William 'Joe' Bolte, KICP student

Location: LASR 255
Phone: (773) 834-8580
E-mail: joebolteuchicago.edu


Currently Working On: WIMP Detectors

Recent publications:

• A Bubble Chamber for Dark Matter Detection (The COUPP Project Status)
  W.J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, H. Nguyen, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 39, Issue 1, pp. 126-128 (2006)
• Development of Bubble Chambers With Enhanced Stability and Sensitivity to Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils
  W.J Bolte, J. I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein and J.D. Vieira
  submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
  PDF
• COUPP: A Heavy-Liquid Bubble Chamber for WIMP Detection
  J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Proceedings from IDM2004, Edinburgh, Scotland (2004)

David Miller, KICP student
Working towards B.A. Physics: University of Chicago

Location: LASR 255
Phone: (773) 834-8580
E-mail: davemilruchicago.edu


Currently Working On: Axions

David has participated in the construction of the CAST calorimeter ab initio and has worked on the pulse shape analysis software and its characterization. He has also performed low-background screening of a number of materials involved in the detector construction. David has traveled to CERN several times to install the calorimeter and is responsible for data acquisition and analysis during its inaugural runs through 2004. He is a honcho guy at CAST already (run supervisor, gee-weez!)

Kevin O'Sullivan, KICP student
Working towards B.A. Physics: University of Chicago

Location: LASR 255
Phone: (773) 834-8580
E-mail: kosullivuchicago.edu


Currently Working On: WIMP Detectors

Kevin built our first makeshift bubble chamber prototype, including its DAQ and control program, all hardware and a purification stage to remove HI, H₂O, CO₂, I₂, O₂, Rn and dust from commercial-grade CF₃I. He has been involved in several aspects of further development, including image recognition software that is used to pinpoint the location of bubbles in 3D and performing several neutron calibration experiments. He once assembled and erected a 11'x11' soft-wall class 100 clean room absolutely solo (he insisted that we left him alone). He hates hard hats.

Recent publications:

• A Bubble Chamber for Dark Matter Detection (The COUPP Project Status)
  W.J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, H. Nguyen, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 39, Issue 1, pp. 126-128 (2006)
• Development of Bubble Chambers With Enhanced Stability and Sensitivity to Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils
  W.J Bolte, J. I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein and J.D. Vieira
  submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
  PDF
• Development of bubble chambers with sensitivity to WIMPs
  L. Bond, J. I. Collar, J. Ely, M. Flake, J. Hall, D. Jordan, D. Nakazawa, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein and K. O'Sullivan
  Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.) 138 (2005) 68–71
• COUPP: A Heavy-Liquid Bubble Chamber for WIMP Detection
  J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Proceedings from IDM2004, Edinburgh, Scotland (2004)
• Development of Bubble Chambers with Sensitivity to WIMPs
  L. Bond, J.I. Collar, J. Ely, M. Flake, J. Hall, D. Jordan, D. Nakazawa, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, K. O'Sullivan
  DM (2004)

Aza Raskin, KICP student
Working towards B.A. Physics & Mathematics: University of Chicago

Location: LASR 255
Phone: (773) 834-8580
E-mail: azauchicago.edu


Currently Working On: WIMP Detectors

Aza has collaborated in several aspects of bubble chamber design, including ongoing studies of scintillation in CF₃I with the addition of different waveshifters and fluors. In parallel, he has performed Monte Carlo simulations using GEANT of the response of a ³He neutron counter and helped build a tabletop time-of-flight calibration experiment using a fission neutron source. He has recently developed a cryogenic system using liquid nitrogen blow-off gas able to maintain a cryostat at temperatures as low as -150^oC, with an stability of ~0.1^oC. Right now he is working on developing an ultra low-background fast neutron monitor for underground labs. He is an amazing programmer, able to express his deepest feelings through code.

Recent publications:

• A Bubble Chamber for Dark Matter Detection (The COUPP Project Status)
  W.J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, H. Nguyen, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 39, Issue 1, pp. 126-128 (2006)
• Development of Bubble Chambers With Enhanced Stability and Sensitivity to Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils
  W.J Bolte, J. I. Collar, M. Crisler, J. Hall, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein and J.D. Vieira
  submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
  PDF
• Development of bubble chambers with sensitivity to WIMPs
  L. Bond, J. I. Collar, J. Ely, M. Flake, J. Hall, D. Jordan, D. Nakazawa, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein and K. O'Sullivan
  Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.) 138 (2005) 68–71
• COUPP: A Heavy-Liquid Bubble Chamber for WIMP Detection
  J. Bolte, J.I. Collar, M. Crisler, D. Holmgren, D. Nakazawa, B. Odom, K. O'Sullivan, R. Plunkett, E. Ramberg, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, J.D. Vieira
  Proceedings from IDM2004, Edinburgh, Scotland (2004)
• Development of Bubble Chambers with Sensitivity to WIMPs
  L. Bond, J.I. Collar, J. Ely, M. Flake, J. Hall, D. Jordan, D. Nakazawa, A. Raskin, A. Sonnenschein, K. O'Sullivan
  DM (2004)

Julia Rasmussen, KICP student

Location: LASR 255
Phone: (773) 834-8580
E-mail: jrasmussuchicago.edu


Currently Working On: Axions