Eric Dahl

Prof. Eric Dahl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University, affiliated with the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences. He leads a research group focused on developing advanced particle detectors for dark matter detection, particularly targeting Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). His work combines cutting-edge techniques in bubble chamber technology and liquid xenon detectors to minimize background noise and enhance signal sensitivity. Dahl holds a PhD from Princeton University (2009) and is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science.

His research interests include:

• Direct detection of dark matter via nuclear recoil signatures
• Development of background discrimination methods in large liquid-based detectors
• Scalability of novel detector technologies like scintillating bubble chambers
• Collaborations on major experiments such as PICO (bubble chamber searches) and LZ (xenon time projection chambers)

Recent projects include pioneering a scintillating xenon bubble chamber that combines bubble nucleation with scintillation detection, achieving sub-keV recoil sensitivity. The PICO-60 experiment under his leadership produced world-leading limits on spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross sections. He currently serves as the LZ Instrument Scientist, overseeing xenon handling systems for the Sanford Underground Research Facility.

Funding: Supported by DOE Award No. DE-SC-0012161. His lab at Northwestern develops prototypes for next-generation detectors, with ongoing work on low-threshold scalability of hybrid detection systems.