The CYGNUS Galactic Directional Recoil Observatory

Abstract

Dark Matter (DM) is nowadays an established, yet still mysterious paradigm: unraveling its nature represents one of the most challenging tasks for fundamental physics today. Direct Dark Matter searches aim at experimentally detect low energy nuclear (or electron) recoils induced by the elastic scattering of Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs). In this context, the goal of the CYGNUS Galactic Directional Recoil Observatory is to develop a multi-target ton-scale network of detectors based on gaseous Time Projection Chamber technology, in order to be sensitive not only to the energy deposited by the WIMP scattering but also to the incoming WIMP direction. This information can in fact provide a correlation with an astrophysical source that no background can mimic, hence representing the key for a positive identification of a DM signal.