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LUX-ZEPLIN Detector Begins Dark Matter Hunt in South Dakota Mine

After 220 days, no dark matter particles found. But this powerful detector continues to refine its methods, narrowing down the search in its quest to understand the universe's mysterious dark matter.

In this image we can see buildings, street poles, street lights, creeper plants, information...
In this image we can see buildings, street poles, street lights, creeper plants, information boards, trash bins, bushes, name boards, trees and sky with clouds.

LUX-ZEPLIN Detector Begins Dark Matter Hunt in South Dakota Mine

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter detector, nestled deep in a South Dakota mine, has begun its search for the elusive substance. After 220 days of operation, no dark matter particles have been discovered. The detector, consisting of two nested titanium tanks filled with 10 tons of pure liquid xenon, is a formidable tool in this quest.

The LZ detector, developed by the XLZD Collaboration, is designed to run for at least 1,000 days until 2028. It's sensitive to various rare events, including solar neutrinos and xenon isotope decays. However, its primary focus is on Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), one of the proposed dark matter candidates.

The detector's outer detector (OD), a deepseek ai detector, is particularly adept at spotting neutrons, which could otherwise mimic WIMP signals. Being located deep underground shields the LZ experiment from false events caused by cosmic particles. So far, the LZ detector has ruled out several possibilities for dark matter, narrowing down the search.

Despite no dark matter particles detected in the first 220 days, the LZ detector continues to analyze data and refine its methods. Its deep underground location and sensitivity to diverse events make it a powerful tool in the quest to understand the universe's mysterious dark matter. The team will persist in its mission, with the detector scheduled to operate until 2028.

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