Deep Talks: From LUX to LZ—Dark Matter in the Hills

Over its four-year run deep underground at Sanford Lab, the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment proved itself to be the most sensitive dark matter detector in the world. 

“The detector didn’t find dark matter,” said Simon Fiorucci, a physicist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “But it worked real hard and set strong constraints on what dark matter can and cannot be.”

Fiorucci oversaw LUX operations at Sanford Lab and will serve in a similar role for LUX-ZEPLIN, a much bigger, much more sensitive dark matter experiment that is expected to begin operations on the 4850 Level in 2020. 

“The switch to LZ is motivated by the need to explore dark matter sensitivity by a further two orders of magnitude,” Fiorucci explained. “But we can't do it with something the size of LUX before we all die of old age. We need it to be bigger and better!”

Fiorucci will discuss why the collaboration believes this second-generation dark matter detector has a better shot at once again taking the lead in the race to find dark matter at this week’s Deep Talks. The event takes place Thursday, May 10, at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center. 

“There is a fierce international race to be the first to find dark matter. We need to move fast if we want to keep SURF and LZ on the map,” Fiorucci said. “We learned a lot from the technology used with LUX, and similar detectors around the world and are putting all of that to good use to build something that performs even better.”

LZ will hold 10 tons of liquid xenon, making it approximately 30 times bigger and 100 times more sensitive than its much smaller cousin—but it still has to fit in the same space and water tank on the 4850 Level. Renovations to the space began early this year while a cleanroom and radon reduction system were installed on the surface last year. Assembly of the cryostat is expected to begin this summer. 

Fiorucci has been working in the field of dark matter detection since 2002 and with xenon-based detector technology since 2005. He will begin his presentation with a discussion about the LUX detector, part of which is on display at the Visitor Center. 

“From there, I’ll give everyone what I hope is a clearer idea of what will happen at SURF over the next eight years and why it is going to be such a big deal!”

Deep Talks: From LUX to LZ—Dark Matter in the Hills begins at 5 p.m. with a social hour; the talk begins at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Northern Hills Federal Credit Union and Crow Peak Brewing Company. Light refreshments will be served, with free beer available for those 21 and older.