The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Search
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Direct dark matter experiments search for the extremely rare and very faint collisions expected to occur between the cold dark matter particles that are believed to permeate our galaxy and the nuclei of atoms in the active medium of a radiation detector. Weakly Interactive Massive Particles, or WIMPs, are hypothetical elementary particles weighing as little as a few protons or as much as several heavy nuclei; besides gravity, they would interact by the weak nuclear force, thereby providing a mechanics for their possible detection. The motivation to search for WIMP dark matter is strong, with theories that attempt to explain what lies beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics providing very good candidates.
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will deploy a 7-tonne liquid xenon WIMP detector at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) after a 3-year construction phase. In this most quiet of environments, shielded from cosmic rays and local backgrounds, LZ will then operate for at least 3 years to hopefully find a handful of tell-tale signs of WIMP interactions. LZ will be so sensitive that it will be limited only by backgrounds from astrophysical neutrinos, which provide a fundamental limit to these searches. However, before neutrinos set in, this experiment has the potential to finally shed light on the nature of dark matter.
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will deploy a 7-tonne liquid xenon WIMP detector at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) after a 3-year construction phase. In this most quiet of environments, shielded from cosmic rays and local backgrounds, LZ will then operate for at least 3 years to hopefully find a handful of tell-tale signs of WIMP interactions. LZ will be so sensitive that it will be limited only by backgrounds from astrophysical neutrinos, which provide a fundamental limit to these searches. However, before neutrinos set in, this experiment has the potential to finally shed light on the nature of dark matter.
Planned Impact
This project will address the fundamental nature of the dark matter in the universe, of great importance to particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Our science output will directly impact these fields by constraining models of physics beyond the Standard Model and structure formation and evolution in the universe.
The technologies we are developing find wider and immediate benefit to other areas of physics within the STFC remit, notably long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments and neutrino-less double beta decay (0vBB) searches. Construction and operation of a multi-tonne noble gas time projection chamber impacts the UK and international neutrino physics communities seeking to develop detectors based on similar principles and technology. Challenges such as high voltage delivery, light collection, sensor readout, purification and electron transport, and long-term stability are all paralleled for proposed experiments such as LBNF, which could also be located at SURF, and with significant UK involvement. Similarly, LZ will develop and employ leading ultra-low background techniques to construct an instrument capable of detecting the rarest particle interactions. Experiments searching for rare 0vBB decay have similar requirements on stringent radio-purity. The UK 0vBB community and their international partners will benefit from our material screening instrument development and radiation detection techniques.
Our outputs developing low-background material screening technology will find further application in a diverse range of applications outside of physics. Mass-spectrometry instrumentation capable of detecting trace contaminants at parts-per-trillion levels in small samples provides unprecedented sensitivity for food safety, pharmaceutical, environmental, forensic and clinical research. Commercial service providers are limited in their capability due to regular exposure to high concentrations of impurities in their samples. We will validate our system against food safety and pharmaceutical standards from mid-2017. Demonstration of successful screening for toxicity in spiked samples, beginning with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, has the potential for improving safety standards and impacting UK health.
We will also investigate feasibility of measuring impact of uranium and thorium in silicon electronics chips from 2017. The alpha decays from U and Th progeny cause 'Single Event Effects' resulting in faults in integrated circuits; a problem that is increasingly significant as chips become smaller, and an area of active research. Coupled to our underground ultra-low background gamma spectroscopy capability, we can uniquely provide measures of the full U and Th chains, at sub-mBq/kg sensitivity, accounting for the complete alpha particle emission rates. Pre-screening Si and other construction materials with both mass spectrometry and gamma spectroscopy will allow manufacturers to increase reliability of their components and foster greater economic competitiveness of UK industry.
Our research provides training for students and staff in a wide range of specialist skills that are readily transferrable to commercial, financial and industrial sectors. Radiation detection technology and techniques are applicable to medical imaging and defence, particularly screening for special nuclear material. Data processing, analysis, statistical methods, programming, and Monte Carlo simulations are regularly employed in the banking and investment sectors. Construction of vacuum systems, gas recirculation and purification plants, photosensors and many other systems in LZ provide valuable engineering skills, as does project management training.
