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Underground dark matter searches - status and prospects
Neil Spooner (Sheffield)
The UK Dark Matter Collaboration (Sheffield - ICSTM - RAL) is operating
low background NaI detectors at Boulby mine as part of a search for weakly
interacting massive particles (WIMPs) that are a favoured candidate for
dark matter. Over a two year period analysis of the data has indicated
the presence of a population fast scintillation events. These events can
not be due to electron recoils, believed to be the only major source of
background in such experiments. Presented here is our latest work aimed
at identifying the origin of the anomalous events, placed in the context
of results from other world groups at least one of which now also sees a
population of as-yet unidentified events.
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