Publications (53)
Characterization of a SiPM-based monolithic neutron scatter camera using dark counts
J. Balajthy, J. Brown, E. Brubaker +11
We report on the design and characterization of a prototype monolithic neutron scatter camera that is intended to significantly improve upon the geometrical shortcomings of convent…
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to the two-neutrino and neutrinoless double beta decays of Xe
The LUX-ZEPLIN, Collaboration, : +194
The projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to two-neutrino and neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe is presented. LZ is a 10-tonne xenon time projection ch…
Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +93
Dual-phase xenon detectors, as currently used in direct detection dark matter experiments, have observed elevated rates of background electron events in the low energy region. Whil…
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Technical Design Report
B. J. Mount, S. Hans, R. Rosero +259
In this Technical Design Report (TDR) we describe the LZ detector to be built at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The LZ dark matter experiment is designed to achi…
Constraints on Effective Field Theory Couplings Using 311.2 days of LUX Data
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +94
We report here the results of an Effective Field Theory (EFT) WIMP search analysis using LUX data. We build upon previous LUX analyses by extending the search window to include nuc…
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the decay of Xe
D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof, A. Alqahtani +189
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will enable a neutrinoless double beta decay search in parallel to the main science goal of discovering dark matter particle interactions. We report…
Projected sensitivities of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to new physics via low-energy electron recoils
The LZ Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, A. K. Al Musalhi +194
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a dark matter detector expected to obtain world-leading sensitivity to weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) interacting via nuclear recoils with a ~7-ton…
First results from the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araujo +100
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, a dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Lead, South Dakota), was cooled and…
Low-Energy Radon Backgrounds from Electrode Grids in Dual-Phase Xenon TPCs
D. S. Akerib, A. K. Al Musalhi, F. Alder +264
The dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) is a powerful technology to detect rare interactions such as scatters of dark matter particles on nuclei. In particular, the buil…
Ultra-Low Energy Calibration of LUX Detector using Xe Electron Capture
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +91
We report an absolute calibration of the ionization yields($\textit{Q$_y$})$ and fluctuations for electronic recoil events in liquid xenon at discrete energies between 186 eV and 3…
Chromatographic separation of radioactive noble gases from xenon
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araújo +96
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment operates at the Sanford Underground Research Facility to detect nuclear recoils from the hypothetical Weakly Interacting Massive Partic…
Discrimination of electronic recoils from nuclear recoils in two-phase xenon time projection chambers
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +94
We present a comprehensive analysis of electronic recoil vs. nuclear recoil discrimination in liquid/gas xenon time projection chambers, using calibration data from the 2013 and 20…
Search for two neutrino double electron capture of Xe and Xe in the full exposure of the LUX detector
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +96
Two-neutrino double electron capture is a process allowed in the Standard Model of Particle Physics. This rare decay has been observed in Kr, Ba and more recently in…
Calibration, event reconstruction, data analysis and limits calculation for the LUX dark matter experiment
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +95
The LUX experiment has performed searches for dark matter particles scattering elastically on xenon nuclei, leading to stringent upper limits on the nuclear scattering cross sectio…
A Detailed Look at the First Results from the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) Dark Matter Experiment
M. Szydagis, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araujo +77
LUX, the world's largest dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber, with a fiducial target mass of 118 kg and 10,091 kg-days of exposure thus far, is currently the most sensitive di…
A Next-Generation Liquid Xenon Observatory for Dark Matter and Neutrino Physics
J. Aalbers, K. Abe, V. Aerne +591
The nature of dark matter and properties of neutrinos are among the most pressing issues in contemporary particle physics. The dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber is the leadi…
Improving sensitivity to low-mass dark matter in LUX using a novel electrode background mitigation technique
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +95
This paper presents a novel technique for mitigating electrode backgrounds that limit the sensitivity of searches for low-mass dark matter (DM) using xenon time projection chambers…
Simulations of Events for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Experiment
ZEPLIN Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof +194
The LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter search aims to achieve a sensitivity to the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross-section down to (1--2)\,pb at a WIMP mass of 40 GeV/…
Measurement of the Gamma Ray Background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility
D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof, S. K. Alsum +164
Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are affected by backgrounds fr…
3D Modeling of Electric Fields in the LUX Detector
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +91
This work details the development of a three-dimensional (3D) electric field model for the LUX detector. The detector took data during two periods of searching for weakly interacti…
Improved Limits on Scattering of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles from Reanalysis of 2013 LUX data
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araújo +99
We present constraints on weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP)-nucleus scattering from the 2013 data of the Large Underground Xenon dark matter experiment, including $1.4\ti…
Signal yields, energy resolution, and recombination fluctuations in liquid xenon
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +98
This work presents an analysis of monoenergetic electronic recoil peaks in the dark-matter-search and calibration data from the first underground science run of the Large Undergrou…
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment
The LZ Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof +379
We describe the design and assembly of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, a direct detection search for cosmic WIMP dark matter particles. The centerpiece of the experiment is a large liqu…
Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +122
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…
First Searches for Axions and Axion-Like Particles with the LUX Experiment
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, C. Aquino +98
The first searches for axions and axion-like particles with the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment are presented. Under the assumption of an axio-electric interaction in xeno…
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Conceptual Design Report
The LZ Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof +192
The design and performance of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) detector is described as of March 2015 in this Conceptual Design Report. LZ is a second-generation dark-matter detector with the p…
Improved Modeling of Electronic Recoils in Liquid Xenon Using LUX Calibration Data
The LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +96
We report here methods and techniques for creating and improving a model that reproduces the scintillation and ionization response of a dual-phase liquid and gaseous xenon time-pro…