Finally, given the readily accessible nature of the topic of dark matter and deep underground operation, our research has always captured the public's imagination, providing significant outreach and engagement opportunity for dissemination of knowledge.
The technologies we are developing find wider and immediate benefit to other areas of physics within the STFC remit, notably long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments and neutrino-less double beta decay (0vBB) searches. Construction and operation of a multi-tonne noble gas time projection chamber impacts the UK and international neutrino physics communities seeking to develop detectors based on similar principles and technology. Challenges such as high voltage delivery, light collection, sensor readout, purification and electron transport, and long-term stability are all paralleled for proposed experiments such as LBNF, which could also be located at SURF, and with significant UK involvement. Similarly, LZ will develop and employ leading ultra-low background techniques to construct an instrument capable of detecting the rarest particle interactions. Experiments searching for rare 0vBB decay have similar requirements on stringent radio-purity. The UK 0vBB community and their international partners will benefit from our material screening instrument development and radiation detection techniques.
Our outputs developing low-background material screening technology will find further application in a diverse range of applications outside of physics. Mass-spectrometry instrumentation capable of detecting trace contaminants at parts-per-trillion levels in small samples provides unprecedented sensitivity for food safety, pharmaceutical, environmental, forensic and clinical research. Commercial service providers are limited in their capability due to regular exposure to high concentrations of impurities in their samples. We will validate our system against food safety and pharmaceutical standards from mid-2017. Demonstration of successful screening for toxicity in spiked samples, beginning with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, has the potential for improving safety standards and impacting UK health.
We will also investigate feasibility of measuring impact of uranium and thorium in silicon electronics chips from 2017. The alpha decays from U and Th progeny cause 'Single Event Effects' resulting in faults in integrated circuits; a problem that is increasingly significant as chips become smaller, and an area of active research. Coupled to our underground ultra-low background gamma spectroscopy capability, we can uniquely provide measures of the full U and Th chains, at sub-mBq/kg sensitivity, accounting for the complete alpha particle emission rates. Pre-screening Si and other construction materials with both mass spectrometry and gamma spectroscopy will allow manufacturers to increase reliability of their components and foster greater economic competitiveness of UK industry.
Our research provides training for students and staff in a wide range of specialist skills that are readily transferrable to commercial, financial and industrial sectors. Radiation detection technology and techniques are applicable to medical imaging and defence, particularly screening for special nuclear material. Data processing, analysis, statistical methods, programming, and Monte Carlo simulations are regularly employed in the banking and investment sectors. Construction of vacuum systems, gas recirculation and purification plants, photosensors and many other systems in LZ provide valuable engineering skills, as does project management training.
Finally, given the readily accessible nature of the topic of dark matter and deep underground operation, our research has always captured the public's imagination, providing significant outreach and engagement opportunity for dissemination of knowledge.
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (Collaboration)
- University of Coimbra (Collaboration)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (Collaboration)
- Case Western Reserve University (Collaboration)
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (Collaboration)
- University of California, Davis (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- University of Rochester (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- University of Maryland, College Park (Collaboration)
- University of California, Berkeley (Collaboration)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of Sheffield (Collaboration)
- University of South Dakota (Collaboration)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Collaboration)
- Stanford University (Collaboration)
- Brown University (Collaboration)
- Yale University (Collaboration)
- Daresbury Laboratory (Collaboration)
- Texas A&M University (Collaboration)
Publications
ZEPLIN Collaboration
(2020)
Simulations of Events for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Experiment
Yin J
(2016)
The dynamic range of LZ
in Journal of Instrumentation
Yin J
(2015)
The Dynamic Range of LZ
Tomás A
(2018)
Study and mitigation of spurious electron emission from cathodic wires in noble liquid time projection chambers
in Astroparticle Physics
The LZ Collaboration
(2021)
Projected sensitivities of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to new physics via low-energy electron recoils
The LZ Collaboration
(2019)
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment
The LUX And LZ Collaborations V
(2019)
Recent Results from LUX and Prospects for Dark Matter Searches with LZ
in Universe
Szydagis M
(2016)
The Present and Future of Searching for Dark Matter with LUX and LZ
Szydagis M
(2017)
The Present and Future of Searching for Dark Matter with LUX and LZ
Scovell P
(2018)
Low-background gamma spectroscopy at the Boulby Underground Laboratory
in Astroparticle Physics
Pereira G
(2023)
Energy resolution of the LZ detector for high-energy electronic recoils
in Journal of Instrumentation
Paredes B
(2018)
Response of photomultiplier tubes to xenon scintillation light
Mount B. J.
