THE PROJECT:
The goal of POKER is to establish and demonstrate a new approach to search for light dark matter, based on a missing energy measurement with a positron-beam, active thick-target setup. Light dark matter is the new compelling hypothesis that identifies dark matter with new sub-GeV “Hidden Sector” states, neutral under Standard Model interactions and interfacing with our world through a new force. Accelerator-based searches at the intensity frontier are uniquely suited to explore it. However, current and planned efforts are either limited by the low sensitivity or the high backgrounds. This calls for a major breakthrough in the field. The proposed approach overcomes this challenge.
POKERINO, the 3×3 PbWO4 crystal matrix prototype, was tested during the summers of 2023 and 2024 to answer the following questions: Is it capable of accurately measuring the energy of particle beams ranging from 10 to 100 GeV? Can it operate effectively under extreme conditions (e.g., when it is hit by a million particles per…
The Ministry of University and Research announced today the list of projects that have been selected for the “FARE 2020” call (https://fare2020.cineca.it/), aimed at attracting the winners of ERC calls in Italy. Our project “SOCIO” (Development of InnOvative technologies for a missing energy experiment with high intensity positron beam) has been approved for funding! …
The first prototype of the detector that will be used in the POKER experiment, “POKERINO”, was installed today at CERN on the “H4” beamline, alongside the other experimental components of NA64. POKERINO is a “small scale” version of the lead-tungstate electromagnetic calorimeter that will be used in POKER. POKERINO will be used for a series…
POKER was presented by Dr. Luca Marsicano at the ICEHP2022 conference (Bologna, 6-13 July). Luca presented the status of the project and the prospects for the realization of the first light dark matter measurement with a positron beam on an often active target. During his speech, Luca also showed the latest results of the NA64…
