Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The hypothesis of the existence of non-baryonic dark matter in our galactic halo is supported by many astrophysical observations at local to cosmological scales. Particles interacting weakly with ordinary matter, with an associated mass of the order of an atomic nucleus (aka WIMPS), are credible candidates for Dark Matter (DM). The direct detection of an elastic collision of a target nuclei on one of these WIMPs has to be discriminated from the signal produced by the neutrons, which leaves the same signal in a detector. Initiating a new generation of directional detectors, the MIMAC (MIcro-tpc MAtrix of Chambers) collaboration has developed an original prototype detector which combines a large pixelated Micromegas coupled with a fast, self-triggering, electronics. A two-chamber module has been in operation in the Underground Laboratory of Modane (LSM) for the past four years. Aspects of the Modane prototype are presented: calibration, characterization of the 222Rn progeny. A new test bench combining a MIMAC chamber with the COMIMAC portable quenching line has been installed at LPSC (Grenoble) so as to characterize the 3D tracks of low energy ions in the MIMAC gas mixture: the setup and the preliminary results thereof will be presented. Future steps and how a low-pressure gaseous TPC like MIMAC compare with other directionnal strategies will be briefly discussed.