Nuclear Recoil Calibration at Sub-keV Energies in LUX and Its Impact on Dark Matter Search Sensitivity

Physical Review Letters American Physical Society (APS) 134:6 (2025) 061002

Authors:

DS Akerib, S Alsum, HM Araújo, X Bai, J Balajthy, J Bang, A Baxter, EP Bernard, A Bernstein, TP Biesiadzinski, EM Boulton, B Boxer, P Brás, S Burdin, D Byram, MC Carmona-Benitez, C Chan, JE Cutter, L de Viveiros, E Druszkiewicz, A Fan, S Fiorucci, RJ Gaitskell, C Ghag, MGD Gilchriese, C Gwilliam, CR Hall, SJ Haselschwardt, SA Hertel, DP Hogan, M Horn, DQ Huang, CM Ignarra, RG Jacobsen, O Jahangir, W Ji, K Kamdin, K Kazkaz, D Khaitan, EV Korolkova, S Kravitz, VA Kudryavtsev, E Leason, KT Lesko, J Liao, J Lin, A Lindote, MI Lopes, A Manalaysay, RL Mannino, N Marangou, DN McKinsey, D-M Mei, JA Morad, A St J Murphy, A Naylor, C Nehrkorn, HN Nelson, F Neves, A Nilima, KC Oliver-Mallory, KJ Palladino, C Rhyne, Q Riffard, GRC Rischbieter, P Rossiter, S Shaw, TA Shutt, C Silva, M Solmaz, VN Solovov, P Sorensen, TJ Sumner, N Swanson, M Szydagis, DJ Taylor, R Taylor, WC Taylor, BP Tennyson, PA Terman, DR Tiedt, WH To, L Tvrznikova, U Utku, A Vacheret, A Vaitkus, V Velan, RC Webb, JT White, TJ Whitis, MS Witherell, FLH Wolfs, D Woodward, X Xiang, J Xu, C Zhang

DarkSide-20k sensitivity to light dark matter particles

Communications Physics Springer Nature 7:1 (2024) 422

Authors:

F Acerbi, P Adhikari, P Agnes, I Ahmad, S Albergo, Ifm Albuquerque, T Alexander, Ak Alton, P Amaudruz, M Angiolilli, E Aprile, R Ardito, M Atzori Corona, Dj Auty, M Ave, Ic Avetisov, O Azzolini, Ho Back, Z Balmforth, A Barrado Olmedo, P Barrillon, G Batignani, P Bhowmick, S Blua, V Bocci, W Bonivento, B Bottino, Mg Boulay, A Buchowicz, S Bussino, J Busto, M Cadeddu, M Cadoni, R Calabrese, V Camillo, A Caminata, N Canci, A Capra, M Caravati, M Cárdenas-Montes, N Cargioli, M Carlini, A Castellani, P Castello, P Cavalcante, S Cebrian, JM Cela Ruiz, S Chashin, A Chepurnov, L Cifarelli

Abstract:

The dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber is presently one of the leading technologies to search for dark matter particles with masses below 10 GeV c−2. This was demonstrated by the DarkSide-50 experiment with approximately 50 kg of low-radioactivity liquid argon as target material. The next generation experiment DarkSide-20k, currently under construction, will use 1,000 times more argon and is expected to start operation in 2027. Based on the DarkSide-50 experience, here we assess the DarkSide-20k sensitivity to models predicting light dark matter particles, including Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and sub-GeV c−2 particles interacting with electrons in argon atoms. With one year of data, a sensitivity improvement to dark matter interaction cross-sections by at least one order of magnitude with respect to DarkSide-50 is expected for all these models. A sensitivity to WIMP–nucleon interaction cross-sections below 1 × 10−42 cm2 is achievable for WIMP masses above 800 MeV c−2. With 10 years exposure, the neutrino fog can be reached for WIMP masses around 5 GeV c−2.

