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June 2025

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Invited seminar: Probing the Dark Sector One Electron at a Time: Skipper CCDs and the DAMIC-M Experiment - Friday June 20th at 2 PM
by TOSCANO Simona 17 Jun '25

17 Jun '25

Dear all, As part of our invited seminar series, we are pleased to host a talk by Xavier Bertou from IJCLab in Paris-Saclay University, on Friday, June 20 at 2PM in the J. Sacton Room. This is going to be the last seminar for this academic year. We will resume in October. Please find here the info: Title: Probing the Dark Sector One Electron at a Time: Skipper CCDs and the DAMIC-M Experiment Abstract: Detecting dark matter—particularly in the light mass regime—requires sensitivity to extremely faint ionization signals, potentially down to a single electron. Skipper CCDs are a new class of silicon detectors that enable this level of sensitivity by achieving sub-electron noise, thanks to their ability to perform multiple non-destructive charge measurements per pixel. In this talk, I will introduce the operating principles and technological advances behind Skipper CCDs, contrasting them with conventional CCDs. I will then present how these sensors are used in the DAMIC-M experiment, a direct dark matter search operating at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane, and show recent results from its prototype phase. These results set world-leading constraints on dark matter–electron scattering for sub-MeV dark matter, probing both freeze-out and freeze-in production mechanisms in the dark sector for the first time. Finally, I will highlight why Skipper CCDs are not just a niche detector but a transformative technology: from their applications in low-background rare-event searches to their potential to replace standard CCDs in broader scientific contexts, especially with new developments like MAS-CCDs enabling fast, multiplexed readout. Skipper CCDs are poised to reshape the landscape of precision low-energy detection. Short-bio: Xavier Bertou is Research Director at IJCLab (CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Saclay), where he leads the Direct Dark Matter group within the Astrophysics, Astroparticle and Cosmology department. A specialist in experimental astroparticle physics, he has contributed extensively to major international efforts in cosmic ray and dark matter research. After completing his PhD at LPNHE in Paris and a Grainger Fellowship at the University of Chicago, he spent over two decades at Centro Atómico Bariloche in Argentina (CNEA/CONICET). There, he played a central role in the Pierre Auger Observatory, leading key aspects of the design, deployment, and operation of the surface detector array. He later spearheaded the development of novel detection technologies and underground science initiatives. Dr. Bertou is a long-standing member of the DAMIC-M Collaboration, where he co-leads the Central Data Acquisition System, and is actively involved in advancing Skipper CCD technology for low-threshold dark matter searches <https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2320/> [indico_square.png] IIHE Invited seminar: Probing the Dark Sector One Electron at a Time: Skipper CCDs and the DAMIC-M Experiment<https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2320/> indico.iihe.ac.be<https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2320/> Hope to see you all on Friday! Best, Simona.

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Invited seminar: Multimessenger astronomy with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos - Friday June 13th at 2PM
by TOSCANO Simona 13 Jun '25

13 Jun '25

Dear all, As part of our invited seminar series, we are pleased to host a talk on multimessenger astronomy by Foteini Oikonomou, Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, on Friday, June 13 at 2PM in the J. Sacton Room. Title: Multimessenger astronomy with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos Abstract: Multimessenger astrophysics has advanced rapidly over the past decade, driven in large part by new observations of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves. At the same time, ultra-high-energy cosmic ray experiments have made significant progress, including the discovery of a dipole anisotropy in UHECR arrival directions - a milestone that has revitalised the field of ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray astronomy. In this talk, I will review recent results in the search for the origins of high-energy neutrinos and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. In particular, I will highlight a promising new site of ultra-high energy cosmic ray acceleration in active galactic nuclei (AGN): the wide-angle relativistic winds known as ultra-fast outflows. See you all on Friday. Best, Simona. <https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2299/> [indico_square.png] IIHE Invited seminar: Multimessenger astronomy with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and high-energy neutrinos<https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2299/> indico.iihe.ac.be<https://indico.iihe.ac.be/event/2299/>

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