XENONnT WIMP Search: Signal & Background Modeling and Statistical Inference
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The XENONnT experiment searches for weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter scattering off a xenon nucleus. In particular, XENONnT uses a dual-phase time projection chamber with a 5.9-tonne liquid xenon target, detecting both scintillation and ionization signals to reconstruct the energy, position, and type of recoil. A blind search for nuclear recoil WIMPs with an exposure of 1.1 tonne-years (4.18 t fiducial mass) yielded no signal excess over background expectations, from which competitive exclusion limits were derived on WIMP-nucleon elastic scatter cross sections, for WIMP masses ranging from 6 GeV/$c^2$ up to the TeV/$c^2$ scale. This work details the modeling and statistical methods employed in this search. By means of calibration data, we model the detector response, which is then used to derive background and signal models. The construction and validation of these models is discussed, alongside additional purely data-driven backgrounds. We also describe the statistical inference framework, including the definition of the likelihood function and the construction of confidence intervals.
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Cited by 2 Pith papers
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Probing the Solar $^8$B Neutrino Fog with XENONnT
XENONnT measures solar 8B neutrino coherent scattering at 3.3 sigma, finds no light dark matter, and constrains the weak mixing angle at low momentum transfer.
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Low-Energy Nuclear Recoil Calibration of XENONnT with a $^{88}$YBe Photoneutron Source
XENONnT extracted nuclear recoil light and charge yields in liquid xenon from 0.3 to 5 keV_NR using 474 events from a ⁸⁸YBe source after subtracting 55 background events.
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