New WIMP search results from the XENONnT experiment published
The XENON Collaboration has published a new paper in PRL, presenting the latest results of a search for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter using the XENONnT experiment, the latest-generation of multi-tonne scale xenon dual-phase time projection chamber operated by the collaboration at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The paper, "WIMP Dark Matter Search using a 3.1 Tonne-Year Exposure of the XENONnT Experiment" (PRL), reports on an analysis of data collected during the first two science runs of the experiment, corresponding to a total exposure of 3.1 tonne-years of the liquid xenon target.
The analysis is based on a blind search for nuclear recoil signals compatible with elastic WIMP scattering. No significant excess above the expected background was observed. The results therefore place new upper limits on the spin-independent WIMP–nucleon scattering cross section across a wide range of WIMP masses. Compared to previous XENONnT results, the sensitivity of the search is improved by approximately a factor of two, reflecting both the increased exposure and the strong control of backgrounds achieved by the experiment. These results further constrain the allowed parameter space for WIMP dark matter models and represent an important step in the ongoing program of direct dark matter searches.
More information on the XENON project can be found at the XENON website.