La volonté d'améliorer l'efficacité énergétique des réacteurs nucléaires a motivé de nouvelles solutions dans leur conception. L'une d'elles est l’utilisation d’un réflecteur lourd dans les réacteurs de génération III+ et les futurs réacteurs de génération IV. Lorsque la matière est traversée par des rayons γ, les excitations induites entraînent une élévation de sa température. Ce processus, appelé échauffement γ, est responsable de plus de 90% de la production de chaleur dans la région hors combustible d'un réacteur nucléaire. C’est également le cas dans le réflecteur. Pour simuler l'effet de l’échauffement γ en fonction de la composition du combustible, il faut disposer de données précises sur les γ prompts émis par les différents fragments produits dans le processus de fission. En 2012, une campagne d’expériences inédite, EXILL, a été menée au réacteur de recherche de l'ILL. Un grand nombre de détecteurs HPGe a été placé autour d’une cible fissile et a mesuré les rayons γ émis par la cible alors qu’elle était irradiée par un faisceau intense de neutrons froids. Dans ce travail, nous avons analysé les données obtenues avec des cibles ²³⁵U. Elles nous ont permis d’étudier la désexcitation de plusieurs fragments de fission et plus globalement le processus de fission induite par des neutrons. Dans un premier temps, nous avons utilisé la méthode standard d'analyse par coïncidence γ-γ-γ. Nous avons pu filtrer les données expérimentales, identifier les transitions γ dans des fragments bien produits et calculer leur intensité relative. Les problèmes que nous avons rencontrés concernent le bruit de fond. Les résultats obtenus dépendent de ce choix et présentent donc des problèmes de reproductibilité. Nous avons développé et testé une nouvelle méthodologie d'analyse. Son principe est un balayage des portes de coïncidence selon trois directions, ce qui permet de trouver le bruit de fond le mieux adapté. L'idée principale était finalement de passer d'une méthode "spectroscopique", dont le but est de trouver de nouvelles transitions et des états excités dans un noyau, à une méthode "spectrométrique", qui nous permet d'obtenir plus précisément l’intensité de transitions γ connues, avec une meilleure estimation de leur incertitude. Cela nous a amené à développer un logiciel d'analyse semi-automatique d'ajustement des pics. Divers schémas de calcul de l'intensité des transitions γ ont été également élaborés pour tenir compte des contaminations possibles, selon leur emplacement dans la matrice de coïncidence et leur intensité. La méthode standard et la nouvelle méthode d'analyse ont été comparées pour l'analyse du ¹⁴²Ba. Dans ce travail, nous avons également comparé nos résultats sur quelques noyaux, tel que le ¹⁰⁰Zr, avec des simulations réalisées avec le code FIFRELIN. Ce dernier est un code Monte-Carlo qui simule le processus de fission et la désexcitation des fragments de fission. FIFRELIN utilise plusieurs modèles différents pour décrire ces processus. Nous avons testé le comportement des différents modèles, trouvé les valeurs optimales des paramètres de simulation et testé comment ces configurations reproduisaient les résultats expérimentaux. FIFRELIN n'a pas été en mesure de reproduire simultanément les intensités des transitions γ émises par les fragments de ¹⁰⁰Zr et la multiplicité de neutrons prompts moyennée sur tous les fragments de fission. Cependant, avec des paramètres modifiés, FIFRELIN a fourni localement une multiplicité de neutrons prompts correcte pour les fragments de masse atomique A=100 et des intensités de transition γ bien reproduites pour le noyau de ¹⁰⁰Zr. Nous avons également comparé nos résultats expérimentaux sur les fragments de ¹⁰⁰Zr provenant du processus ²³⁵U(n,f) avec les autres données expérimentales disponibles provenant des expériences sur ²⁴⁸Cm(sf) et ²⁵²Cf(sf), et une autre expérience sur ²³⁵U(n,f). / The desire to improve the fuel efficiency of nuclear reactors has motivated new solutions in their design. One of them is the heavy reflector used in the generation III+ and in the future generation IV reactors. γ-rays passing through matter cause its excitation and temperature rise. It is a process called γ-heating, and it is responsible for more than 90% of the heat production in the non-fuel region of the nuclear reactor. This is also the case of the heavy reflector. To simulate the γ-heating effect in every state of the nuclear reactor it is necessary to have precise data on the prompt γ-rays emitted by different fission fragments produced in the course of the nuclear chain reaction. In 2012, at the research reactor of the ILL, an innovative