Cold Dark Matter Searches with XENON

by Prof. Laura Baudis (Zurich University)

Monday 27 Oct 2008, 16:30 → 17:30 Europe/Zurich

Main Auditorium** (CERN)

The XENON experiment aims to detect weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via their collisions with xenon nuclei, using a low background, two-phase time projection chamber. With 1-ton of ultra pure liquid xenon as target, an energy threshold below 10 keV and a background rejection power above 99.5%, XENON could reach a sensitivity close to 10−46 cm2 for spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross sections. To verify the XENON approach to direct dark matter detection, a first prototype (XENON10) was developed and operated for a period of several months at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (LNGS) in Italy. XENON10 data have resulted in a 90% C.L. upper limit of 8.8 x 10−44 cm2 for a 100 GeV WIMP. XENON100, a new detector with 170 kg total liquid Xe mass, is currently under commissioning at LNGS; the goal is to start the science run in at the end of 2008. The status and WIMP sensitivity expectations for the new experiment will be presented and compared to the reach of colliders and indirect detection, as well as to theoretical predictions from physics beyond the Standard Model.

Joint PP/EP seminar - 2008 http://smaria.home.cern.ch/smaria/ppep/ppep.htm

Poster EPPPSeminar27102008.pdf

Slides baudis_CERN08.pdf