Particle and Astroparticle Physics Seminar

Towards XLZD: Hardware R&D and Challenges in Scaling Up Xenon Detectors

Frédéric Girard

CNRS - LPNHE
Sorbonne Université

Building on nearly two decades of pioneering research with liquid xenon (LXe) technology, the XENON, LZ, and DARWIN collaborations have united to form XLZD. This new collaboration aims to construct and operate a 60­80-ton dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC), capable of exploring the entire experimentally accessible parameter space for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) across a broad mass range, as well as addressing numerous other physics channels. The significant scale-up from previous experiments introduces substantial technological challenges. In this presentation, I will discuss my contributions to the design, construction, and operation of two critical R&D facilities: Xenoscope at the University of Zurich, dedicated to studying the implications of increased TPC height, and XeLab at LPNHE-Paris, which focuses on the challenges associated with larger diameter electrodes.