LUX350/LUX-ZEPLIN R&D
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
This proposal will enable the release of short-term bridging funds to Imperial College to support participation in LUX-350 (travel) and R&D/design activities for LUX-ZEPLIN, as determined by the Dark Matter Sub-Group set up by Science Board (document attached).
Planned Impact
The most impact would be felt within the scientific community itself. A first detection of dark matter particles would have truly profound implications. It would answer one of the major questions in astronomy and cosmology and tell us what the majority of the Universe is made from. It would also conmsolidate the well developed but unproven models of our Universe and how it has evolved. This discovery would be profound enough in its own right but there would be another equally profound implication from the detailed particle properties. The particles would almost certainly be of relevance to the quest for unification of the forces of Nature; this has been going on for several decades now and most serious theories predict new particles. Finding such new particles would confirm that efforts in this direction could well be on the right lines. Hence, for the scientific community a discovery would be ground breaking and shape the whole future of continued research in these two directions.
The technology being devloped is state-of-the-art in terms of particle detection and identification. The detection of WIMPs requires technology which can also detect fast neutrons. This is of interest to many security related issues and some devleopments in this direction to look for neutron production could follow on. The subject of dark matter is high in the public interest. Up until now the public have followed with interest all the evidence and efforts to make detections but will only null reports (for the most part) a positive convincing announcement would re-invigorate the interest and doubtless attract young people into following science as a carreer. For the national funding agencies a positive detection would allow a new planning regime with clear targetted more specific goals for future studies.
The technology being devloped is state-of-the-art in terms of particle detection and identification. The detection of WIMPs requires technology which can also detect fast neutrons. This is of interest to many security related issues and some devleopments in this direction to look for neutron production could follow on. The subject of dark matter is high in the public interest. Up until now the public have followed with interest all the evidence and efforts to make detections but will only null reports (for the most part) a positive convincing announcement would re-invigorate the interest and doubtless attract young people into following science as a carreer. For the national funding agencies a positive detection would allow a new planning regime with clear targetted more specific goals for future studies.
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)
- Daresbury Laboratory (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- University of Rochester (Collaboration)
- University of California, Berkeley (Collaboration)
- University of Maryland, College Park (Collaboration)
- Brown University (Collaboration)
- University of Sheffield (Collaboration)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of South Dakota (Collaboration)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of California, Davis (Collaboration)
- Stanford University (Collaboration)
- Yale University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- Texas A&M University (Collaboration)
Publications
Akerib D
(2019)
Improved measurements of the ß -decay response of liquid xenon with the LUX detector
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Search for two neutrino double electron capture of 124 Xe and 126 Xe in the full exposure of the LUX detector
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Akerib D
(2017)
Signal yields, energy resolution, and recombination fluctuations in liquid xenon
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Discrimination of electronic recoils from nuclear recoils in two-phase xenon time projection chambers
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Improved modeling of ß electronic recoils in liquid xenon using LUX calibration data
in Journal of Instrumentation
Akerib D
(2020)
Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2017)
Ultralow energy calibration of LUX detector using Xe 127 electron capture
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2021)
Constraints on effective field theory couplings using 311.2 days of LUX data
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Extending light WIMP searches to single scintillation photons in LUX
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
First direct detection constraint on mirror dark matter kinetic mixing using LUX 2013 data
in Physical Review D
| Description | International Exchanges Scheme |
| Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IE120804 |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2013 |
| End | 03/2015 |
| Description | PPRP - LZ Dark Matter Search R&D |
| Amount | £178,700 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | P44228 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2013 |
| End | 03/2015 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Brown University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Case Western Reserve University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Texas A&M University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of California, Davis |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Coimbra |
| Department | LIP Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particles Physics |
| Country | Portugal |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Maryland |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Rochester |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | University of South Dakota |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | LUX Collaboration |
| Organisation | Yale University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Operation and science exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Collaborator Contribution | Design, construction, operation and exploitation of the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory |
| Impact | None for the UK yet |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| 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 | HEP Masterclass |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Attended by some 100 A-Level students and their Physics teachers; included above presentation plus Q&A session and informal discussion. Continual (national) effort to engage students and continue to improve numbers studying Physics (and HEP) in Higher Education |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015 |
| URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/naturalsciences/highenergyphysics/even... |
| 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 | Imperial News feature - First LUX results (online) |
| 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 sends first data from gold mine 1.5km underground" - announcement of LUX results in 2013. This was disseminated to UK media organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_30-10-2013-15-31-20 |