cdms_detector_tower2

Project manager Dan Bauer from Fermilab holds one tower of detectors as Vuk Mandic, now at the University of Minnesota, examines them. Each tower of detectors contains 1 kilogram of germanium for detecting dark matter and 200 grams of silicon to distinguish WIMPs from neutrons. Thin layers of silicon, aluminum, and tungsten covering the detector surfaces measure both the heat and charge released when a particle interacts inside.