experiment, called EXILL, was conducted. It produced a large amount of useful data on the de-excitation of the fission fragments. A large number of HPGe detectors were used to study the neutron induced fission process by measuring the emitted γ-rays. Fissile targets were irradiated by an intense cold neutron beam. In this work we analyzed the ²³⁵U targets. We studied several fission fragments and more generally the fission process by using high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy. At the beginning, we used the standard γ-γ-γ coincidence analysis method. We were able to filter experimental data, identify the well produced γ-rays, and calculate their relative intensities. The problems we have encountered are related to the background. The results obtained with this method were background dependent and thus presented some problems with reproducibility. We therefore developed and tested a new analysis methodology. Its crucial feature is a coincidence gates scanning in three directions which helps to find the most suitable background. The idea was to move from a “spectroscopic” method, which main purpose is finding new transitions and excited states in a nucleus, to a “spectrometric” method, which allows us to obtain more precise γ-ray intensities. We developed a semi-automatic analysis software which facilitates fitting of the chosen γ-ray peak, the contamination and the background. Various γ-ray intensity calculation schemes were derived to take into account different contamination strengths and placements. The results of the analysis with the new technique are reproducible and more reliable. The standard and the new analysis method were compared in the ¹⁴²Ba analysis. In this work, we also compared our experimental results on some nuclei, such as ¹⁰⁰Zr, with the simulation results performed with the FIFRELIN code. It is a Monte-Carlo code which simulates the fission process and the de-excitation of the fission fragments. It uses various models to describe these processes. We were able to test the behavior of different models implemented in FIFRELIN to find the optimal simulation parameter values and to test how well these setups reproduce the experimental results. FIFRELIN was unable to simultaneously reproduce the γ-ray intensities of ¹⁰⁰Zr and the prompt-neutron multiplicity averaged over all fission fragments. However, with modified simulation parameters, FIFRELIN locally provided correct prompt-neutron multiplicity for the fission fragment with the atomic mass A=100 and well reproduced γ-ray intensities of ¹⁰⁰Zr. We also compared our experimental results on ¹⁰⁰Zr coming from the ²³⁵U(n,f) process with the other available experimental data coming from the experiments on ²⁴⁸Cm(sf) and ²⁵²Cf(sf), and another experiment on ²³⁵U(n,f).

No description available.

The nature of high-energy gamma-ray emission from Star-Forming Galaxies is of utmost importance for understanding both the origin of Cosmic Rays and the high-energy processes that shape galaxy formation. Observations from the gamma-ray telescope Fermi-LAT have detected gamma-ray emission from a handful of nearby Star-Forming Galaxies. Interestingly, observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud show evidence for a spectral cutoff at energies of approximately 10 GeV. This has raised the question as to whether some Star-Forming Galaxies are unable to contain their Cosmic Ray population. Using the Fermitools to analyse the gamma-ray emission from a selection of bright nearby Star-Forming Galaxies, this study intends to explore the possibility of finding further evidence for exponential cutoffs in the gamma-ray spectrum of Star-Forming Galaxies. The shape of the combined spectrum of the 49 galaxies in the sample was determined using least-square fitting of a single power law, a broken power law and a power law with an exponential cutoff. No evidence of an exponentialcutoff was found and the shape of the spectrum was best described by a broken power law with indices Γ1 = -2.48 ± 0.05 and Γ2 = -0.88 ± 0.09. This is in poor agreement with previous observations, which favour a simple power law with an index in the range -2.2 to -2.4. Interestingly, the single power law, while disfavoured over the broken power law at ~7σ, was best fit with the index Γ = -2.35 ± 0.06, which is surprisingly well in agreement with previous observations. The discrepancy between the results presented here and those found in the literature is interpreted as due to insufficient treatment of background fluctuations and the possible existence of bright sources at the unverified blank sky locations used for modelling the background.

