The worldwide race towards direct dark matter detection in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive... more The worldwide race towards direct dark matter detection in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) has been dramatically accelerated by the remarkable progress and evolution of liquid xenon time projection chambers (LXeTPCs). With a realistic discovery potential, XENON100 has already reached a sensitivity of $7\times10^{-45}\,\n{cm}^2$, and continues to accrue data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy towards its ultimate sensitivity reach at the $\sigma_{\n{SI}}\sim 2\times10^{-45}\,\n{cm}^2$ level for the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section. To fully explore the favoured parameter space for WIMP dark matter in search of a first robust and statistically significant discovery, or to confirm any hint of a signal from \Xehund, the next phase of the XENON program will be a detector at the ton scale - XENON1T. The XENON1T detector, based on 2.2 ton of LXe viewed by low radioactivity photomultiplier tubes and housed in a water Cherenkov muon...
We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2–6) keV ene... more We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2–6) keV energy range recorded between February 2011 and March 2012 with the XENON100 detector, adding up to 224.6 live days in total. Following a detailed study to establish the stability of the detector and its background contributions during this run, we performed an unbinned profile likelihood analysis to identify any periodicity up to 500 days. We find a global significance of less than 1σ for all periods, suggesting no statistically significant modulation in the data. While the local significance for an annual modulation is 2.8σ, the analysis of a multiple-scatter control sample and the phase of the modulation disfavor a dark matter interpretation. The DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation interpreted as a dark matter signature with axial-vector coupling of weakly interacting massive particles to electrons is excluded at 4.8σ. The XENON100 experiment [1] is designed to search for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) [2] by detecting WIMP-induced nuclear recoils (NRs) with a liquid xenon (LXe) time projection chamber. The resulting event rate in any dark matter detector is expected to be annually modulated due to the
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2011
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2-6) keV ene... more We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2-6) keV energy range recorded between February 2011 and March 2012 with the XENON100 detector, adding up to 224.6 live days in total. Following a detailed study to establish the stability of the detector and its background contributions during this run, we performed an unbinned profile likelihood analysis to identify any periodicity up to 500 days. We find a global significance of less than 1σ for all periods, suggesting no statistically significant modulation in the data. While the local significance for an annual modulation is 2.8σ, the analysis of a multiple-scatter control sample and the phase of the modulation disfavor a dark matter interpretation. The DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation interpreted as a dark matter signature with axial-vector coupling of weakly interacting massive particles to electrons is excluded at 4.8σ.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2012
Gaseous PhotoMultipliers (GPM) are a very promising alternative of vacuum PMTs especially for lar... more Gaseous PhotoMultipliers (GPM) are a very promising alternative of vacuum PMTs especially for large-size noble-liquid detectors in the field of Functional Nuclear Medical Imaging and Direct Dark Matter Detection. We present recent characterization results of a Hybrid-GPM made of three Micropattern Gaseous Structures; a Thick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (THGEM), a Parallel Ionization Multiplier (PIM) and a MICROMesh GAseous Structure (MICROMEGAS), operating in Ne/CF 4 (90:10). Gain values close to 10 7 were recorded in this mixture, with 5.9keV x-rays at 1100 mbar, both at room temperature and at that of liquid xenon (T = 171K). The results are discussed in term of scintillation detection. While the present multiplier was investigated without photocathode, complementary results of photoextraction from CsI UVphotocathodes are presented in Ne/CH 4 (95:5) and CH 4 in cryogenic conditions.
The XENON100 experiment, situated in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, aims at the direct ... more The XENON100 experiment, situated in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, aims at the direct detection of dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), based on their interactions with xenon nuclei in an ultra low background dual-phase time projection chamber. This paper describes the general methods developed for the analysis of the XENON100 data, focusing on the 100.9 live days science run from which results on spin-independent elastic and inelastic WIMP-nucleon cross-sections have already been reported.
Vacuum ultraviolet light sensitive photomultiplier tubes directly coupled to liquid xenon are bei... more Vacuum ultraviolet light sensitive photomultiplier tubes directly coupled to liquid xenon are being used to efficiently detect the 178 nm scintillation light in a variety of liquid xenon based particle detectors. Good knowledge of the performance of these photomultipliers under cryogenic conditions is needed to properly characterize these detectors. Here, we report on measurements of the quantum efficiency of Hamamatsu R8520 photomultipliers, used in the XENON Dark Matter Experiments. The quantum efficiency measurements at room temperature agree with the values provided by Hamamatsu. At low temperatures, between 160K and 170K, the quantum efficiency increases by $\sim5-11$% relative to the room temperature values.
