Research Interests

I was trained as a nuclear physicist. I work mostly on particle detectors and particle astrophysics, including dark matter searches like the DarkSide-50 liquid argon time projection chamber (http://darkside.lngs.infn.it/; arXiv:1410.0653), for which I am Analysis Coordinator. A new initiative for which funding is now being sought is a unique search for sterile, keV-mass neutrinos using a laser atom trap (arXiv:arXiv:1607.06876). Other interests include methods for direction-sensitive direct Dark matter searches (Astroparticle Physics 35, 235 (2011); New Journal of Physics 11, 105018 (2009)), and backgrounds affecting underground experiments (Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 54, 361-412 (2004)).

Key Publications

Selected recent publications:

Backgrounds to sensitive experiments underground. Formaggio, J. A., Martoff, C. J. Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 54, 361-412 (2004).

Negative Ion Drift and Diffusion in a TPC near 1 Bar. C. J. Martoff, R. Ayad, M. Katz-Hyman, G. Bonvincini, A. Schreiner. Nucl. Inst. Meth. A 555, 55 (2005).

Benign, Low-Z Electron Capture Agent for Negative Ion TPC. C. J. Martoff, M. P. Dion, M. Hosack, D. Barton, Nucl. Inst. Meth. A 598, 501 (2009).

Gaseous dark matter detectors. G. Sciolla, C. J. Martoff, New Journal of Physics 11, 105018 (2009).

The Case for a Directional Dark Matter Detector and the Status of Current Experimental Efforts, S. Ahlen et al. (J. Martoff), Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 25, 1 (2010).

On the mechanism of Townsend avalanche for negative molecular ions, M. P. Dion, C. J. Martoff, M. Hosack, Astroparticle Physics 33, 216 (2010).

The GEMS photoelectric x-ray polarimeters, J. K. Black, P. Deines-Jones, J. E. Hill, T. Iwahashi, K. Jahoda, P. Kaaret, T. R. Kallman, C. J. Martoff, Z. Prieskorn, J. Swank, T. Tamagawa, Proc. SPIE 7732, 77320X (2010).

Optimized running conditions and sensitivity for direction sensitive detectors of WIMP dark matter, J. Tatarowicz, C.J. Martoff, Astroparticle Physics 35, 235 (2011).

Light yield in DarkSide-10: A prototype two-phase argon TPC for dark matter searches, T. Alexander et al. (C. J. Martoff), Astroparticle Physics 49, 44 (2013)

Observation of the dependence on drift field of scintillation from nuclear recoils in liquid argon, T. Alexander et al. (C. J. Martoff), Phys. Rev. D 88, 092006 (2013).

The Darkside Search for dark Matter, Alexander, T. et al. (C. J. Martoff), J. Inst. 8, C11021 (2013).

Stable tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline osmium(iii) complex in neutral pH as a photoluminescence-following electron-transfer reagent for the detection of acetaminophen in urine and pharmaceutical formulations, Patel, M.P., Varnum, S. A. Gandla, D., Zdilla, M. J., Martoff, C. J. Analytical Methods, v 6, 5818-5829 (2014).

A Study of the Residual 39-Ar Content in Argon from Underground Sources J. Xu, F. Calaprice, C. Galbiati, A. Goretti, G. Guray, T. Hohman, D. Holtz, A. Ianni, M. Laubenstein, B. Loer, C. Love, C.J. Martoff, D. Montanari, S. Mukhopadhyay, A. Nelson, S.D. Rountree, R.B. Vogelaar, A. Wright. arXiv 1204.6011

First Results from the DarkSide-50 Dark Matter Experiment at Laboratori Nazionale Gran Sasso, P. Agnes et al. (C. J. Martoff), arXiv: 1410.0653

ArXiv Preprints:

Darklight: A search for Dark Forces at the Jefferson Laboratory Free Electron Laser Facility, J. Balewski et al. (C. J. Martoff), arXiv:1307.4432, to be published.