Title: Point defects in materials for detection of X-ray and gamma radiation Author: Martin Rejhon Department: Institute of Physics of Charles University Supervisor: prof. Ing. Jan Franc, DrSc., Institute of Physics of Charles Uni- versity Abstract: Cadmium telluride and its compounds are suitable materials for pro- duction of X-ray and gamma-ray detectors working at room temperature. How- ever, the detector quality is affected by material imperfections, such as crystal defects and impurities. It results into forming of deep levels which act as re- combination and trapping centers. Then, the accumulated space charge at these deep levels influences electric and spectroscopic properties of the detector. In the end it may result in the polarization effect, when the electric field is localized in vicinity of one contact and detection properties are decreased. This thesis reports a complex study of a detector band structure by various meth- ods with focus on differences between CdTe, CdZnTe, CdTeSe and CdZnTeSe. The electro-optic Pockels effect is used to investigate the influence of the illumi- nation in range 900 − 1800 nm on the inner electric field. The temperature and time evolutions of the electric field after application of bias or switching of the additional light at 940 nm were measured to determine deep levels...

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre de la préparation de la mission spatiale franco­-chinoise SVOM (Space Variable Object Monitor) opérationnelle à l’horizon 2021 et qui aura pour but de détecter et caractériser les sursauts gamma. La première partie de la thèse consiste au développement d’un logiciel de simulation de COLIBRI (Catching OpticaL and Infrared BRight transIents), un télescope de suivi au sol de SVOM. Il comporte un simulateur de sursauts gamma, un exposure time calculator, un simulateur d'image, un algorithme estimant le redshift photométrique. Il a permis d'une part d’estimer les performances scientifiques du télescope afin de s'assurer qu'elles satisfont le cahier des charges, et d'autre part d'estimer une précision sur l'estimation de la distance du sursaut de l'ordre de 10% et 15% sur le redshift pour les sursauts à 3.5 < z < 8 et z > 8. La deuxième partie de la thèse porte sur l’étude de la propriété des poussières au sein des galaxies dans lesquelles se produisent ces sursauts gamma, mais aussi à l’étude de leur activité de formation stellaire. J'ai comparé les courbes d'extinction mesurées sur la ligne de visée de 7 GRBs à la courbe d'atténuation de leurs galaxies à l'aide d'un code de SED fitting, CIGALE. En comparant à un code de transfert radiatif on obtient des informations sur la distribution étoiles / poussière au sein de ces galaxies. Sur un échantillon élargi, on montre que les courbes d'atténuation pentues (plates) corrèlent avec des galaxies avec une faible (grande) atténuation due à la poussière, les moins (plus) activent en formation stellaire et les moins (plus) massives / This thesis lies within the framework of the sino-french SVOM (Space Variable Object Monitor) mission to be launched in 2021 whose objective is the detection and characterisation of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The first part consists in the development of an end-to-end software for COLIBRI (Catching OpticaL and Infrared BRight transIents), a SVOM ground follow-up telescope. It consists in a GRB simulator, an Exposure Time Calculator, an image simulator and a photometric redshift algorithm. It allowed to estimate the telescope scientific performances to ensure that the optical design was fulfilling the scientific requirements. The relative accuracy on the photometric redshift delivered by COLIBRI is estimated to be about 10% and 15% for GRBs at 3.5 < z < 8 et z > 8. The second part of the thesis deals mainly with the study of dust properties in GRB host galaxies, but also with the star formation activity in these galaxies. We compare extinction curves measured along the GRB line of sight for 7 GRBs to the attenuation curve of their host galaxies measured with CIGALE, a SED fitting code. By comparing these curves to the results of a radiative transfer code, we obtain information about the geometrical distribution of dust and stars in these galaxies. On a larger sample of 23 galaxies, we show that the steepest (flattest) attenuation curves are associated to galaxies with a large (small) amount of dust attenuation, less (more) active in star formation and less (more) massive galaxies

In a collaboration with limnologists at Uppsala University a planar HPGe detector has been used to find 210Pb in lake bottom sediment in hopes of getting an estimation for the sedimentation rate. Using a least squares fit to the data, the sedimentation rate was calculated to 0.08 ± 0.01 cm/year with background subtraction, and with it a timescale for the age of the sediment could be implemented. With this timescale the lake bottom sediment can be dated as far back as a century. Along with this, using 137Cs traces from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 a consistency check can be made for our timescale. It is estimated that the Chernobyl disaster occurred at 1989 ± 7 years which is consistent with reality since 1986 is included in the interval 1982-1989. This helps us validate the determined sedimentation rates.

