The projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to two-neutrino and neutrinoless double $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{134}\mathrm{Xe}$ is presented. LZ is a 10-tonne xenon time-projection chamber optimized for the detection of dark matter particles and is expected to start operating in 2021 at Sanford Underground Research Facility, USA. Its large mass of natural xenon provides an exceptional opportunity to search for the double $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{134}\mathrm{Xe}$, for which xenon detectors enriched in $^{136}\mathrm{Xe}$ are less effective. For the two-neutrino decay mode, LZ is predicted to exclude values of the half-life up to $1.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{24}$ years at 90% confidence level (CL) and has a three-sigma observation potential of $8.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{23}$ years, approaching the predictions of nuclear models. For the neutrinoless decay mode LZ, is projected to exclude values of the half-life up to $7.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{24}$ years at 90% CL.

10.1103/physrevc.104.065501

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First Direct Limits on Lightly Ionizing Particles with Electric Charge Less than e/6

Physical Review Letters (2015)

R. Agnese A. J. Anderson D. Balakishiyeva R. Basu Thakur D. A. Bauer

While the standard model of particle physics does not include free particles with fractional charge, experimental searches have not ruled out their existence. We report results from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS II) experiment that give the first direct-detection limits for cosmogenically produced relativistic particles with electric charge lower than e/6. A search for tracks in the six stacked detectors of each of two of the CDMS II towers finds no candidates, thereby excluding new parameter space for particles with electric charges between e/6 and e/200.

Electric charge

Particle (ecology)

10.1103/physrevlett.114.111302

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First Results of the LUX Dark Matter Experiment

Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings (2016)

M. C. Carmona-Benitez D. S. Akerib H. M. Araújo Xuemin Bai A. J. Bailey

LUX (Large Underground Xenon) is a dark matter direct detection experiment deployed at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD, operating a 370 kg dual-phase xenon TPC. Results of the first WIMP search run were presented in late 2013, for the analysis of 85.3 live-days with a fiducial volume of 118 kg, taken during the period of April to August 2013. The experiment exhibited a sensitivity to spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering with a minimum upper limit on the cross section of 7.6×10−46cm2 at a WIMP mass of 33 GeV/c2, becoming the world's leading WIMP search result, in conflict with several previous claimed hints of discovery.

WIMP

Massive particle

Light dark matter

10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2015.09.043

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New constraints on ultraheavy dark matter from the LZ experiment

Physical review. D/Physical review. D. (2024)

J. Aalbers D. S. Akerib A. K. Al Musalhi F. Alder C. S. Amarasinghe

Searches for dark matter with liquid xenon time projection chamber experiments have traditionally focused on the region of the parameter space that is characteristic of weakly interacting massive particles, ranging from a few GeV/c2 to a few TeV/c2. Models of dark matter with a mass much heavier than this are well motivated by early production mechanisms different from the standard thermal freeze-out, but they have generally been less explored experimentally. In this work, we present a reanalysis of the first science run of the LZ experiment, with an exposure of 0.9 tonne×yr, to search for ultraheavy particle dark matter. The signal topology consists of multiple energy deposits in the active region of the detector forming a straight line, from which the velocity of the incoming particle can be reconstructed on an event-by-event basis. Zero events with this topology were observed after applying the data selection calibrated on a simulated sample of signal-like events. New experimental constraints are derived, which rule out previously unexplored regions of the dark matter parameter space of spin-independent interactions beyond a mass of 1017 GeV/c2. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

10.1103/physrevd.109.112010

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Silicon Detector Dark Matter Results from the Final Exposure of CDMS II

Physical Review Letters (2013)

R. Agnese Zeeshan Ahmed A. J. Anderson S. Arrenberg D. Balakishiyeva

We report results of a search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPS) with the silicon detectors of the CDMS II experiment. This blind analysis of 140.2 kg day of data taken between July 2007 and September 2008 revealed three WIMP-candidate events with a surface-event background estimate of 0.41(-0.08)(+0.20)(stat)(-0.24)(+0.28)(syst). Other known backgrounds from neutrons and 206Pb are limited to <0.13 and <0.08 events at the 90% confidence level, respectively. The exposure of this analysis is equivalent to 23.4 kg day for a recoil energy range of 7-100 keV for a WIMP of mass 10 GeV/c2. The probability that the known backgrounds would produce three or more events in the signal region is 5.4%. A profile likelihood ratio test of the three events that includes the measured recoil energies gives a 0.19% probability for the known-background-only hypothesis when tested against the alternative WIMP+background hypothesis. The highest likelihood occurs for a WIMP mass of 8.6 GeV/c2 and WIMP-nucleon cross section of 1.9×10(-41) cm2.

