Speaker
Mr
Jeremy Chapman
(Brown)
Description
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment will facilitate direct detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) with a 350 kg xenon TPC. LUX will be able to detect 100 GeV WIMPs with scalar cross section as low as 7e−46 cm2, equivalent to ~0.5 events/100 kg/month in a 100 kg inner fiducial volume. Electromagnetic background event rates are limited below 5e−4 events/keV/kg/day by an extensive screening and background modeling program, and assume a conservative 99.5% electron recoil event rejection and 50% nuclear recoil acceptance for WIMP signatures.
LUX is currently in the initial deployment phase at the Sanford Surface Laboratory at Homestake, during which all detector hardware and the full electronics chain are being extensively characterized. A miniature water shield reduces ambient electromagnetic backgrounds to rates allowing data taking via radioactive calibration sources. The underground deployment phase will begin in November 2011, with WIMP search data taking beginning shortly thereafter. LUX will surpass all existing dark matter limits for WIMPs with mass above ~10 GeV within days after beginning its science run.
Author
Mr
Jeremy Chapman
(Brown)
