Talso Chui
Jet PropulsionLaboratory
Abstract:
Strange Quark Matter (SQM) made of up, down and strange quarks
has been postulated by Witten [/Phys. Rev D 30/, 279, 1984]. SQM is nearly charge
neutral and has density of nuclear matter (10^14 gm/cm^3). Witten also suggested
that SQM formed shortly after the Big Bang is a viable candidate for dark matter.
As suggested by de Rujula and Glashow [/Nature/ /312/, 734, 1984], a nugget
of SQM may traverse a body releasing detectable seismic energy along a straight
line. The Moon, being much quieter seismically than the Earth, would be an ideal
place for detecting SQM. We will review previous searches for SQM to illustrate
the unique parameter space to be explored by a proposal to use the Moon as a
low-noise detector for SQM. We will discuss possible detection schemes by using
a single seismometer, and by using an International Lunar Seismic Network. Development
of a sensitive seismometer and its electronics will also be presented.