attributed to atoms or other known
particles. 1

2

3 This invisible mass has been dubbed dark matter.
While little is currently known about dark matter, there are a few
hypotheses about what properties this matter would have to
possess. The COUPP experiment is attempting to use
superheated-liquid bubble chambers to detect dark matter
candidate particles called WIMPs, which are posited to interact
with ordinary matter via the weak nuclear force. When a dark
matter particle collides with a target nucleus, it causes an
observable phase transition from a liquid to a gas. This target
liquid is kept at high temperatures inside a quartz jar and
experiences frequent pressure fluctuation. To protect the jar from
breaking, it is kept submerged within a larger pressure vessel
filled with propylene glycol at the same temperatures and
pressures. Acoustic sensors analyze sound waves created by the
bubbles formed during the phase transition. The pressures,
temperatures, and chemistry in the larger pressure vessel create a
very harsh environment. This paper describes the design and
commissioning of an apparatus to study the short and long-term
effects of these harsh conditions on any of the components placed
in the compression fluid, such as the acoustic sensors.

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