XENONnT WIMP search: signal and background modeling and statistical inference
The XENONnT experiment searches for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter scattering off a xenon nucleus. In particular, XENONnT uses a dual-phase time projection chamber with a 5.9-ton liquid xenon target, detecting both scintillation and ionization signals to reconstruct the energ...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
19 May, 2025
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| In: |
Physical review
Year: 2025, Volume: 111, Issue: 10, Pages: 1-21 |
| ISSN: | 2470-0029 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevD.111.103040 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.103040 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.103040 
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| Author Notes: | XENON Collaboration* |
| Summary: | The XENONnT experiment searches for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter scattering off a xenon nucleus. In particular, XENONnT uses a dual-phase time projection chamber with a 5.9-ton liquid xenon target, detecting both scintillation and ionization signals to reconstruct the energy, position, and type of recoil. A blind search for nuclear recoil WIMPs with an exposure of 1.1 ton-years (4.18 t fiducial mass) yielded no signal excess over background expectations, from which competitive exclusion limits were derived on WIMP-nucleon elastic scatter cross sections, for WIMP masses ranging from 6 GeV/𝑐2 up to the TeV/𝑐2 scale. This work details the modeling and statistical methods employed in this search. By means of calibration data, we model the detector response, which is then used to derive background and signal models. The construction and validation of these models is discussed, alongside additional purely data-driven backgrounds. We also describe the statistical inference framework, including the definition of the likelihood function and the construction of confidence intervals. |
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| Item Description: | Veröffentlicht: 19. Mai 2025 XENON Collaboration: E. Aprile, M. Lindner, T. Marrodán Undagoitia, A. Terliuk [und 159 weitere Personen] Gesehen am 29.10.2025 DOI funktioniert nicht |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2470-0029 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevD.111.103040 |