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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Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX

Physical review. D/Physical review. D. (2020)

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

We present a novel analysis technique for liquid xenon time projection chambers that allows for a lower threshold by relying on events with a prompt scintillation signal consisting of single detected photons. The energy threshold of the LUX dark matter experiment is primarily determined by the smallest scintillation response detectable, which previously required a twofold coincidence signal in its photomultiplier arrays, enforced in data analysis. The technique presented here exploits the double photoelectron emission effect observed in some photomultiplier models at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths. We demonstrate this analysis using an electron recoil calibration dataset and place new constraints on the spin-independent scattering cross section of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) down to $2.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}/{c}^{2}$ WIMP mass using the 2013 LUX dataset. This new technique is promising to enhance light WIMP and astrophysical neutrino searches in next-generation liquid xenon experiments.

WIMP

Time projection chamber

Recoil

10.1103/physrevd.101.042001

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Citations (29)

Calibration and monitoring of the MEG experiment by a proton beam from a Cockcroft–Walton accelerator

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment (2011)

J. Adam X. Bai A. Baldini E. Baracchini C. Bemporad

Calorimeter (particle physics)

10.1016/j.nima.2011.03.048

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Citations (33)

The IceCube Collaboration

A. Achterberg M. Ackermann J. Ahrens X. Bai B. Baret

The AMANDA-II data collected during the period 2000–2003 have been analysed in a search for a diffuse flux of high-energy extra-terrestrial muon neutrinos from the sum of all sources in the Universe. With no excess events seen, an upper limit of Eν × dNν/dEν< 7.4×10−8 GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1was obtained. The sensitivity of the diffuse analysis of IceCube 9 string for 137 days of data is calculated to be Eν × dNν/dEν< 1.3× 10−7 GeV cm−2 s−1 sr−1. No excess events are observed, which confirms the AMANDA-II upper limit.

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The LUX Experiment

Physics Procedia (2015)

D. S. Akerib H. M. Araújo X. Bai A. J. Bailey J. Balajthy

We present the status and prospects of the LUX experiment, which employs approximately 300 kg of two-phase xenon to search for WIMP dark matter interactions.The LUX detector was commissioned at the surface laboratory of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, SD, between December 2011 and February 2012 and the detector has been operating underground since January, 2013.These proceedings review the results of the commissioning run as well as the status of underground data-taking through the summer of 2013.

10.1016/j.phpro.2014.12.013

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Citations (1)

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory - Contributions to ICRC 2015 Part V: Neutrino Oscillations and Supernova Searches

arXiv (Cornell University) (2015)

The IceCube Collaboration M. G. Aartsen K. Abraham M. Ackermann J. Adams

Papers on neutrino oscillations and supernova searches submitted to the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2015, The Hague) by the IceCube Collaboration.

Solar neutrino problem

Neutrino astronomy

10.48550/arxiv.1510.05227

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Citations (4)

Erratum: Constraints on the extremely-high energy cosmic neutrino flux with the IceCube 2008-2009 data [Phys. Rev. D83, 092003 (2011)]

Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D, Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology (2011)

Rasha Abbasi Y. Abdou T. Abu-Zayyad J. S. Adams J. A. Aguilar

We report on a search for extremely-high energy neutrinos with energies greater than $10^6$ GeV using the data taken with the IceCube detector at the South Pole. The data was collected between April 2008 and May 2009 with the half completed IceCube array. The absence of signal candidate events in the sample of 333.5 days of livetime significantly improves model independent limit from previous searches and allows to place a limit on the diffuse flux of cosmic neutrinos with an $E^{-2}$ spectrum in the energy range $2.0 \times 10^{6}$ $-$ $6.3 \times 10^{9}$ GeV to a level of $E^2 \phi \leq 3.6 \times 10^{-8}$ ${\rm GeV cm^{-2} sec^{-1}sr^{-1}}$.

10.1103/physrevd.84.079902

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The LUX Prototype Detector

arXiv (Cornell University) (2012)

D. S. Akerib X. Bai S. Bedikian A. Bernstein A. Bolozdynya

The LUX (Large Underground Xenon) detector is a two-phase xenon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) designed to search for WIMP-nucleon dark matter interactions. As with all noble element detectors, continuous purification of the detector medium is essential to produce a large ($>$1ms) electron lifetime; this is necessary for efficient measurement of the electron signal which in turn is essential for achieving robust discrimination of signal from background events. In this paper we describe the development of a novel purification system deployed in a prototype detector. The results from the operation of this prototype indicated heat exchange with an efficiency above 94% up to a flow rate of 42 slpm, allowing for an electron drift length greater than 1 meter to be achieved in approximately two days and sustained for the duration of the testing period.

WIMP

Time projection chamber

SIGNAL (programming language)

Gas electron multiplier

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VizieR Online Data Catalog: ALMA obs. of polarization in the IM Lup disk (Hull+, 2018)

yCat (2019)

Charles L. H. Hull Haneul Yang Z. Y. Li Akimasa Kataoka Ian Stephens

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