The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a low-threshold, low-background dark matter detector deployed 4850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. The primary detector volume is a time projection chamber (TPC) containing 7 tonnes of liquid xenon. While the experiment’s primary science objective is the search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter, LZ is a discovery engine sensitive to a wide portfolio of rare weak interactions.
LZ utilizes a custom data acquisition system (DAQ) based on the Kintex-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) from Xilinx. The DAQ is called FADR: the FPGA-based Architecture for Data acquisition and Real-time Monitoring. The hardware, firmware, and software components of FADR were developed specifically for LZ, providing the collaboration with complete control over how data is acquired.
In this work, the architecture of FADR is presented. We discuss the role of FADR in the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment’s WIMP search objectives, and show how an in-house-developed DAQ enables LZ to push beyond the search for intermediate-mass WIMPs. As an example of this discovery potential, we focus on LZ’s sensitivity to the neutrino signal from galactic core-collapse supernovae (CCSN). We demonstrate LZ’s sensitivity to this signal, discuss how the detector response is modeled, and show how a real-time DAQ trigger on the neutrino signal will be implemented in FADR. This SN trigger enables LZ to contribute to real-time multimessenger astrophysics. We conclude with a prospective on CCSN neutrino detection, with an eye towards the next generation of liquid noble element TPC-based experiments.
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/98973156241?pwd=cEU5RFdlVXoyc0JTeTlDMkozKzQ5UT09
Jamie Ryan (jlryan@slac), Zhi Zheng (zzheng@slac)
