Title: Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo: results and perspectives from DAMA/LIBRA

Speaker: Prof. Rita Bernabei (University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy)

Host: Prof. Zhang Shuangnan

Time: 10:00 AM, October 12, 2011　

Place: Main Building C305

Abstract:

The DAMA/LIBRA set-up (about 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl)) is running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N.. The results obtained by exploiting the model independent annual modulation signature for the presence of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the galactic halo during the first six annual cycles (exposure of 0.87 ton x yr) will be discussed. The cumulative exposure with those previously released by the former DAMA/NaI is 1.17 ton × yr, corresponding to 13 annual cycles. The confidence level for the observed effect is 8.9 sigma and the data satisfy all the many peculiarities of this DM model independent signature. No systematics or side processes able to account for the measured modulation amplitude and to simultaneously satisfy all the many requirements of the signature have been found or suggested by anyone over more than a decade. Data have already been collected during a further annual cycle before the realization of a new upgrade of the DAMA/LIBRA set-up, which occurred at end of 2010. Presently DAMA/LIBRA is in data taking in the new configuration. Results, implications and experimental perspectives will be summarized.

About the speaker:

Prof. Rita Bernabei is full Professor (Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics) at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata". She accomplished a wide didactic activity and she has been supervisor of many theses of Laurea and of several of Ph.D. in Physics. She is cumulatively co-author of about 200 publications on international reviews, of about 100 papers on Proceedings volumes and of some didactic books. In particular, she proposed the DAMA project and she has been - and is - the spokesperson; this project has realized - and realizes - many different low background set-ups (DAMA/NaI, DAMA/LIBRA, DAMA/R&D, DAMA/LXe, DAMA/Ge) and experimental measurements on various rare processes: Dark Matter, rare nuclear decays, matter stability, solar axions, etc. This activity has already published about 100 works on international reviews on the investigation of various rare processes and on the presence of Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo.