Walter Pettus (YALE/WISCONSIN) "The DM-Ice Dark Matter Experiment"

Abstract:
DM-Ice is a phased program towards the first direct detection search for dark matter in the Southern Hemisphere with a quarter ton scale NaI(Tl) crystal array.  It will provide an understanding of the modulation signal reported by DAMA by running arrays at both Northern and Southern Hemisphere sites.  A first generation experiment with 17-kg of active mass, DM-Ice17, was deployed in December 2010 at a depth of 2457 m under the ice at the geographic South Pole and has concluded its 3.5-yr primary physics run.  An active R&D program is ongoing at the Boulby Underground Laboratory to investigate clean crystals and optimize detector components.  A worldwide consortium of sodium iodide experiments is now preparing two 100-kg arrays to start data taking in 2016.  I will report on the successes of the DM-Ice program and how the stage is set for definitively testing the DAMA signal anomaly.