The current generation of liquid xenon dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) experiments has achieved world-leading constraints in GeV-scale dark matter searches. Building on this success, research and development efforts are underway to prepare for the next-generation experiment, which aims to probe the remaining parameter space up to the neutrino floor. To achieve this, the XENONnT and LUX-ZEPLIN collaborations have partnered with the DARWIN collaboration to form the XLZD collaboration, combining their expertise and resources.
As part of this effort, the XeLab facility, conceived and built through collaboration between LPNHE and SUBATECH and hosted at LPNHE, has been established. The facility is based on liquid xenon dual-phase TPC technology and is designed to test innovative electrode designs on a small scale, addressing challenges such as electric field non-uniformities caused by sagging electrode wires. XeLab houses 11 kg of xenon, cooled by liquid nitrogen, and features a compact 5 cm × 5 cm TPC equipped with five PMTs. This small-scale setup enables rapid assembly, testing, and iterative design improvements, serving as a demonstrator for electrode optimization before scaling to larger facilities.
This talk will outline the baseline design of the XeLab facility and discuss the results from its initial runs with liquid xenon.
