The DAMIC-M (Dark Matter In CCDs at Modane) experiment, currently under construction at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane in France, aims to detect low-mass dark matter particles using ultra-sensitive charge-coupled devices (CCDs). With unprecedented sensitivity, DAMIC-M has the potential to achieve breakthroughs in understanding the particle nature of dark matter, a central open question in physics and cosmology. Achieving these goals requires precise characterization of natural and instrumental background sources that could mimic dark matter signals.
The Resident Fellows Team, from the University of Chicago and the Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, will conduct a month-long residency at the IIRP to finalize and validate simulation codes, integrate background data, develop a modular analysis pipeline, and produce comprehensive documentation. Close collaboration with CNRS groups in Paris will further strengthen the effort. The residency will deliver a validated background model, enabling reliable interpretation of DAMIC-M's first scientific data and supporting future analyses. This effort will culminate in the publication of the background model alongside the first DAMIC-M scientific results. The collaboration will continue beyond the residency period.