The nature of the main constituent of the matter content in the Universe is one of the outstanding puzzles of cosmology and astro-particle physics. PICASSO is one of the ongoing experiments worldwide searching for Dark Matter. Our detectors are based on phase transitions induced by nuclear recoils in superheated droplets. This technique is a promising alternative to other, more conventional detector approaches and has some interesting background suppression features. A pilot experiment has been successfully carried out at SNOLAB, the Canadian underground laboratory at Sudbury, and the PICASSO collaboration is presently installing a new array of detectors with an active mass of 3 kg and substantially increased sensitivity.

In this talk I will discuss the present status of Dark Matter research and the ongoing work in PICASSO to decrease radioactive backgrounds and to increase the detector mass and sensitivity.

ANL Physics Division Seminar Schedule