KIM Yeongduk began the Korea Invisible Mass Search (KIMS) project to search dark matter directly and has been representing KIMS group since 2012. He has also actively participated in the Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillations (RENO), which successfully measured the 3rd mixing angle of neutrinos. He is also interested in neutrinoless double beta decay using scintillating crystals, and is a executive member of AMoRE.
We now know that neutrinos are massive. But we do not know their absolute masses nor their natures. Discovering these important unknowns can be related to leptogenesis theories that make attempts to explain particle-antiparticle asymmetry in the universe. Neutrinoless double beta decay experiments are the most practical approach for determining the absolute masses and understanding the nature of neutrinos. We, the Center for Underground Physics (CUP) at IBS, will perform several phases of Advanced Mo-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) experiments that probe the neutrino mass down to 0.03 eV.
Advancing our knowledge of dark matter is necessary in order to understand the origin and structure of the universe, because the universe consists of 26.8% dark matter and 68.3% dark energy. We are running experiments to search directly for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), which offer the most plausible explanation as to the nature of dark matter. We will develop new detection techniques to search for dark matter, which would require more sensitive facilities than current running experiments.
We will install detectors with ultra-low noises at about 700 meter-deep underground laboratory in Yangyang County in Korea to reduce cosmic ray background noise to search for extremely rare events, such as neutrinoless double beta decay and dark matter. Since we expect to see only a handful of signal events in a year, the success of the experiments heavily relies on reducing background noise. We will achieve our goal by growing ultra-low background crystals and by developing low-temperature sensors that have excellent energy resolution and the power to distinguish the signals from other events.
Name | Position | Phone | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
KIM Yeongduk | Director | +82-42-878-8500 | ydkim@ibs.re.kr | More |
LEE Hyun Su | Associate-Director | +82-42-878-8563 | hyunsulee@ibs.re.kr | More |
KIM Yong-Hamb | Associate-Director | +82-42-878-8520 | yhk@ibs.re.kr | More |
LEE Moo Hyun | Senior Research Fellow | - | mhlee@ibs.re.kr | More |