While there are existing methods of gamma ray-track reconstruction in specialized detectors such as AGATA, including backtracking and clustering, it is naturally of interest to diversify the portfolio of available tools to provide us viable alternatives. In this study some possibilities found in the field of machine learning were investigated, more specifically within the field of graph neural networks. In this project there was attempt to reconstruct gamma tracks in a germanium solid using data simulated in Geant4. The data consists of photon energies below the pair production limit and so we are limited to the processes of photoelectric absorption and Compton scattering. The author turned to the field of graph networks to utilize its edge and node structure for data of such variable input size as found in this task. A graph neural network (GNN) was implemented and trained on a variety of gamma multiplicities and energies and was subsequently tested in terms of various accuracy parameters and generated energy spectra. In the end the best result involved an edge classifier trained on a large dataset containing a 10^6 tracks bundled together into separate events to be resolved. The network was capable of recalling up to 95 percent of the connective edges for the selected threshold in the infinite resolution case with a peak-to-total ratio of 68 percent for a set of packed data with a model trained on simulated data including realistic uncertainties in both position and energy. / Trots att det existerar en mängd metoder för rekonstruktion av spår i specialiserade detektorer som AGATA är det av naturligt intresse att diversifiera och undersöka nya verktyg för uppgiften. I denna studie undersöktes några möjligheter inom maskininlärning, närmare bestämt inom området neurala grafnätverk.  Under projektets gång simulerades data av fotoner i en ihålig, sfärisk geometri av germanium i Geant4. Den simulerade datan är begränsad till energier under parproduktion så datan består av reaktioner genom den fotoelektriska effekten och comptonspridning. Den variabla storleken på denna data och dess spridning i detektorns geometri lämpar sig för ett grafformat med nod och länkstruktur. Ett neuralt grafnätverk (GNN) implementerades och tränades på data med gamma av variabel multiplicitet och energi och evaluerades på ett urval prestandaparametrar och dess förmåga att generera ett användbart spektra. Slutresultatet involverade en länkklassificerings modell tränat på data med 10^6 spår sammanslagna till händelser. Nätverket återkallade 95 procent av positiva länkar för ett val av tröskelvärde i fallet med oändlig upplösning med ett peak-to-total på 68 procent för packad data behandlad med osäkerhet i energi och position motsvarande fallet med begränsad upplösning.

Die Protonentherapie, welche zur Behandlung von Tumoren mittlerweile weltweit eingesetzt wird, könnte von einem System zur Reichweitekontrolle des Protonenstrahls bedeutend profitieren. Einen Rückschluss auf die Position der Protonen in Echtzeit ermöglicht die prompte Gammastrahlung. Diese Sekundärstrahlung entsteht durch nukleare Wechselwirkungen der Protonen mit den Atomkernen im Gewebe. Derzeit existieren verschiedene Methoden die aus einer Messung der zeitlichen oder räumlichen Verteilung dieser hochenergetischen Photonen versuchen eine Reichweiteinformation zu gewinnen. Die Methoden zur Nutzung prompter Gammastrahlung beruhen auf den verlässlichen Voraussagen von Teilchentransportrechnungen. Im Vergleich zu Messungen zeigen diese jedoch Diskrepanzen in den Photonenproduktionsquerschnitten aufgrund mangelnder experimenteller Stützstellen. Um einen Beitrag zu der Datenlage zu leisten, soll das Emissionsspektrum prompter Gammastrahlung am Kohlenstoff bestimmt werden. Dazu werden mithilfe von Entfaltungsalgorithmen aus den aufbereiteten Messdaten und der simulierten Detektorantwort vorhandene Energielinien und deren Intensität extrahiert. Über eine Normierung auf die Anzahl einfallender Protonen erfolgt die Bestimmung von Ausbeuten prompter Gammastrahlung bei der Bestrahlung homogener Kohlenstofftargets mit Protonen.:1 Einleitung und Motivation 2 Grundlagen der Entfaltung von Gammaspektren 2.1 Inverses Problem 2.1.1 Gold-Dekonvolution 2.1.2 Spektrum-Stripping 3 Experimentelle Bestimmung des prompten Gammaspektrums 3.1 Vorbetrachtungen und Aufbau des Experimentes 3.2 Verarbeitung der Messdaten 3.3 Optimierung des Messaufbaus und Maßnahmen der Untergrundreduktion 3.3.1 Abschirmung der Detektoren und Untergrundkorrektur 3.3.2 Flugzeitdiskriminierung 4 Entfaltung der gewonnenen Gammaspektren 4.1 Bestimmung der Detektorantwort mit GEANT 4 4.1.1 