(2017)
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Technical Design Report
in arXiv e-prints
Malik S
(2015)
Interplay and characterization of Dark Matter searches at colliders and in direct detection experiments
in Physics of the Dark Universe
López Paredes B
(2018)
Response of photomultiplier tubes to xenon scintillation light
in Astroparticle Physics
Linehan R
(2022)
Design and production of the high voltage electrode grids and electron extraction region for the LZ dual-phase xenon time projection chamber
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Khaitan D
(2018)
Supernova neutrino detection in LZ
in Journal of Instrumentation
Khaitan D
(2015)
Signal Processing and Electronic Noise in LZ
Khaitan D
(2018)
Supernova Neutrino Detection in LZ
Khaitan D
(2016)
Signal processing and electronic noise in LZ
in Journal of Instrumentation
Druszkiewicz E
(2015)
The Data Acquisition System for LZ
Druszkiewicz E
(2016)
The Data Acquisition System for LZ
in Journal of Instrumentation
Bailey Adam
(2016)
Dark matter searches and study of electrode design in LUX and LZ
Akerib D
(2020)
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Akerib D
(2021)
Projected sensitivities of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to new physics via low-energy electron recoils
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the 0 ? ß ß decay of Xe 136
in Physical Review C
Akerib D
(2022)
Erratum to: The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) radioactivity and cleanliness control programs
in The European Physical Journal C
Akerib D
(2017)
Identification of radiopure titanium for the LZ dark matter experiment and future rare event searches
in Astroparticle Physics
Akerib D
(2020)
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) radioactivity and cleanliness control programs
in The European Physical Journal C
Akerib D
(2021)
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the two-neutrino and neutrinoless double ß decays of Xe 134
in Physical Review C
Akerib D
(2021)
Simulations of events for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment
in Astroparticle Physics
Akerib D
(2020)
Projected WIMP sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Measurement of the gamma ray background in the Davis cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility
in Astroparticle Physics
Abdallah J
(2015)
Simplified models for dark matter searches at the LHC
in Physics of the Dark Universe
Aalbers J
(2023)
Search for new physics in low-energy electron recoils from the first LZ exposure
in Physical Review D
Aalbers J
(2022)
Cosmogenic production of Ar 37 in the context of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment
in Physical Review D
Aalbers J
(2022)
A next-generation liquid xenon observatory for dark matter and neutrino physics
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Aalbers J
(2023)
Background determination for the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment
in Physical Review D
Aalbers J
(2023)
First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment
in Physical Review Letters
Description | This award funded the UK contribution to the construction of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment. This was a complex construction project involving many hardware and software components which have been successfully completed and delivered to international project for integration. The UK team completed all agreed deliverables on schedule and within the allocated budget. The main components of the experiment have been manufactured to specification and assembled at the Surface Facility of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), South Dakota, USA. The experiment is presently taking data at SURF. The operations and data exploitation phase is funded through separate grants. |
Exploitation Route | A discovery of particle dark matter by the LZ experiment would be a sensational scientific breakthrough, with major impact in all of fundamental physics. During this award the LZUK Collaboration engaged the public through many outreach actions; this is an area that receives much public interest and which inspires in particular young people for physics research. A detailed list of scientific, social and economic impact actions has been provided in the Project Closeout report submitted to STFC. A key set of outcomes that will outlive LZ and its scientific legacy include the complete redevelopment of the UK's low-background radioassay facilities at the Boulby Underground Laboratory and elsewhere; these facilities were utilised to start new collaborations with industry and with other experiments, and will form the basis for any future UK contribution to low background experiments. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Education Electronics |
URL | https://stfc.ukri.org/news/uk-scientists-contribute-to-final-assembly-of-next-generation-dark-matter-detector/ |
Title | "Data" of "First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment" |
Description | Data points used in analysis in log_10(S2)-S1 space |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.hepdata.net/record/145093 |
Title | "Efficiency" of "First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment" |
Description | Data selection efficiency as a function of nuclear recoil energy |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.hepdata.net/record/145092 |
Title | "SDn cross section" of "First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment" |
Description | 90% CL WIMP SDn cross sections, including sensitivities and nuclear structure uncertainties |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.hepdata.net/record/145090 |
