Testing spin-dependent dark matter interactions with lithium aluminate targets in CRESST-III
Physical Review D American Physical Society 106:9 (2022) 92008
Abstract:
In the past decades, numerous experiments have emerged to unveil the nature of dark matter, one of the most discussed open questions in modern particle physics. Among them, the Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers (CRESST) experiment, located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, operates scintillating crystals as cryogenic phonon detectors. In this work, we present first results from the operation of two detector modules which both have 10.46 g LiAlO2 targets in CRESST-III. The lithium contents in the crystal are Li6, with an odd number of protons and neutrons, and Li7, with an odd number of protons. By considering both isotopes of lithium and Al27, we set the currently strongest cross section upper limits on spin-dependent interaction of dark matter with protons and neutrons for the mass region between 0.25 and 1.5 GeV/c2.First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment
(2022)
A machine learning-based methodology for pulse classification in dual-phase xenon time projection chambers
European Physical Journal C Springer Nature 82:6 (2022) 553
Cosmogenic production of Ar37 in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment
Physical Review D American Physical Society (APS) 105:8 (2022) 082004
Cosmogenic production of Ar37 in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment
Phys.Rev.D 105 (2022) 8, 082004
Abstract:
We estimate the amount of Ar37 produced in natural xenon via cosmic-ray-induced spallation, an inevitable consequence of the transportation and storage of xenon on the Earth’s surface. We then calculate the resulting Ar37 concentration in a 10-tonne payload (similar to that of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment) assuming a representative schedule of xenon purification, storage, and delivery to the underground facility. Using the spallation model by Silberberg and Tsao, the sea-level production rate of Ar37 in natural xenon is estimated to be 0.024 atoms/kg/day. Assuming the xenon is successively purified to remove radioactive contaminants in 1-tonne batches at a rate of 1 tonne/month, the average Ar37 activity after 10 tons are purified and transported underground is 0.058−0.090 μBq/kg, depending on the degree of argon removal during above-ground purification. Such cosmogenic Ar37 will appear as a noticeable background in the early science data, while decaying with a 35-day half-life. This newly noticed production mechanism of Ar37 should be considered when planning for future liquid-xenon-based experiments