Bestimmung der detektorspezifischen Energieauflösung und des Ansprechvermögens über Quellmessungen 4.2 Entfaltung 4.2.1 Ergebnisse der Gold-Dekonvolution 4.2.2 Ergebnisse des Spektrum-Stripping 4.3 Protonenfluenznormierung 5 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick Anhang A Depositionsspektren der Detektoren 2 (125°) und 3 (55°) 69 Literaturverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis Danksagung Selbstständigkeitserklärung / Proton therapy, which has become a clinically established technology for cancer treatment worldwide, would greatly benefit from an appropriate range verification system. A signature, which can be used to trace the range of the primary protons in real time during the treatment, is the so-called prompt gamma radiation. It is produced in nuclear reactions of the protons with the nuclei in tissue. Currently, there are different approaches which try to decode a range information from the spatial or time distribution of these high energetic photons. Methods utilizing prompt gamma-rays rely on the prediction of particle transport simulations. In comparison to measurements these simulations show severe deviations in prompt gamma-ray yield due to insufficient availability of experimental data. To make a contribution to the data situation, the prompt gamma-ray emission spectra for carbon should be investigated. Therefore deconvolution algorithms are applied to measured spectra with knowledge of the detector response function. Unfolded energy lines and their intensities are examined. With help of proton fluence some yields for the irradiation of homogeneous graphite targets are determined.:1 Einleitung und Motivation 2 Grundlagen der Entfaltung von Gammaspektren 2.1 Inverses Problem 2.1.1 Gold-Dekonvolution 2.1.2 Spektrum-Stripping 3 Experimentelle Bestimmung des prompten Gammaspektrums 3.1 Vorbetrachtungen und Aufbau des Experimentes 3.2 Verarbeitung der Messdaten 3.3 Optimierung des Messaufbaus und Maßnahmen der Untergrundreduktion 3.3.1 Abschirmung der Detektoren und Untergrundkorrektur 3.3.2 Flugzeitdiskriminierung 4 Entfaltung der gewonnenen Gammaspektren 4.1 Bestimmung der Detektorantwort mit GEANT 4 4.1.1 Bestimmung der detektorspezifischen Energieauflösung und des Ansprechvermögens über Quellmessungen 4.2 Entfaltung 4.2.1 Ergebnisse der Gold-Dekonvolution 4.2.2 Ergebnisse des Spektrum-Stripping 4.3 Protonenfluenznormierung 5 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick Anhang A Depositionsspektren der Detektoren 2 (125°) und 3 (55°) 69 Literaturverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis Danksagung Selbstständigkeitserklärung

A space camera is a promising candidate to address the non-stop rising interest for astrophysics research in the Compton regime. The MeVCube mission is intended to be launched in 2022, hosting an on-board Compton Camera. To better support the development of the instrument in this early stage, a series of feasibility studies to assess two potential launch orbits were performed. The studies were composed by a series of mission analysis simulations which permitted the characterisation of the orbital environments for the two orbital options. Several sources of background noise to the instrument were identified. The population of trapped protons and trapped electrons were simulated for the periods of Solar Minimum and Solar Maximum, as well as the levels of Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) flux. The performance of trade-off studies concluded that an equatorial orbit is more preferable for reducing the influence of background noise. To better estimate the environment effects at the equatorial orbit, the number of particles which can penetrate the detector shielding were simulated. The next step was to perform a series secondary studies whose aim were to simulate the induced current on the electrodes, produced by the interactions occurring within the detector. The actualisation of these simulations required the study of photon interaction with matter, the various Cadmium-Zink-Telluride (CZT) types and the how they operate, and the use of a sophisticated software to perform the appropriate simulations. COMSOL, which allows the method of FEA, was chosen as the tool to perform the simulations. The geometry of the detector voxel was primarily designed in SIEMENS NX. The geometry was inserted into COMSOL, where a number of iterations were performed to finalise the appropriate mesh size, which ensured an accurate representation of the Electric field and the Weighting potential within the detector voxel. The induced current on the electrodes was decided to be calculated via MATLAB. As a