WIMP

Recoil

Massive particle

10.1103/physrevlett.111.251301

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Citations (468)

Search for Axions with the CDMS Experiment

Physical Review Letters (2009)

Zeeshan Ahmed D. S. Akerib S. Arrenberg C. N. Bailey D. Balakishiyeva

We report on the first axion search results from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory. An energy threshold of 2 keV for electron-recoil events allows a search for possible solar axion conversion into photons or local galactic axion conversion into electrons in the germanium crystal detectors. The solar axion search sets an upper limit on the Primakov coupling ${g}_{a\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ of $2.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{GeV}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at the 95% confidence level for an axion mass less than $0.1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{keV}/{c}^{2}$. This limit benefits from the first precise measurement of the absolute crystal plane orientations in this type of experiment. The galactic axion search analysis sets a world-leading experimental upper limit on the axioelectric coupling ${g}_{a\overline{e}e}$ of $1.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ at the 90% confidence level for an axion mass of $2.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{keV}/{c}^{2}$.

10.1103/physrevlett.103.141802

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Citations (110)

Two-neutrino double electron capture of ¹²⁴Xe in the first LUX-ZEPLIN exposure

Journal of Physics G Nuclear and Particle Physics (2024)

J. Aalbers D. S. Akerib A. K. Al Musalhi F. Alder C. S. Amarasinghe

Abstract The broad physics reach of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment covers rare phenomena beyond the direct detection of dark matter. We report precise measurements of the extremely rare decay of 124 Xe through the process of two-neutrino double electron capture, utilizing a 1.39 kg × yr isotopic exposure from the first LZ science run. A half-life of T 1 / 2 2 ν 2 EC = ( 1.09 ± 0.1 4 stat ± 0.0 5 sys ) × 1 0 22 yr is observed with a statistical significance of 8.3 σ , in agreement with literature. First empirical measurements of the KK capture fraction relative to other K-shell modes were conducted, and demonstrate consistency with respect to recent signal models at the 1.4 σ level.

10.1088/1361-6471/ad9039

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Phonon Pulse Shape Discrimination in SuperCDMS Soudan

Journal of Low Temperature Physics (2012)

S. A. Hertel M. Pyle

Recoil

10.1007/s10909-012-0498-6

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Citations (8)

Effective field theory analysis of the first LUX dark matter search

Physical review. D/Physical review. D. (2021)

D. S. Akerib S. Alsum H. M. Araújo X. Bai J. Balajthy

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter search was a 250-kg active mass dual-phase time projection chamber that operated by detecting light and ionization signals from particles incident on a xenon target. In December 2015, LUX reported a minimum 90% upper C.L. of 6×10−46 cm2 on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering cross section based on a 1.4×104 kg⋅day exposure in its first science run. Tension between experiments and the absence of a definitive positive detection suggest it would be prudent to search for WIMPs outside the standard spin-independent/spin-dependent paradigm. Recent theoretical work has identified a complete basis of 14 independent effective field theory (EFT) operators to describe WIMP-nucleon interactions. In addition to spin-independent and spin-dependent nuclear responses, these operators can produce novel responses such as angular-momentum-dependent and spin-orbit couplings. Here we report on a search for all 14 of these EFT couplings with data from LUX's first science run. Limits are placed on each coupling as a function of WIMP mass.Received 26 March 2020Revised 5 May 2021Accepted 25 May 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.103.122005© 2021 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasParticle astrophysicsParticle dark matterTechniquesDark matter detectorsGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

WIMP

Time projection chamber

Effective field theory

10.1103/physrevd.103.122005

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Citations (10)