First constraint for atmospheric millicharged particles with the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment

(2024)

Authors:

J Aalbers, DS Akerib, AK Al Musalhi, F Alder, CS Amarasinghe, A Ames, TJ Anderson, N Angelides, HM Araújo, JE Armstrong, M Arthurs, A Baker, S Balashov, J Bang, JW Bargemann, EE Barillier, D Bauer, K Beattie, T Benson, A Bhatti, A Biekert, TP Biesiadzinski, HJ Birch, E Bishop, GM Blockinger, B Boxer, CAJ Brew, P Brás, S Burdin, M Buuck, MC Carmona-Benitez, M Carter, A Chawla, H Chen, JJ Cherwinka, YT Chin, NI Chott, MV Converse, R Coronel, A Cottle, G Cox, D Curran, CE Dahl, I Darlington, S Dave, A David, J Delgaudio, S Dey, L de Viveiros, L Di Felice, C Ding, JEY Dobson, E Druszkiewicz, S Dubey, SR Eriksen, A Fan, S Fayer, NM Fearon, N Fieldhouse, S Fiorucci, H Flaecher, ED Fraser, TMA Fruth, RJ Gaitskell, A Geffre, J Genovesi, C Ghag, A Ghosh, R Gibbons, S Gokhale, J Green, MGD van der Grinten, JJ Haiston, CR Hall, TJ Hall, S Han, E Hartigan-O'Connor, SJ Haselschwardt, MA Hernandez, SA Hertel, G Heuermann, GJ Homenides, M Horn, DQ Huang, D Hunt, E Jacquet, RS James, J Johnson, AC Kaboth, AC Kamaha, Meghna K K., D Khaitan, A Khazov, I Khurana, J Kim, YD Kim, J Kingston, R Kirk, D Kodroff, L Korley, EV Korolkova, H Kraus, S Kravitz, L Kreczko, VA Kudryavtsev, C Lawes, DS Leonard, KT Lesko, C Levy, J Lin, A Lindote, WH Lippincott, MI Lopes, W Lorenzon, C Lu, S Luitz, PA Majewski, A Manalaysay, RL Mannino, C Maupin, ME McCarthy, G McDowell, DN McKinsey, J McLaughlin, JB McLaughlin, R McMonigle, E Mizrachi, A Monte, ME Monzani, JD Morales Mendoza, E Morrison, BJ Mount, M Murdy, A St J Murphy, A Naylor, HN Nelson, F Neves, A Nguyen, CL O'Brien, I Olcina, KC Oliver-Mallory, J Orpwood, KY Oyulmaz, KJ Palladino, J Palmer, NJ Pannifer, N Parveen, SJ Patton, B Penning, G Pereira, E Perry, T Pershing, A Piepke, Y Qie, J Reichenbacher, CA Rhyne, A Richards, Q Riffard, GRC Rischbieter, E Ritchey, HS Riyat, R Rosero, T Rushton, D Rynders, D Santone, ABMR Sazzad, RW Schnee, G Sehr, B Shafer, S Shaw, T Shutt, JJ Silk, C Silva, G Sinev, J Siniscalco, R Smith, VN Solovov, P Sorensen, J Soria, I Stancu, A Stevens, K Stifter, B Suerfu, TJ Sumner, M Szydagis, DR Tiedt, M Timalsina, Z Tong, DR Tovey, J Tranter, M Trask, M Tripathi, A Usón, A Vacheret, AC Vaitkus, O Valentino, V Velan, A Wang, JJ Wang, Y Wang, JR Watson, L Weeldreyer, TJ Whitis, K Wild, M Williams, WJ Wisniewski, L Wolf, FLH Wolfs, S Woodford, D Woodward, CJ Wright, Q Xia, J Xu, Y Xu, M Yeh, D Yeum, W Zha, EA Zweig

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

Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics IOP Publishing 52:1 (2024) 015103

Authors:

J Aalbers, DS Akerib, AK Al Musalhi, F Alder, CS Amarasinghe, A Ames, TJ Anderson, N Angelides, HM Araújo, JE Armstrong, M Arthurs, A Baker, S Balashov, J Bang, JW Bargemann, EE Barillier, K Beattie, A Bhatti, A Biekert, TP Biesiadzinski, HJ Birch, E Bishop, GM Blockinger, B Boxer, S Dey

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 124Xe 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 T1/22ν2EC=(1.09±0.14stat±0.05sys)×1022yr is observed with a statistical significance of 8.3σ, 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 1.4σ level.

