Design Challenges for a Future Liquid Xenon Observatory

TL;DR

This paper discusses the design challenges and considerations for developing a next-generation liquid xenon detector with a kiloton-scale target for dark matter and neutrino research, emphasizing background mitigation and operational stability.

Contribution

It provides an overview of the technical and logistical challenges in scaling liquid xenon detectors to the kiloton scale for advanced particle physics experiments.

Findings

Identifies key challenges in xenon procurement and purification.

Highlights importance of radiopure detector components and veto systems.

Emphasizes need for stable operation over decade-long timescales.

Abstract

An ultimate liquid xenon experiment would be limited in its dark matter science reach by irreducible neutrino backgrounds, which are an exciting signal in their own right. To achieve such sensitivity, other backgrounds that currently plague these detectors must be better mitigated, and extreme care must be taken in the design and construction phases. A 100-tonne xenon target is compelling to search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter, and has capabilities to study coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and search for neutrinoless double-beta decay signatures. Historically, liquid xenon time projection chambers have scaled to larger target masses with great success. This paper gives an overview of challenges that need to be met for the next generation of detector to obtain a kilotonne$\times$year exposure. Such tasks include the procurement and purification of xenon, radiopure and reliable detector components, sensitive outer detector vetoes, powerful data handling and analyses, and an ability to operate stably for timescales of over a decade.