Speaker
Description
Xenon-based dark matter experiments have been leading the field of direct detection for a decade now, as realized most recently by the PandaX, LUX, and now XENON1T results, setting increasingly stringent limits on WIMP scattering. The near-future commencement of construction of LUX and ZEPLIN’s 10-ton-scale scale-up, next-generation successor, LZ, will be discussed here. We plan on achieving our baseline sensitivity of 2.3 x 10^-48 cm^2 for a WIMP of 40 GeV/c^2 rest mass, with a 5.6-ton fiducial mass in a two-phase xenon time-projection chamber. LZ has recently passed its final CD-2/3 approvals from the DOE, and unveiled its design details, background estimates, and projected sensitivities for different types of dark matter in its technical design Report. These will all be presented.
