Maximum Likelihood Analysis of Low Energy CDMS II Germanium Data
  We report on the results of a search for a Weakly Interacting Massive
Particle (WIMP) signal in low-energy data of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search
(CDMS~II) experiment using a maximum likelihood analysis. A background model is
constructed using GEANT4 to simulate the surface-event background from
$^{210}$Pb decay-chain events, while using independent calibration data to
model the gamma background. Fitting this background model to the data results
in no statistically significant WIMP component. In addition, we perform fits
using an analytic ad hoc background model proposed by Collar and Fields, who
claimed to find a large excess of signal-like events in our data. We confirm
the strong preference for a signal hypothesis in their analysis under these
assumptions, but excesses are observed in both single- and multiple-scatter
events, which implies the signal is not caused by WIMPs, but rather reflects
the inadequacy of their background model.