We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Labo... more We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) for 13 months during 2011 and 2012. XENON100 features an ultra-low electromagnetic background of (5.3 \pm 0.6) \times 10^-3 events (kg day keVee)^-1 in the energy region of interest. A blind analysis of 224.6 live days \times 34 kg exposure has yielded no evidence for dark matter interactions. The two candidate events observed in the pre-defined nuclear recoil energy range of 6.6-30.5 keVnr are consistent with the background expectation of (1.0 \pm 0.2) events. A Profile Likelihood analysis using a 6.6-43.3 keVnr energy range sets the most stringent limit on the spin-independent elastic WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section for WIMP masses above 8 GeV/c^2, with a minimum of 2 \times 10^-45 cm^2 at 55 GeV/c^2 and 90% confidence level.
Particle detectors that use liquid xenon (LXe) as detection medium are among the leading technolo... more Particle detectors that use liquid xenon (LXe) as detection medium are among the leading technologies in the search for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). A key enabling element has been the low-energy detection threshold for recoiling nuclei produced by the interaction of WIMPs in LXe targets. In these detectors, the nuclear recoil energy scale is based on the LXe scintillation signal and thus requires knowledge of the relative scintillation efficiency of nuclear recoils, L eff . The uncertainty in L eff at low energies is the largest systematic uncertainty in the reported results from LXe WIMP searches at low masses. In the context of the XENON Dark Matter project, a new LXe scintillation detector has been designed and built specifically for the measurement of L eff at low energies, with an emphasis on maximizing the scintillation light detection efficiency to obtain the lowest possible energy threshold. We report new measurements of L eff at low energies performed with this detector. Our results suggest a L eff which slowly decreases with decreasing energy, from 0.144 ± 0.009 at 15 keV down to 0.088 +0.014 −0.015 at 3 keV. PACS numbers: 95.35.+d, 14.80.Ly, 29.40.-n, 95.55.Vj
We have developed an efficient cryogenic system with heat exchange and associated gas purificatio... more We have developed an efficient cryogenic system with heat exchange and associated gas purification system as a prototype for the XENON1T experiment. The XENON1T detector will use about 3 tons of liquid xenon (LXe) at a temperature of 175K as target and detection medium for a dark matter search. In this paper we report results on the cryogenic system performance focusing on the dynamics of the gas circulation-purification through a heated getter, at flow rates above 50 Standard Liter per Minute (SLPM). A maximum flow of 114 SLPM has been achieved, and using two heat exchangers in series, a heat exchange efficiency better than 96% has been measured.
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
The worldwide race towards direct dark matter detection in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive... more The worldwide race towards direct dark matter detection in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) has been dramatically accelerated by the remarkable progress and evolution of liquid xenon time projection chambers (LXeTPCs). With a realistic discovery potential, XENON100 has already reached a sensitivity of $7\times10^{-45}\,\n{cm}^2$, and continues to accrue data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy towards its ultimate sensitivity reach at the $\sigma_{\n{SI}}\sim 2\times10^{-45}\,\n{cm}^2$ level for the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section. To fully explore the favoured parameter space for WIMP dark matter in search of a first robust and statistically significant discovery, or to confirm any hint of a signal from \Xehund, the next phase of the XENON program will be a detector at the ton scale - XENON1T. The XENON1T detector, based on 2.2 ton of LXe viewed by low radioactivity photomultiplier tubes and housed in a water Cherenkov muon...
We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2–6) keV ene... more We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2–6) keV energy range recorded between February 2011 and March 2012 with the XENON100 detector, adding up to 224.6 live days in total. Following a detailed study to establish the stability of the detector and its background contributions during this run, we performed an unbinned profile likelihood analysis to identify any periodicity up to 500 days. We find a global significance of less than 1σ for all periods, suggesting no statistically significant modulation in the data. While the local significance for an annual modulation is 2.8σ, the analysis of a multiple-scatter control sample and the phase of the modulation disfavor a dark matter interpretation. The DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation interpreted as a dark matter signature with axial-vector coupling of weakly interacting massive particles to electrons is excluded at 4.8σ. The XENON100 experiment [1] is designed to search for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) [2] by detecting WIMP-induced nuclear recoils (NRs) with a liquid xenon (LXe) time projection chamber. The resulting event rate in any dark matter detector is expected to be annually modulated due to the
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2011
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2-6) keV ene... more We have searched for periodic variations of the electronic recoil event rate in the (2-6) keV energy range recorded between February 2011 and March 2012 with the XENON100 detector, adding up to 224.6 live days in total. Following a detailed study to establish the stability of the detector and its background contributions during this run, we performed an unbinned profile likelihood analysis to identify any periodicity up to 500 days. We find a global significance of less than 1σ for all periods, suggesting no statistically significant modulation in the data. While the local significance for an annual modulation is 2.8σ, the analysis of a multiple-scatter control sample and the phase of the modulation disfavor a dark matter interpretation. The DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation interpreted as a dark matter signature with axial-vector coupling of weakly interacting massive particles to electrons is excluded at 4.8σ.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2012
Gaseous PhotoMultipliers (GPM) are a very promising alternative of vacuum PMTs especially for lar... more Gaseous PhotoMultipliers (GPM) are a very promising alternative of vacuum PMTs especially for large-size noble-liquid detectors in the field of Functional Nuclear Medical Imaging and Direct Dark Matter Detection. We present recent characterization results of a Hybrid-GPM made of three Micropattern Gaseous Structures; a Thick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (THGEM), a Parallel Ionization Multiplier (PIM) and a MICROMesh GAseous Structure (MICROMEGAS), operating in Ne/CF 4 (90:10). Gain values close to 10 7 were recorded in this mixture, with 5.9keV x-rays at 1100 mbar, both at room temperature and at that of liquid xenon (T = 171K). The results are discussed in term of scintillation detection. While the present multiplier was investigated without photocathode, complementary results of photoextraction from CsI UVphotocathodes are presented in Ne/CH 4 (95:5) and CH 4 in cryogenic conditions.
