Search

The search for Dark Matter is one of the open questions in physics research beyond the Standard Model. The light Dark Matter hypothesis assumes particle candidates with a mass lower than few GeV/c 2 , interacting with ordinary matter through a new force; among the various possible models, that of the "dark photon" postulates the existence of a new U(1) interaction mediated by a massive vector boson. The NA64 experiment at CERN investigates the existence of light Dark Matter via the "missing energy" technique through a 100 GeV electron beam impacting an active fixed target (ECAL). In this context, the POKER project will use the existing NA64 setup with necessary upgrades. A new high-resolution active target made of lead tungstate (PbWO 4) crystals will be employed. A custom readout and bias system will be developed to handle short-term variations in the SPS beam intensity at CERN, ensuring consistent photosensor gain and detector resolution. In this document, we present the characterization of the crystals' radiation tolerance and the measurements of the performances of different commercial power supplies for the POKER calorimeter SiPMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]