DIMS (Dark matter Interstellar Meteoroid Study) Experiment

The DIMS (Dark matter and Interstellar Meteoroid Study) experiment is designed to search for macroscopic dark matter candidates, commonly referred to as “macros” such as nuclearites, as well as interstellar meteoroids. These macros are expected to travel at Galactic velocities of approximately 250 km/s and produce luminous meteor-like events in the atmosphere. To detect such phenomena, we operate high-sensitivity CMOS video camera systems in Japan and at the Telescope Array site in Utah, USA, continuously monitoring the night sky. Since deployment, the system has recorded over 500,000 video files, primarily triggered by meteors. The dataset is currently under analysis with a focus on meteor astronomy. These results are being used to evaluate the detection sensitivity to macros and to derive upper limits on their flux. In this contribution, we present an overview of the DIMS system and initial results from meteor observations, which serve to assess the performance of the instruments.