Constraints on Covariant Dark-Matter–Nucleon Effective Field Theory Interactions from the First Science Run of the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment

Physical Review Letters American Physical Society (APS) 133:22 (2024) 221801

Authors:

J Aalbers, DS Akerib, AK Al Musalhi, F Alder, CS Amarasinghe, A Ames, TJ Anderson, N Angelides, HM Araújo, JE Armstrong, M Arthurs, A Baker, S Balashov, J Bang, EE Barillier, JW Bargemann, K Beattie, T Benson, A Bhatti, A Biekert, TP Biesiadzinski, HJ Birch, EJ Bishop, GM Blockinger, B Boxer, CAJ Brew, P Brás, S Burdin, M Buuck, MC Carmona-Benitez, M Carter, A Chawla, H Chen, JJ Cherwinka, YT Chin, NI Chott, MV Converse, A Cottle, G Cox, D Curran, CE Dahl, A David, J Delgaudio, S Dey, L de Viveiros, L Di Felice, C Ding, JEY Dobson, E Druszkiewicz, SR Eriksen, A Fan, NM Fearon, S Fiorucci, H Flaecher, ED Fraser, TMA Fruth, RJ Gaitskell, A Geffre, J Genovesi, C Ghag, R Gibbons, S Gokhale, J Green, MGD van der Grinten, JJ Haiston, CR Hall, S Han, E Hartigan-O’Connor, SJ Haselschwardt, MA Hernandez, SA Hertel, G Heuermann, GJ Homenides, M Horn, DQ Huang, D Hunt, E Jacquet, RS James, J Johnson, AC Kaboth, AC Kamaha, M Kannichankandy, D Khaitan, A Khazov, I Khurana, JD Kim, J Kim, J Kingston, R Kirk, D Kodroff, L Korley, EV Korolkova, H Kraus, S Kravitz, L Kreczko, VA Kudryavtsev, DS Leonard, KT Lesko, C Levy, J Lin, A Lindote, R Linehan, WH Lippincott, MI Lopes, W Lorenzon, C Lu, S Luitz, PA Majewski, A Manalaysay, RL Mannino, C Maupin, ME McCarthy, G McDowell, DN McKinsey, J McLaughlin, JB McLaughlin, R McMonigle, EH Miller, E Mizrachi, A Monte, ME Monzani, JD Morales Mendoza, E Morrison, BJ Mount, M Murdy, A St. J. Murphy, A Naylor, HN Nelson, F Neves, A Nguyen, JA Nikoleyczik, I Olcina, KC Oliver-Mallory, J Orpwood, KJ Palladino, J Palmer, NJ Pannifer, N Parveen, SJ Patton, B Penning, G Pereira, E Perry, T Pershing, A Piepke, Y Qie, J Reichenbacher, CA Rhyne, Q Riffard, GRC Rischbieter, HS Riyat, R Rosero, T Rushton, D Rynders, D Santone, ABMR Sazzad, RW Schnee, S Shaw, T Shutt, JJ Silk, C Silva, G Sinev, J Siniscalco, R Smith, VN Solovov, P Sorensen, J Soria, I Stancu, A Stevens, K Stifter, B Suerfu, TJ Sumner, M Szydagis, WC Taylor, DR Tiedt, M Timalsina, Z Tong, DR Tovey, J Tranter, M Trask, M Tripathi, DR Tronstad, A Vacheret, AC Vaitkus, O Valentino, V Velan, A Wang, JJ Wang, Y Wang, JR Watson, RC Webb, L Weeldreyer, TJ Whitis, M Williams, WJ Wisniewski, FLH Wolfs, S Woodford, D Woodward, CJ Wright, Q Xia, X Xiang, J Xu, M Yeh, EA Zweig