Dark Matter Searches with the Experiment EDELWEISS-II

The EDELWEISS II experiment is devoted to the search for the Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs) that would constitute the Dark Matter halo of our Galaxy. For this purpose, the experiment uses cryogenic germanium detectors, cooled down to 20 mK, in which the collision of a WIMP with an atom produces characteristic signals in terms of ionization and elevation of temperature. We present the preliminary results of the first operation of the detectors installed in the underground laboratory of the Frejus Tunnel (LSM), attesting to the very low radioactive background conditions achieved so far. Novel detectors, with a special electrode design for active rejection of surface events, have been shown to be suited for searches of WIMPs with scattering cross-sections on nucleons well below 10(-8) pb. Preliminary results of WIMP searches performed with a first set of these detectors will be shown as well.