LUX-ZEPLIN

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Benchmarking the design of the cryogenics system for the underground argon in DarkSide-20k

Journal of Instrumentation IOP Publishing 20:02 (2025) P02016

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

Abstract:

DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) is a dark matter detection experiment under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It utilises ∼ 100 t of low radioactivity argon from an underground source (UAr) in its inner detector, with half serving as target in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). The UAr cryogenics system must maintain stable thermodynamic conditions throughout the experiment's lifetime of over 10 years. Continuous removal of impurities and radon from the UAr is essential for maximising signal yield and mitigating background. We are developing an efficient and powerful cryogenics system with a gas purification loop with a target circulation rate of 1000 slpm. Central to its design is a condenser operated with liquid nitrogen which is paired with a gas heat exchanger cascade, delivering a combined cooling power of more than 8 kW. Here we present the design choices in view of the DS-20k requirements, in particular the condenser's working principle and the cooling control, and we show test results obtained with a dedicated benchmarking platform at CERN and LNGS. We find that the thermal efficiency of the recirculation loop, defined in terms of nitrogen consumption per argon flow rate, is 95 % and the pressure in the test cryostat can be maintained within ±(0.1–0.2) mbar. We further detail a 5-day cool-down procedure of the test cryostat, maintaining a cooling rate typically within -2 K/h, as required for the DS-20k inner detector. Additionally, we assess the circuit's flow resistance, and the heat transfer capabilities of two heat exchanger geometries for argon phase change, used to provide gas for recirculation. We conclude by discussing how our findings influence the finalisation of the system design, including necessary modifications to meet requirements and ongoing testing activities.
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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
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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, D Cintas, M Citterio, B Cleveland, Y Coadou, V Cocco, D Colaiuda, E Conde Vilda, L Consiglio, BS Costa, M Czubak, M D’Aniello, S D’Auria, MD Da Rocha Rolo, G Darbo, S Davini, S De Cecco, G De Guido, G Dellacasa, AV Derbin, A Devoto, F Di Capua, A Di Ludovico, L Di Noto, P Di Stefano, LK Dias, D Díaz Mairena, X Ding, C Dionisi, G Dolganov, F Dordei, V Dronik, A Elersich, E Ellingwood, T Erjavec, M Fernandez Diaz, A Ficorella, G Fiorillo, P Franchini, D Franco, H Frandini Gatti, E Frolov, F Gabriele, D Gahan, C Galbiati, G Galiński, G Gallina, G Gallus, M Garbini, P Garcia Abia, A Gawdzik, A Gendotti, A Ghisi, GK Giovanetti, V Goicoechea Casanueva, A Gola, L Grandi, G Grauso, G Grilli di Cortona, A Grobov, M Gromov, M Guerzoni, M Gulino, C Guo, BR Hackett, A Hallin, A Hamer, M Haranczyk, B Harrop, T Hessel, S Hill, S Horikawa, J Hu, F Hubaut, J Hucker, T Hugues, EV Hungerford, A Ianni, V Ippolito, A Jamil, C Jillings, S Jois, P Kachru, R Keloth, N Kemmerich, A Kemp, CL Kendziora, M Kimura, K Kondo, G Korga, L Kotsiopoulou, S Koulosousas, A Kubankin, P Kunzé, M Kuss, M Kuźniak, M Kuzwa, M La Commara, M Lai, E Le Guirriec, E Leason, A Leoni, L Lidey, M Lissia, L Luzzi, O Lychagina, O Macfadyen, IN Machulin, S Manecki, I Manthos, L Mapelli, A Marasciulli, SM Mari, C Mariani, J Maricic, M Martinez, CJ Martoff, G Matteucci, K Mavrokoridis, AB McDonald, J Mclaughlin, S Merzi, A Messina, R Milincic, S Minutoli, A Mitra, S Moioli, J Monroe, E Moretti, M Morrocchi, T Mroz, VN Muratova, M Murphy, M Murra, C Muscas, P Musico, R Nania, M Nessi, G Nieradka, K Nikolopoulos, E Nikoloudaki, J Nowak, K Olchanski, A Oleinik, V Oleynikov, P Organtini, A Ortiz de Solórzano, M Pallavicini, L Pandola, E Pantic, E Paoloni, D Papi, G Pastuszak, G Paternoster, A Peck, PA Pegoraro, K Pelczar, LA Pellegrini, R Perez, F Perotti, V Pesudo, S Piacentini, N Pino, G Plante, A Pocar, M Poehlmann, S Pordes, P Pralavorio, D Price, S Puglia, M Queiroga Bazetto, F Ragusa, Y Ramachers, A Ramirez, S Ravinthiran, M Razeti, AL Renshaw, M Rescigno, F Retiere, LP Rignanese, A Rivetti, A Roberts, C Roberts, G Rogers, L Romero, M Rossi, A Rubbia, D Rudik, M Sabia, P Salomone, O Samoylov, E Sandford, S Sanfilippo, D Santone, R Santorelli, EM Santos, C Savarese, E Scapparone, G Schillaci, FG Schuckman, G Scioli, DA Semenov, V Shalamova, A Sheshukov, M Simeone, P Skensved, MD Skorokhvatov, O Smirnov, T Smirnova, B Smith, A Sotnikov, F Spadoni, M Spangenberg, R Stefanizzi, A Steri, V Stornelli, S Stracka, S Sulis, A Sung, C Sunny, Y Suvorov, AM Szelc, O Taborda, R Tartaglia, A Taylor, J Taylor, S Tedesco, G Testera, K Thieme, A Thompson, A Tonazzo, S Torres-Lara, A Tricomi, EV Unzhakov, TJ Vallivilayil, M Van Uffelen, L Velazquez-Fernandez, T Viant, S Viel, A Vishneva, RB Vogelaar, J Vossebeld, B Vyas, MB Walczak, Y Wang, H Wang, S Westerdale, L Williams, R Wojaczyński, M Wojcik, MM Wojcik, T Wright, Y Xie, C Yang, J Yin, A Zabihi, P Zakhary, A Zani, Y Zhang, T Zhu, A Zichichi, G Zuzel, MP Zykova
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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
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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.
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