LIP Lisboa

Searching for Dark Matter: The LUX Experiment

by Luiz de Viveiros (LIP-Coimbra)

UTC
LIP _ Lisbon

LIP _ Lisbon

Description
LUX (Large Underground Xenon) is a dark matter detection experiment using a 350 kg dual-phase Xe TPC. It aims at a WIMP-nucleon cross-section sensitivity of 2e-46 cm^2 for a 40 GeV WIMP, an order of magnitude lower than the current best limits. It will surpass all existing dark matter limits for WIMP masses above ~10 GeV within weeks of beginning its science run.  The LUX detector has already been tested in its final configuration during a surface run in the Sanford Lab at Homestake in 2012.  Light and charge signals were calibrated using radioactive sources and Muon tracks during a 90-day period of stable cryogenic operation. It marked the first successful use of technologies proposed for tonne-scale detectors, such as water shielding and thermosyphon cryogenics.  The experiment has finished installation in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), and is close to starting its first science run.

Slides