Title | "SDp cross section" of "First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment" |
Description | 90% CL WIMP SDp cross sections, including sensitivities and nuclear structure uncertainties |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.hepdata.net/record/145091 |
Title | "SI cross section" of "First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment" |
Description | 90% CL WIMP SI cross sections, including sensitivities |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.hepdata.net/record/145089 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Brown University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Case Western Reserve University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Daresbury Laboratory |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
Department | Particle Physics Department |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Stanford University |
Department | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Texas A&M University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of California, Davis |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Coimbra |
Department | LIP Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particles Physics |
Country | Portugal |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Maryland |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Oxford |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Rochester |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Sheffield |
Department | Department of Physics and Astronomy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of South Dakota |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | LZ Collaboration |
Organisation | Yale University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Collaborator Contribution | Management, experimental design, R&D, construction-phase deliverables |
Impact | Project in design/construction phase, no significant outputs yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Cosmic Catch (Imperial Reporter) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Featured in article entitled "Cosmic Catch" in Imperial Reported magazine (Aug. 2015 issue). The increased visibility of dark matter research from out work on the LUX and LZ experiments has been a contributing factor for College to make a new academic appointment in this general area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/staff/reporter/public/Reporter287web.pdf |
Description | Imperial HEP Masterclass |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk on Dark Matter Searches by A. Currie at the annual HEP Masterclass for O-level students |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Imperial News feature (LZ approval) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | "New dark matter detector gets green light" - Imperial News feature on the approval of the LZ experiment by the US funding agencies. This was disseminated to UK media organisations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_18-8-2014-9-47-25 |
Description | LZUK Website |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | LZUK website aimed at general public but also for information for undergraduate and postgraduate students, other researchers, and media. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019 |
URL | http://lz.ac.uk |
Description | Live interview, TALKRadio Sunday Show with Paul Ross |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Live interview on Dark Matter Searches and LZ, TALKRadio Sunday Show with Paul Ross |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Talk to Year 7 and Year 8 Students at Dulwich Prep School (London) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk by A. Currie at Prep School followed by discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Talk to Year-8 students at Dulwich Prep School (London) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk by A. Currie at Prep School followed by discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | The Blackett Colloquium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Supporters |
Results and Impact | The first such event in this series for Physics Alumni at Imperial College, which aims to engage alumni in the research conducted in College. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/alumni/internationalambassadorevents/e... |
Description | ZEPLIN-III detector exhibit & Public Lecture at "Whitby & the Cosmos" exhibition, Whitby, UK |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The ZEPLIN-III dark matter detector, which operated at the Boulby Underground Laboratory between 2007 and 2011, was adapted for public display at Imperial College London and donated to the Whitby Museum in late 2018 -- where it became the centrepiece of the topical exhibition "Whitby & the Cosmos". I gave a public lecture entitled "Searching for WIMPs under the Moors" on 15 Feb 2019 to open the event. The ZEPLIN-III instrument will be moved to the permanent collection of the Museum once the exhibition comes to an end in July 2019. Both the exhibition and the public lecture were widely publicised in the local media. The Museum received further support from the Royal Society for this event. The exhibition will receive many thousand of visitors over the coming months. We had the opportunity to donate the instrument to the Science Museum in London, but we chose the Whitby Museum instead to honour a town which hosted the ZEPLIN collaboration for two decades. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://whitbymuseum.org.uk/2019/01/09/whitby-and-the-cosmos/ |