Status of the PICASSO experiment for spin-dependent Dark Matter searches

Understand

The PICASSO project is using superheated droplets of C$_4$F$_{10}$ for the direct detection of Dark Matter candidates in the {\it spin-dependent} (SD) sector.

• The total setup includes 32 detectors installed in the SNOLAB underground laboratory in Sudbury (Ontario, Canada).
• With a concentrated effort in detector purification and with new discrimination tools now available for analysis, Picasso published competitive results in June 2009 \cite{publi2009} and became the leading experiment in the SD sector of direct dark matter searches.
• The present level of sensitivity is at 0.16 pb on protons at 90% C.L.