Date of Award
Summer 2023
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Physics
First Advisor
Dr. Joel Sander
Second Advisor
Dr. Yongchen Sun
Third Advisor
Dr. Dongming Mei
Keywords
Dark matter, detector, Python, remote monitoring, SNOLAB, SuperCDMS, uninterruptable power supply (UPS)
Abstract
Detecting and understanding the nature of dark matter, matter which does not interact with light, is one of the biggest challenges facing physics today. The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS), located two kilometers underground at SNOLAB, utilizes extremely sensitive detectors kept at very low temperatures to search for dark matter. The direct detection of dark matter is aided by building experiments deep underground, with the challenges of accessing the SuperCDMS experiment at its location in SNOLAB necessitating remote monitoring. This thesis details the development of a program to remotely monitor the health of the SuperCDMS dark matter detectors’ uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The program was written in Python and utilizes several libraries to access information from the UPS webpage and determine whether a power failure has occurred. Further development is underway to connect the program to an online database and trigger an alarm in the case of power failure. Options for future UPS monitoring upgrades are described.
Recommended Citation
Franzen, Sedonah L., "Remote Monitoring of a Dark Matter Detector Power Supply" (2023). Honors Thesis. 278.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/278