We report the results of a search for the inelastic scattering of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the XENON1T dark matter experiment. Scattering off 129Xe is the most sensitive probe ...of inelastic WIMP interactions, with a signature of a 39.6 keV deexcitation photon detected simultaneously with the nuclear recoil. Using an exposure of 0.83 tonne-years, we find no evidence of inelastic WIMP scattering with a significance of more than 2σ. A profile-likelihood ratio analysis is used to set upper limits on the cross section of WIMP-nucleus interactions. We exclude new parameter space for WIMPs heavier than 100 GeV=c2, with the strongest upper limit of 3.3 × 10−39 cm2 for 130 GeV=c2 WIMPs at 90% confidence level.
The goal of the ALICE Time-of-Flight detector, based on MRPC technology, is to perform the charged-particle identification at midrapidity, in the region |
η|<0.9. This large area (∼150
m
2), finely ...segmented detector (∼157,000 channels), provides fast signals which will contribute to the Level 0 and Level 1 trigger decisions. We use the TOF detector information to perform an online estimate of the total track multiplicity and to identify simple and peculiar topologies, like those produced by minimum bias p–p, Ultra Peripheral ion–ion collisions and cosmic muons. The system architecture foresees a first layer of 72 VME boards interfacing the detector front-end to a second layer, which receives and processes all the information and takes trigger decisions.
The ALICE Time-of-Flight system will be a large area (150m2) detector made by Multigap RPC (MRPC). The time digitisation is based on the High Performance TDC chip (HPTDC). Tests carried out on board ...prototypes are discussed, emphasising the optimisation of the effective time resolution of the chip when working in its Very High Resolution Mode. Lab bench tests and test beam results show that a 20ps resolution has been achieved.
The selection of low-radioactive construction materials is of the utmost importance for rare-event searches and thus critical to the XENONnT experiment. Results of an extensive radioassay program are ...reported, in which material samples have been screened with gamma-ray spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and
222
Rn emanation measurements. Furthermore, the cleanliness procedures applied to remove or mitigate surface contamination of detector materials are described. Screening results, used as inputs for a XENONnT Monte Carlo simulation, predict a reduction of materials background (
∼
17%) with respect to its predecessor XENON1T. Through radon emanation measurements, the expected
222
Rn activity concentration in XENONnT is determined to be 4.2 (
-
0.7
+
0.5
)
μ
Bq/kg, a factor three lower with respect to XENON1T. This radon concentration will be further suppressed by means of the novel radon distillation system.
In this work, we expand on the XENON1T nuclear recoil searches to study the individual signals of dark matter interactions from operators up to dimension eight in a chiral effective field theory ...(ChEFT) and a model of inelastic dark matter (iDM). We analyze data from two science runs of the XENON1T detector totaling 1 t × yr exposure. For these analyses, we extended the region of interest from 4.9 , 40.9 keV NR to 4.9 , 54.4 keV NR to enhance our sensitivity for signals that peak at nonzero energies. We show that the data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, with a small background overfluctuation observed peaking between 20 and 50 keV NR , resulting in a maximum local discovery significance of 1.7 σ for the Vector ⊗ Vector strange ChEFT channel for a dark matter particle of 70 GeV / c 2 and 1.8 σ for an iDM particle of 50 GeV / c 2 with a mass splitting of 100 keV / c 2 . For each model, we report 90% confidence level upper limits. We also report upper limits on three benchmark models of dark matter interaction using ChEFT where we investigate the effect of isospin-breaking interactions. We observe rate-driven cancellations in regions of the isospin-breaking couplings, leading to up to 6 orders of magnitude weaker upper limits with respect to the isospin-conserving case. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
The selection of low-radioactive construction materials is of utmost importance for the success of lowenergy rare event search experiments. Besides radioactive contaminants in the bulk, the emanation ...of radioactive radon atoms from material surfaces attains increasing relevance in the effort to further reduce the background of such experiments. In this work, we present the 222Rn emanation measurements performed for the XENON1T dark matter experiment. Together with the bulk impurity screening campaign, the results enabled us to select the radio-purest construction materials, targeting a 222Rn activity concentration of 10 mu Bq/kg in 3.2 t of xenon. The knowledge of the distribution of the 222Rn sources allowed us to selectively eliminate problematic components in the course of the experiment. The predictions from the emanation measurements were compared to data of the 222Rn activity concentration in XENON1T. The final 222Rn activity concentration of (4.5 +/- 0.1) mu Bq/kg in the target of XENON1T is the lowest ever achieved in a xenon dark matter experiment.
Abstract
A low-energy electronic recoil calibration of XENON1T, a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber, with an internal
$^{37}$$
37
Ar source was performed. This calibration source features a ...35-day half-life and provides two mono-energetic lines at 2.82 keV and 0.27 keV. The photon yield and electron yield at 2.82 keV are measured to be (
$$32.3\,\pm \,0.3$$
32.3
±
0.3
) photons/keV and (
$$40.6\,\pm \,0.5$$
40.6
±
0.5
) electrons/keV, respectively, in agreement with other measurements and with NEST predictions. The electron yield at 0.27 keV is also measured and it is (
$$68.0^{+6.3}_{-3.7}$$
68
.
0
-
3.7
+
6.3
) electrons/keV. The
$^{37}$$
37
Ar calibration confirms that the detector is well-understood in the energy region close to the detection threshold, with the 2.82 keV line reconstructed at (
$$2.83\,\pm \,0.02$$
2.83
±
0.02
) keV, which further validates the model used to interpret the low-energy electronic recoil excess previously reported by XENON1T. The ability to efficiently remove argon with cryogenic distillation after the calibration proves that
$^{37}$$
37
Ar can be considered as a regular calibration source for multi-tonne xenon detectors.
Xenon dual-phase time projections chambers (TPCs) have proven to be a successful technology in studying physical phenomena that require low-background conditions. With
40
t
of liquid xenon (LXe) in ...the TPC baseline design, DARWIN will have a high sensitivity for the detection of particle dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay (
0
ν
β
β
), and axion-like particles (ALPs). Although cosmic muons are a source of background that cannot be entirely eliminated, they may be greatly diminished by placing the detector deep underground. In this study, we used Monte Carlo simulations to model the cosmogenic background expected for the DARWIN observatory at four underground laboratories: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) and SNOLAB. We present here the results of simulations performed to determine the production rate of
137
Xe, the most crucial isotope in the search for
0
ν
β
β
of
136
Xe. Additionally, we explore the contribution that other muon-induced spallation products, such as other unstable xenon isotopes and tritium, may have on the cosmogenic background.
A low-energy electronic recoil calibration of XENON1T, a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber, with an internal 37Ar source was performed. This calibration source features a 35-day half-life and ...provides two mono-energetic lines at 2.82 keV and 0.27 keV. The photon yield and electron yield at 2.82 keV are measured to be (32.3±0.3) photons/keV and (40.6±0.5) electrons/keV, respectively, in agreement with other measurements and with NEST predictions. The electron yield at 0.27 keV is also measured and it is (68.0+6.3−3.7) electrons/keV. The 37Ar calibration confirms that the detector is well-understood in the energy region close to the detection threshold, with the 2.82 keV line reconstructed at (2.83±0.02) keV, which further validates the model used to interpret the low-energy electronic recoil excess previously reported by XENON1T. The ability to efficiently remove argon with cryogenic distillation after the calibration proves that 37Ar can be considered as a regular calibration source for multi-tonne xenon detectors.
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