CDMS detectors

The problem of dark matter has been open since 1933: most of the matter in the Universe only appears through gravitational interactions.  Particle physics may provide a solution in the guise of hypothetical, supersymmetric, weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs).  Experimental efforts to detect WIMPs directly have been under way since the 1980s, and detector sensitivity has improved to the point that the heart of the relevant parameter space is about to be explored. We discuss these experiments, with emphasis on the cryogenic detectors that have been in the vanguard, and on the CDMS experiment in particular.

Slides from the talk can be found here