Dark matter searches in LUX

By: Cláudio Silva

From: LIP - Coimbra

Abstract: "The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) is a dark matter experiment searching for direct evidence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), a favored dark matter candidate. It is a 250 kg active mass dual-phase xenon time projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in USA. The results from the second and final science run with a total of 332 live days of exposure revealed no evidence of WIMP nuclear recoils with a four-fold improvement in sensitivity for high WIMP masses relative to our previous results. Currently, LUX has the world leading exclusion limit in a wide range of WIMP masses. At a WIMP mass of 50 GeV/c^2, WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross sections above 0.22 zepto barns are excluded at 90%. The LUX detector is also able to explore other alternative Dark Matter scenarios, such as axion like particles (ALPs) or look for other type of signals such as annual modulation signals or solar axions. An update of some of those searches will be presented as well. I will talk on behalf of the LIP-Coimbra and the LIP-Coimbra dark matter group. LIP-Coimbra has been involved in Dark-Matter research since 2003. It was involved in both ZEPLIN-II and ZEPLIN-III and is a member of LUX since 2010 and LZ 2012."

Room: Sala de Conferências

Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 14:00