Noble Travails: XENON10, LUX and Other Noble Liquid Detectors Searching for Particle Dark Matter
Rick Gaitskell, Associate Professor of Physics, Head of Particle Astrophysics Group, Brown University
I will report on the latest results from the XENON10 liquid xenon-based detector which began searching for particle dark matter at Gran Sasso in late 2006 ( http://xenon.brown.edu). The experiment has
already demonstrated ( http://arxiv.org/abs/0706.0039) a world class direct search sensitivity which is a factor 4 better than its current nearest rival (CDMS II). I will discuss some of the details of the
experiment, and future evolution.I will also discuss some of the other noble liquid target experiments that are also providing competitive sensitivities in the race for the direct detection of particle dark matter (WIMPs). Theoretical
estimates, based on supersymmetric models predict dark matter interaction rates from the best sensitivity of existing direct detection experiments of ~1 evts/kg/month, down to rates of ~1 evts/ 100 kg/yr, and below this. Current noble liquid experiments for dark matter searches, range in scale from 10 to 100's kg, and are designed to rise to this challenge.A growing understanding of how to exploit these characteristics, and construct larger detectors, will allow further significant improvements in the sensitivity of noble liquid experiments. My discussion will include current and future noble liquid detector experiments: LUX, miniCLEAN/DEAP, WARP, XENON, XMASS, ZEPLIN