Exploring the Dark Universe with Noble Liquids
Welcome to the Aprile Group at Columbia’s Astrophysics Laboratory (CAL)! We’re a team of scientists and researchers fascinated by the universe’s biggest mysteries, from the nature of dark matter to the behavior of exotic particles. Our secret weapon? Super-pure, super-cold liquids known as “noble liquids” – argon, and xenon. We design and build innovative detectors using these materials to search for elusive particles and study rare cosmic events. You can find us working at Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus in New York City (Pupin Hall) and the Physics Department’s Nevis Laboratories in Irvington. For decades, we’ve been at the forefront of cryogenic noble liquid detector technology, pioneered by Prof. Aprile’s extensive research into liquid argon, krypton, and xenon. From fundamental property measurements to groundbreaking experiments, our journey has been one of continuous innovation.
Making the Invisible Visible at LNGS
Our team is dedicated to the exciting challenge of revealing the unseen universe. We do this by constantly refining our special detectors, called noble liquid time projection chambers. Think of them as incredibly sensitive cameras that can capture faint signals from the universe’s most mysterious phenomena. To protect these delicate detectors from interference from cosmic radiation, we operate them deep underground in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. By cleverly combining different types of light and electrical signals within super-pure liquid xenon and argon, we can achieve incredibly precise measurements and create detailed “images” of particle interactions – essentially making the invisible visible.
We’re driven by the desire to unlock the full potential of these amazing noble liquids. Our innovations are not just about building better detectors; they’re about shaping the future of how we understand the fundamental building blocks of the universe and the grand scale of astrophysics.
Ready to see how we bring the unseen to light? Explore our research to dive deeper into our current projects, check out our publications to see our latest discoveries, and learn about the cutting-edge technology we’re developing right here. Together, we’re shedding light on what was once invisible, revealing the hidden structure of the universe, and pushing the very limits of what we know.
The XENON Experiment
Our group is deeply committed to the XENON Dark Matter Experiment, an international project founded by Prof. Aprile, with the crucial goal of directly detecting the elusive dark matter that shapes our universe. To achieve this incredible sensitivity, we utilize what is considered the purest xenon on Earth within our detectors.
Our group has been at the heart of the XENON project from its beginning. We laid crucial groundwork with our research and development for the pioneering XENON10 and XENON100 detectors, helping to pave the way for this ambitious search. We then played a significant role in both the physical construction (hardware) and the data analysis tools (software) of the groundbreaking XENON1T detector.
Now, we are actively pushing the frontiers of this quest with XENONnT, which is currently in operation and utilizes close to 10 tonnes of ultra-pure liquid xenon to maximize our chances of detecting these elusive particles with unprecedented sensitivity.
The DarkSide-20k Experiment
A new and exciting chapter in our dark matter research has begun as we join the international DarkSide-20k collaboration. This marks a return to our long-standing expertise with liquid argon detector technology, as DarkSide-20k utilizes a truly massive detector system centered around approximately 80 tonnes of low-radioactivity liquid argon, specifically depleted in the isotope Ar-39. This unique argon begins its journey in an underground mine in Colorado, carefully selected to minimize cosmic ray activation. It is then transported to Sardinia, where it undergoes an extraordinary purification process using a custom-built distillation column with a height comparable to the Eiffel Tower! To further shield this sensitive volume from background radiation, the experiment employs an even larger outer detector containing about 600 tonnes of liquid argon.
This experiment offers a powerful and complementary approach to our work with XENON. By exploring for dark matter interactions using this specially sourced and purified liquid argon and a different detector technology, DarkSide-20k allows us to cross-verify potential dark matter signals and gain a more comprehensive understanding of this cosmic enigma. Our involvement in DarkSide-20k broadens our search and strengthens the global effort to finally unveil the nature of dark matter.
Affiliations & Links
Our research efforts are made possible and supported through the National Science Foundation (NSF)