Speaker
Description
The LZ experiment is a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber for direct dark matter searches located in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Although LZ’s primary goal is the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via low-energy nuclear recoils, it can also leverage its low background to search for alternative beyond standard model physics scenarios , including dark matter coupling to electrons. Such dark matter is challenging to detect in xenon detectors because the expected electronic-recoil signals often fall below the detector’s energy threshold. However, astrophysical high-energy electron populations can boost dark matter into the observable energy range of LZ. In this talk, I will present an LZ search for such signals based on a 4.2 tonne-year exposure. I will discuss the analysis strategy, and show results for several source scenarios, including cosmic rays, active galactic nuclei, primordial black hole evaporation, and solar thermal processes.
