XENON FUTURES: R&D FOR A GLOBAL RARE EVENT OBSERVATORY (PHASE 2)

氙气期货：R

• 批准号: ST/V001787/1
• 负责人: Hans Kraus
• 金额: $ 13.55万
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FV001787%2F1
• 关键词: XENON; FUTURES; R&D; GLOBAL; RARE

This proposal describes a 3-year programme of research and development into some of the most important challenges to be faced by next-generation liquid xenon-based dark matter detectors, and will enable the UK to maintain and enhance its global reputation. Astrophysical and cosmological evidence has established the Standard Model of Cosmology, which indicates that dark matter contributes ~27% to the total density of the universe. The ZEPLIN programme of experiments, operated at Boulby (UK), pioneered the LXe technology for dark matter searches. The design is inherently scalable and, with sizes large enough to benefit maximally from self-shielding, LXe detectors have been the world-leading technology in searches for dark matter scattering ever since. The proponents of this proposal successfully delivered major contributions to the current state-of-the-art 'Generation 2' LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. With LZ entering its data-taking and exploitation phase in late 2020, it is timely to start research and development for future liquid xenon detectors now. This 3-year R&D project is for developing and preparing UK contributions for a future liquid xenon Generation 3 (G3) Global Rare Event Observatory. This will extend the search sensitivity right down to where new neutrino backgrounds will become dominant for masses of dark matter candidates >5 GeV, and also to lower masses, for which candidates are less well-constrained but equally well-motivated. The main aims of this R&D phase are to enhance the scientific reach of a G3 experiment through demonstrating sensitivity via the Migdal effect and developing scalable low background VUV-SiPM photosensor arrays and their readout systems.

该提案描述了一项为期3年的研究和开发计划，旨在解决下一代液态氙暗物质探测器面临的一些最重要的挑战，并将使英国能够保持和提高其全球声誉。天体物理学和宇宙学的证据建立了宇宙学标准模型，表明暗物质占宇宙总密度的27%。ZEPLIN实验计划在英国的Boulby进行，开创了用于暗物质搜索的Lemp技术。该设计具有内在的可扩展性，并且尺寸足够大，可以最大限度地受益于自屏蔽，因此，Lemp探测器一直是寻找暗物质散射的世界领先技术。该提案的支持者成功地为目前最先进的“第二代”LUX-ZEPLIN（LZ）实验做出了重大贡献。随着LZ在2020年底进入数据采集和开发阶段，现在开始研究和开发未来的液体氙探测器是及时的。这个为期3年的研发项目是为未来的第三代液态氙（G3）全球稀有事件观测站开发和准备英国的贡献。这将扩展搜索灵敏度，直到新的中微子背景将成为质量>5 GeV的暗物质候选者的主导，以及更低的质量，候选者的约束不那么好，但同样有很好的动机。该研发阶段的主要目标是通过Migdal效应展示灵敏度，并开发可扩展的低背景VUV-SiPM光电传感器阵列及其读出系统，以提高G3实验的科学范围。