The Search for Dark Matter with SuperCDMS

The nature of the dark matter that fills the universe remains a mystery, but many experiments are closing in on it fast. SuperCDMS is a direct-detection experiment searching for WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particle) dark matter. With unique cryogenic semiconductor detectors, we have set world-leading limits on the properties of WIMPs, and we are building a new experiment that will allow us to see even farther than before, perhaps even discover dark matter. Simulations of our detectors are critical to these scientific goals, and present interesting questions at the interface between condensed matter and particle physics.