The XENON100 experiment, situated in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, aims at the direct ... more The XENON100 experiment, situated in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, aims at the direct detection of dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), based on their interactions with xenon nuclei in an ultra low background dual-phase time projection chamber. This paper describes the general methods developed for the analysis of the XENON100 data, focusing on the 100.9 live days science run from which results on spin-independent elastic and inelastic WIMP-nucleon cross-sections have already been reported.
Vacuum ultraviolet light sensitive photomultiplier tubes directly coupled to liquid xenon are bei... more Vacuum ultraviolet light sensitive photomultiplier tubes directly coupled to liquid xenon are being used to efficiently detect the 178 nm scintillation light in a variety of liquid xenon based particle detectors. Good knowledge of the performance of these photomultipliers under cryogenic conditions is needed to properly characterize these detectors. Here, we report on measurements of the quantum efficiency of Hamamatsu R8520 photomultipliers, used in the XENON Dark Matter Experiments. The quantum efficiency measurements at room temperature agree with the values provided by Hamamatsu. At low temperatures, between 160K and 170K, the quantum efficiency increases by $\sim5-11$% relative to the room temperature values.
We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Labo... more We report on a search for particle dark matter with the XENON100 experiment, operated at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) for 13 months during 2011 and 2012. XENON100 features an ultra-low electromagnetic background of (5.3 \pm 0.6) \times 10^-3 events (kg day keVee)^-1 in the energy region of interest. A blind analysis of 224.6 live days \times 34 kg exposure has yielded no evidence for dark matter interactions. The two candidate events observed in the pre-defined nuclear recoil energy range of 6.6-30.5 keVnr are consistent with the background expectation of (1.0 \pm 0.2) events. A Profile Likelihood analysis using a 6.6-43.3 keVnr energy range sets the most stringent limit on the spin-independent elastic WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section for WIMP masses above 8 GeV/c^2, with a minimum of 2 \times 10^-45 cm^2 at 55 GeV/c^2 and 90% confidence level.
Particle detectors that use liquid xenon (LXe) as detection medium are among the leading technolo... more Particle detectors that use liquid xenon (LXe) as detection medium are among the leading technologies in the search for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). A key enabling element has been the low-energy detection threshold for recoiling nuclei produced by the interaction of WIMPs in LXe targets. In these detectors, the nuclear recoil energy scale is based on the LXe scintillation signal and thus requires knowledge of the relative scintillation efficiency of nuclear recoils, L eff . The uncertainty in L eff at low energies is the largest systematic uncertainty in the reported results from LXe WIMP searches at low masses. In the context of the XENON Dark Matter project, a new LXe scintillation detector has been designed and built specifically for the measurement of L eff at low energies, with an emphasis on maximizing the scintillation light detection efficiency to obtain the lowest possible energy threshold. We report new measurements of L eff at low energies performed with this detector. Our results suggest a L eff which slowly decreases with decreasing energy, from 0.144 ± 0.009 at 15 keV down to 0.088 +0.014 −0.015 at 3 keV. PACS numbers: 95.35.+d, 14.80.Ly, 29.40.-n, 95.55.Vj
We have developed an efficient cryogenic system with heat exchange and associated gas purificatio... more We have developed an efficient cryogenic system with heat exchange and associated gas purification system as a prototype for the XENON1T experiment. The XENON1T detector will use about 3 tons of liquid xenon (LXe) at a temperature of 175K as target and detection medium for a dark matter search. In this paper we report results on the cryogenic system performance focusing on the dynamics of the gas circulation-purification through a heated getter, at flow rates above 50 Standard Liter per Minute (SLPM). A maximum flow of 114 SLPM has been achieved, and using two heat exchangers in series, a heat exchange efficiency better than 96% has been measured.
The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers... more The properties of UV-photon imaging detectors consisting of CsI-coated THGEM electron multipliers are summarized. New results related to detection of Cherenkov light (RICH) and scintillation photons in noble liquid are presented.
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Papers by Ran Budnik