After LUX: The LZ Program

TL;DR

The paper discusses the development of the LZ program, a two-stage liquid xenon dark matter detection experiment building upon LUX technology, aiming to detect extremely rare WIMP interactions with unprecedented sensitivity.

Contribution

It introduces the LZ program's design, technological advancements, and background mitigation strategies for next-generation dark matter detection using liquid xenon detectors.

Findings

LZ will use scalable technology from LUX for larger detectors.

Background sources have been extensively studied and mitigated.

LZ aims to reach a sensitivity of 5E-49 cm2 for 100 GeV WIMPs.

Abstract

The LZ program consists of two stages of direct dark matter searches using liquid Xe detectors. The first stage will be a 1.5-3 tonne detector, while the last stage will be a 20 tonne detector. Both devices will benefit tremendously from research and development performed for the LUX experiment, a 350 kg liquid Xe dark matter detector currently operating at the Sanford Underground Laboratory. In particular, the technology used for cryogenics and electrical feedthroughs, circulation and purification, low-background materials and shielding techniques, electronics, calibrations, and automated control and recovery systems are all directly scalable from LUX to the LZ detectors. Extensive searches for potential background sources have been performed, with an emphasis on previously undiscovered background sources that may have a significant impact on tonne-scale detectors. The LZ detectors will probe spin-independent interaction cross sections as low as 5E-49 cm2 for 100 GeV WIMPs, which represents the ultimate limit for dark matter detection with liquid xenon technology.