A model of the directional sensitivity of low-pressure CF₄ dark matter detectors

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-175).Identification of the composition of dark matter is one of the major unsolved puzzles in modern physics. Detectors with sensitivity to the direction of certain classes of dark matter particles have potentially very powerful discrimination ability against more mundane backgrounds. The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) collaboration is actively working on a directional detection method using low-pressure CF₄ gas detectors with optical readout. This work constructs a model for the directional reconstruction ability of DMTPC detectors, evaluates the model against calibration data, and finally uses the model to project the directional sensitivity of the under-construction next generation DMTPC detector. This detector is expected to have a cubic meter of fiducial volume which, at 30 Torr, corresponds to a fluorine target mass of 120 g.by Cosmin Ştefan DeaconuPh. D