Nuclear Recoil Calibration at Sub-keV Energies in LUX and Its Impact on Dark Matter Search Sensitivity
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +94
Dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) detectors offer heightened sensitivities for dark matter detection across a spectrum of particle masses. To broaden their capability…
A comparison of the neutron detection efficiency and response characteristics of two pixelated PSD-capable organic scintillator detectors with different photo-detection readout methods
J. Balajthy, P. Marleau, M. Sweany
We characterize the performance of two pixelated neutron detectors: a PMT-based array that utilizes Anger logic for pixel identification and a SiPM-based array that employs individ…
Limits on spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross section obtained from the complete LUX exposure
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +97
We present experimental constraints on the spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon elastic cross sections from the total 129.5 kg-year exposure acquired by the Large Underground Xenon experime…
Fast and Flexible Analysis of Direct Dark Matter Search Data with Machine Learning
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +97
We present the results from combining machine learning with the profile likelihood fit procedure, using data from the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment. This app…
Improved Measurements of the \b{eta}-Decay Response of Liquid Xenon with the LUX Detector
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +98
We report results from an extensive set of measurements of the \b{eta}-decay response in liquid xenon.These measurements are derived from high-statistics calibration data from inje…
Results on the Spin-Dependent Scattering of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles on Nucleons from the Run 3 Data of the LUX Experiment
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araújo +99
We present the first experimental constraints on the spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon elastic cross sections from LUX data acquired in 2013. LUX is a dual-phase xenon time projection ch…
Position Reconstruction in LUX
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +91
The position reconstruction method used in the analysis of the complete exposure of the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment is presented. The algorithm is based on a…
Cosmogenic production of Ar in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment
J. Aalbers, D. S. Akerib, A. K. Al Musalhi +205
We estimate the amount of Ar produced in natural xenon via cosmic ray-induced spallation, an inevitable consequence of the transportation and storage of xenon on the Earth's…
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) radioactivity and cleanliness control programs
D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof, D. Yu. Akimov +387
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a second-generation direct dark matter experiment with spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering sensitivity above cm for a WIMP mass…
Identification of Radiopure Titanium for the LZ Dark Matter Experiment and Future Rare Event Searches
D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof, D. Yu. Akimov +202
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a detector containing a total of 10 tonnes of liquid xenon within a double-vessel cryostat. Th…
LUX Trigger Efficiency
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +94
The Large Underground Xenon experiment (LUX) searches for dark matter using a dual-phase xenon detector. LUX uses a custom-developed trigger system for event selection. In this pap…
Search for annual and diurnal rate modulations in the LUX experiment
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +93
Various dark matter models predict annual and diurnal modulations of dark matter interaction rates in Earth-based experiments as a result of the Earth's motion in the halo. Observa…
Tritium calibration of the LUX dark matter experiment
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araújo +98
We present measurements of the electron-recoil (ER) response of the LUX dark matter detector based upon 170,000 highly pure and spatially-uniform tritium decays. We reconstruct the…
Radiogenic and Muon-Induced Backgrounds in the LUX Dark Matter Detector
D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araujo, X. Bai +77
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment aims to detect rare low-energy interactions from Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The radiogenic backgrounds i…
Results from a search for dark matter in the complete LUX exposure
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +98
We report constraints on spin-independent weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-nucleon scattering using a 3.35e4 kg-day exposure of the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experime…
First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment
J. Aalbers, D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof +344
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment is a dark matter detector centered on a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dak…
Low-energy (0.7-74 keV) nuclear recoil calibration of the LUX dark matter experiment using D-D neutron scattering kinematics
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +104
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment is a dual-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC) operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota…
FPGA-based Trigger System for the LUX Dark Matter Experiment
D. S. Akerib, H. M. Araujo, X. Bai +100
LUX is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chamber designed to detect nuclear recoils resulting from interactions with dark matter particles. Signals from the detector a…
First direct detection constraint on mirror dark matter kinetic mixing using LUX 2013 data
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +97
We present the results of a direct detection search for mirror dark matter interactions, using data collected from the Large Underground Xenon experiment during 2013, with an expos…
An Effective Field Theory Analysis of the First LUX Dark Matter Search
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +94
The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter search was a 250-kg active mass dual-phase time projection chamber that operated by detecting light and ionization signals from partic…
Enhancing the sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment to low energy signals
D. S. Akerib, A. K. Al Musalhi, S. K. Alsum +184
Two-phase xenon detectors, such as that at the core of the forthcoming LZ dark matter experiment, use photomultiplier tubes to sense the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) scintillati…
Liquid xenon scintillation measurements and pulse shape discrimination in the LUX dark matter detector
The LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +90
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are a leading candidate for dark matter and are expected to produce nuclear recoil (NR) events within liquid xenon time-projection cham…
Kr calibration of the 2013 LUX dark matter search
LUX Collaboration, D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum +91
LUX was the first dark matter experiment to use a Kr calibration source. In this paper we describe the source preparation and injection. We also present several $^…
Projected WIMP sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment
D. S. Akerib, C. W. Akerlof, S. K. Alsum +175
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a next generation dark matter direct detection experiment that will operate 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, So…
A Review of NEST Models for Liquid Xenon and Exhaustive Comparison to Other Approaches
M. Szydagis, J. Balajthy, G. A. Block +23
This paper will discuss the microphysical simulation of interactions in liquid xenon, the active detector medium in many leading rare-event searches for new physics, and describe e…
Results of a Search for Sub-GeV Dark Matter Using 2013 LUX Data
D. S. Akerib, S. Alsum, H. M. Araújo +95
The scattering of dark matter (DM) particles with sub-GeV masses off nuclei is difficult to detect using liquid xenon-based DM search instruments because the energy transfer during…