verification step it was thought useful to firstly plot the weighting potential of the three electrodes under test; the chosen anode pixel, the steering grid and the cathode. The process revealed a series of numerical errors, most likely introduced by the type of mesh chosen or by the data manipulation process via MATLAB. Significant reduction of the numerical errors would lead to more accurate values for the induced current. Unfortunately, due to time constraints this was a task that was not completed. Solving this problem would be optimal for future studies with MATLAB, as the induced current on the electrodes can be correctly calculated based on charge transport within the detector bulk. / MeVCube, DESY

Dunkle Materie bindet etwa 24 % der gesamten Energie im Universum. Bis heute ist jedoch dessen Ursprung nicht bekannt. Untersuchungen von Galaxien und kosmologischen Messungen deuten auf Dunkle Materie hin. Ein Kandidat für Dunkle Materie ist das sogenannte Weakly Interactive Massive Particle (WIMP), welches nur der Schwerkraft und der schwachen Wechselwirkung unterliegt. Eines dieser supersymmetrischen Teilchen ist das Neutralino. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, nach Dunkler Materie in dieser Form zu suchen. Aufgrund seiner Nähe sowie der hohen Dichte an Dunkler Materie bietet das Zentrum unserer Galaxie besondere Möglichkeiten zur Suche nach diesen Teilchen. Es wird vermutet, dass Neutralinos miteinander wechselwirken, dabei in Teilchen des Standard Modells zerfallen und so Photonen mit hohen Energien entstehen. Die Suche nach hochenergetischen Gammastrahlen in der Nähe des Galaktischen Zentrums kann folglich das Rätsel der Dunklen Materie lösen. Das Gammastrahlenobservatorium VERITAS hat das Galaktische Zentrum für etwa 108 Stunden beobachtet. Diese Daten wurden mittels einer unbinned Likelihood-Analyse auf die Existenz von Dunkler Materie untersucht. Da VERITAS das Galaktische Zentrum bei geringer Elevation beobachtet, können nur Gammastrahlen in einem Energiebereich zwischen 4 und 70 TeV detektiert werden. Die Analysemethode modelliert sowohl die räumliche Verteilung der Dunklen Materie als auch das Gammastrahlenspektrum. Der Beitrag der Gammastrahlen, welcher nicht von Dunkler Materie erzeugt wird, ist mittels einer punktförmigen Quelle modelliert. Zum Schluss wird der Untergrund mit realen Daten außerhalb des Galaktischen Zentrums abgeschätzt. Im Energiebereich zwischen 4 und 100 TeV wurden keine Signale der Dunklen Materie gefunden. Obere Grenzwerte für den Wechselwirkungsquerschnitt der WIMPs ergeben ⟨σv⟩ < (6.6 − 7.6) × 10−25 cm^3 oberhalb von 70 TeV in einem 95-prozentigen Erwartungsintervall. / Dark matter accounts for 24% of the universe’s energy, but the form in which it is stored is currently unknown. Understanding what form this matter takes is one of the major unsolved mysteries of modern physics. Much evidence exists for dark matter in the measurements of galaxies, dwarf galaxies, galaxy clusters, and cosmological measurements. One theory posits dark matter is a new undiscovered particle that only interacts via gravity and the weak force, called a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP). One WIMP candidate is a supersymmetric particle called a neutralino. The objective of this thesis is to search for these dark matter particles, and attempt to measure their mass and cross section. Dark matter particles appear to concentrate in most galaxy-scale gravitational wells. One region of space that is both nearby and assumed to have a high density of dark matter is the center of our own galaxy. The neutralino is expected to annihilate into Standard Model particles, which may decay into photons. Therefore, a search for gamma rays near the Galactic Center may uncover the presence of dark matter. 108 hours of VERITAS gamma-ray observations of the Galactic Center are used in an unbinned likelihood analysis to search for dark matter. The Galactic Center’s low elevation results in VERITAS observing gamma rays in the 4–70 TeV energy range. The analysis used in this thesis consists of modeling the halo of dark matter at the Galactic Center, as well as the spectrum of gamma rays produced when two WIMPs annihilate. A point source is added to model the non-dark-matter gamma-ray emission detected from the Galactic Center. Background models are constructed from data of separate off-Galactic-Center observations. No dark matter signal is found in the 4–100 TeV mass range. Upper limits on the WIMP’s velocity-averaged cross section have been calculated, which above 70 TeV result in new limits of ⟨σv⟩ < (6.6 − 7.6) × 10−25 cm3 at the 95% confidence level.