Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX

Journal Article · 10 February 2020 · Physical Review D

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.101.042001 · OSTI ID:1604899

Akerib, D. S.; Alsum, S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.; Balajthy, J.; Baxter, A.; Beltrame, P.; Bernard, E. P.; Bernstein, A.; Biesiadzinski, T. P.; Boulton, E. M.; Boxer, B.; Brás, P.; Burdin, S.; Byram, D.; Carmona-Benitez, M. C.; Chan, C.; Cutter, J. E.; de Viveiros, L.; Druszkiewicz, E. ; Fallon, S. R.; Fan, A.; Fiorucci, S.; Gaitskell, R. J.; Genovesi, J.; Ghag, C.; Gilchriese, M. G. D.; Gwilliam, C.; Hall, C. R.; Haselschwardt, S. J.; Hertel, S. A.; Hogan, D. P.; Horn, M.; Huang, D. Q.; Ignarra, C. M.; Jacobsen, R. G.; Jahangir, O.; Ji, W.; Kamdin, K.; Kazkaz, K.; Khaitan, D.; Korolkova, E. V.; Kravitz, S.; Kudryavtsev, V. A.; Leason, E.; Lenardo, B. G.; Lesko, K. T.; Liao, J.; Lin, J.; Lindote, A.; Lopes, M. I.; López Paredes, B.; Manalaysay, A.; Mannino, R. L.; Marangou, N. ; Marzioni, M. F.; McKinsey, D. N.; Mei, D. M.; Moongweluwan, M.; Morad, J. A.; Murphy, A. St. J.; Naylor, A.; Nehrkorn, C.; Nelson, H. N.; Neves, F.; Nilima, A.; Oliver-Mallory, K. C.; Palladino, K. J.; Pease, E. K.; Riffard, Q.; Rischbieter, G. R. C.; Rhyne, C.; Rossiter, P.; Shaw, S.; Shutt, T. A.; Silva, C.; Solmaz, M.; Solovov, V. N.; Sorensen, P.; Sumner, T. J.; Szydagis, M.; Taylor, D. J.; Taylor, R.; Taylor, W. C.; Tennyson, B. P.; Terman, P. A.; Tiedt, D. R.; To, W. H.; Tripathi, M.; Tvrznikova, L.; Utku, U.; Uvarov, S.; Vacheret, A.; Velan, V.; Webb, R. C.; White, J. T.; Whitis, T. J.; Witherell, M. S.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Woodward, D.; Xu, J.; Zhang, C.

© 2020 American Physical Society. We present a novel analysis technique for liquid xenon time projection chambers that allows for a lower threshold by relying on events with a prompt scintillation signal consisting of single detected photons. The energy threshold of the LUX dark matter experiment is primarily determined by the smallest scintillation response detectable, which previously required a twofold coincidence signal in its photomultiplier arrays, enforced in data analysis. The technique presented here exploits the double photoelectron emission effect observed in some photomultiplier models at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths. We demonstrate this analysis using an electron recoil calibration dataset and place new constraints on the spin-independent scattering cross section of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) down to 2.5 GeV/c2 WIMP mass using the 2013 LUX dataset. This new technique is promising to enhance light WIMP and astrophysical neutrino searches in next-generation liquid xenon experiments.

• Research Organization: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Science Foundation (NSF); Funda¸cao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT); USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Contributing Organization: LUX Collaboration
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231; AC05-06OR23100; AC52-07NA27344; FG01-91ER40618; FG02-08ER41549; FG02-11ER41738; FG02-91ER40674; FG02-91ER40688; FG02- 95ER40917; NA0000979; SC0006605; SC0010010; SC0015535; SC0019066; PHY-0750671; PHY-0801536; PHY-1003660; PHY-1004661; PHY1102470; PHY-1312561; PHY-1347449; PHY-1505868; PHY-1636738; RA0350; PTCD/FIS-PAR/28567/2017; M126369B; T93036D; ST/N000242/1; ST/S000739/1; ST/N000277/1; ST/S000747/1; ST/N000285/1; ST/S000666/1; SC0010813
• OSTI ID: 1604899
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1599491; OSTI ID: 1603624; OSTI ID: 1870083
• Report Number(s): LLNL-JRNL-834201; PRVDAQ; TRN: US2104340
• Journal Information: Physical Review D, Vol. 101, Issue 4; ISSN 2470-0010
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English