Investment critical to LZ success
Xenon is a core component of the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment. In its search for dark matter, LUX uses 1/3 of-a-ton of xenon. LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), the next generation dark matter search, needs 10 tons, which carries a high price tag. But the South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) took steps to ease that burden when it committed $2 million toward the purchase of xenon.
?LZ will be the world?s largest and most sensitive liquid xenon dark matter experiment by the end of the decade,? said M. (Gil) Gilchriese, LZ Project Scientist from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. ?The investment by the South Dakota Community Foundation will enable the acquisition of xenon, which is critical to the success of LZ.?
The program-related investment will be the largest one-time funding outflow for a single project in the SDCF?s 28-year history. The leadership of the SDCF saw this opportunity as a way to leverage the foundation?s grant resources to support significant economic development in the state.
?The South Dakota Community Foundation has been tasked with investing in programs that benefit the social and economic well-being of the people of South Dakota, and helping to launch the LZ experiment at Sanford Lab will do just that,? said Jim Hart, SDCF Board of Directors Chairman.
Stephanie Judson, President of the SDCF added, ?The South Dakota Community Foundation is providing critical funding to the SDSTA to help ensure that the next phase of research happens here in South Dakota and brings positive economic impact with it.?
In a May 2014 report, the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) outlined a 10-year strategic plan for high-energy physics in the United States. Among other things, the P5 recommended a U.S. particle physics program that focuses on research into neutrinos and dark matter, both of which are being researched at Sanford Lab.
?We?re honored to be partnering with the South Dakota Community Foundation to advance the development of the LZ experiment at the Sanford Lab,? said Mike Headley, Executive Director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. ?The foundation?s investment in this project will help the U.S. keep a science-leadership role in the global competition to detect dark matter.?
The LZ experiment will be located in the Davis Cavern, and will use the same 72,000-gallon tank filled with ultra-pure water that LUX uses. It is estimated that LZ will run from 2018 to 2026.
?The SDCF?s investment in a future experiment will benefit the Sanford Lab and the state of South Dakota for years to come, both economically and educationally,? said Casey Peterson, Chair of the SDSTA.