从另一侧看非弹性过程：基于LZ高反冲事件的氙激发信号
Inelastic from the Other Side: Xenon Excitation Signals in Light of the LZ High-Recoil Event
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中文总结 AI 辅助
本研究针对LZ实验报告的高反冲事件，采用NREFT框架计算非弹性氙速率，模拟其探测器响应，构建背景模型并分析，发现该伴随道需更大曝光量才可观测，扩展了暗物质现象学范围。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
LUX-ZEPLIN（LZ）实验近期在扩展能区搜索中报告了一个与核反冲相关的单事件，其反冲能量$E_{\rm NR}\sim248\pm23\\,($统计$)\pm23\\,($系统$)$ keV。我们研究伴随的非弹性氙道$\chi+\Xe\to\chi+\Xe^{*}$，该道为解释此类高反冲事件的暗物质（DM）提供了互补检验。采用非相对论有效场论（NREFT）框架并结合壳模型核跃迁输入，我们计算了代表性场景（包括非弹性暗物质和加速DM种群）的非弹性氙速率，还模拟了它们的S1-S2响应，其探测器建模已通过公开LZ数据验证。核退激会添加电磁成分，使信号向电子反冲带移动，部分情况下还会移向同位素的团簇背景。因此我们构建了物理驱动的示意性背景模型并开展简化统计分析。对于多数基准场景，非弹性氙速率约为弹性速率的$\mathcal{O}(0.1)$或更低，表明该伴随道要被观测需显著更大的曝光量。我们的结果阐明了扩展能区中同位素诱导背景结构的重要性，并将非弹性氙信号的现象学扩展至更广泛的DM场景。
英文摘要
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment recently reported a single event consistent with a nuclear recoil of $E_{\rm NR}\sim248\pm23\,(\mathrm{stat})\pm23\,(\mathrm{syst})$~keV in an extended-energy search. We study the accompanying inelastic-xenon channel, $χ+\Xe\toχ+\Xe^{*}$, which provides a complementary test of DM interpretations of such high-recoil events. Using the non-relativistic effective-field-theory (NREFT) framework with shell-model nuclear-transition inputs, we compute the inelastic-xenon rates for representative scenarios including inelastic dark matter and accelerated DM populations. We also simulate their S1--S2 responses, with detector modeling validated against public LZ data. The nuclear de-excitation adds an electromagnetic component shifting the signal toward the electronic-recoil band and, in some cases, toward clustered backgrounds from isotopes. We therefore construct a schematic, physics-motivated background model and perform a simplified statistical analysis. For many benchmarks, the inelastic-xenon rate is $\mathcal{O}(0.1)$ of the elastic rate or below, suggesting that substantially larger exposures are required before this companion channel becomes observable. Our results illustrate the importance of isotope-induced background structures in the extended-energy region and extend the phenomenology of inelastic-xenon signatures to a wider range of DM scenarios.
发表机构
- Nanjing Normal University（南京师范大学）
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院理论物理研究所）
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
- Xinjiang University（新疆大学）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。
