Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX

Abstract

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.

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Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Akerib, DS Alsum, S Araújo, HM Bai, X Balajthy, J Baxter, A Beltrame, P Bernard, EP Bernstein, A Biesiadzinski, TP Boulton, EM Boxer, B Brás, P Burdin, S Byram, D Carmona-Benitez, MC Chan, C Cutter, JE de Viveiros, L Druszkiewicz, E Fallon, SR Fan, A Fiorucci, S Gaitskell, RJ Genovesi, J Ghag, C Gilchriese, MGD Gwilliam, C Hall, CR Haselschwardt, SJ Hertel, SA Hogan, DP Horn, M Huang, DQ Ignarra, CM Jacobsen, RG Jahangir, O Ji, W Kamdin, K Kazkaz, K Khaitan, D Korolkova, EV Kravitz, S Kudryavtsev, VA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7018-5827 Leason, E Lenardo, BG Lesko, KT Liao, J Lin, J Lindote, A Lopes, MI López Paredes, B Manalaysay, A Mannino, RL Marangou, N Marzioni, MF McKinsey, DN Mei, DM Moongweluwan, M Morad, JA Murphy, ASJ Naylor, A Nehrkorn, C Nelson, HN Neves, F Nilima, A Oliver-Mallory, KC Palladino, KJ Pease, EK Riffard, Q Rischbieter, GRC Rhyne, C Rossiter, P Shaw, S Shutt, TA Silva, C Solmaz, M Solovov, VN Sorensen, P Sumner, TJ Szydagis, M Taylor, DJ Taylor, R Taylor, WC Tennyson, BP Terman, PA Tiedt, DR To, WH Tripathi, M Tvrznikova, L Utku, U Uvarov, S Vacheret, A Velan, V Webb, RC White, JT Whitis, TJ Witherell, MS Wolfs, FLH Woodward, D Xu, J Zhang, C
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:	© 2020 American Physical Society. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Physical Review D. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.
Keywords:	astro-ph.CO; astro-ph.CO; astro-ph.IM; hep-ex; physics.ins-det
Dates:	Published: 15 February 2020 Published (online): 10 February 2020 Accepted: 24 December 2019
Institution:	The University of Sheffield
Academic Units:	The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield)
Funding Information:	Funder Grant number Science and Technology Facilities Council ST/N000277/1 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL ST/S000747/1
Depositing User:	Symplectic Sheffield
Date Deposited:	12 May 2020 16:09
Last Modified:	12 May 2020 16:09
Status:	Published
Publisher:	American Physical Society
Refereed:	Yes
Identification Number:	10.1103/physrevd.101.042001
Related URLs:	Author
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID):	oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:160681

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Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX

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