Speaker
Description
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have rapidly evolved into powerful tools for applications spanning quantum computing to precision photodetection. In this work, we extend their impact into astroparticle physics by demonstrating their capability to detect sub-MeV Dark Matter. Utilizing an SNSPD fabricated from Niobium Nitride (NbN), we achieve a remarkably low energy threshold of 0.8 eV, enabling sensitivity to previously unexplored regions of Dark Matter parameter space.
Our study explores multiple Dark Matter interaction channels, including scattering with electrons and nucleons, as well as absorption via Dark Photons. A key innovation in our analysis is the full incorporation of attenuation effects—Dark Matter interactions within the Earth and its atmosphere—which are crucial for accurate sensitivity modeling but often neglected.
