Particle Physics Seminar

I conclude that a high-pressure gaseous xenon (instead of liquid) xenon detector will offer much superior g-background rejection in the search for WIMPs and much superior energy resolution for the 0-n bb decay search in 136Xe. It appears that a relatively modest augmentation to the optimum detector for 0-n bb decay will lead to an attractive synergy for both purposes. If this scenario is correct, two identical HPXe TPCs differing only in isotopic content may provide significantly more robust evidence for the existence of either signal. In this case, the arguably optimum detector for both purposes is the same high-pressure xenon gas (HPXe) TPC. A simple analysis of important factors that limit energy resolution, especially the anomalously large fluctuations between scintillation and ionization in liquid xenon (LXe), is presented with the goal of defining an optimal design for next-generation HPXe-based searches at the few hundred kg level. An unresolved issue is whether the WIMP and 136Xe 0-n bb decay communities might embrace such a common approach.