PandaX: Particle and Astrophysical Xenon Experiments

PandaX is a series of experimental projects that utilizes Xenon detectors to search for elusive dark matter particles and to understand the fundamental properties of neutrinos. The PandaX collaboration has now entered into the multi-ton stage of the project, PandaX-4T.

PandaX II

PandaX-II is a dark matter direct detection experiment equipped with a half-ton scale dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC), operated in CJPL between Oct. 2014 and June 2019. In 2016 and 2017, PandaX-II produced the world leading constraints to dark matter-nucleon interactions. See a list of scientific publications here.

PandaX-4T

With 6-ton of total Xenon and 4-ton sensitive target, PandaX-4T aims to improve the dark matter sensitivity by one order of magnitude in comparison to PandaX-II. PandaX-4T also plans to make sensitive searches on neutrinoless double beta decay of , and other signals from new physics. This project is expected to commence data taking in 2021.

PandaX III

PandaX-III searches for the possible neutrinoless double beta decay with 200 kg to one ton of 90% enriched in a high pressure gaseous Xenon TPC.

News

  • Physics in the MeV range with PandaX-4T: measurement of double beta decay half-life of Xe-136

    PandaX-4T is not just a dark matter detector, as you may be more familiar with. For such a large and exquisite detector, we can explore multiple physics topics. Neutrino physics is one such important direction.

  • PandaX’s first attempt to “see” the solar neutrino floor

    Background neutrinos can elastically scatter with target nucleus (coherently elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering or CEvNS), producing nuclear recoil signals in a dark matter detector that can mimic dark matter signals. This intrinsic background is the so-called “neutrino floor”, which will ultimately limit the sensitivity of dark matter direct detection. On the other hand, it also provides very interesting physics opportunities to study neutrino interactions.

  • Search for sub-GeV dark matter with a new diurnal modulation signature

    With the extra energy gained from the cosmic rays, sub-GeV dark matter particles can produce visible recoil signals in the detector. We present a new result searching for the cosmic ray boosted dark matter (CRDM) with the PandaX-II full data. This work is motivated by the theoretical paper (PRL. 126 091804), which first pointed out that a sidereal diurnal modulation in signal rate and energy spectrum due to the Earth shielding is expected for low mass CRDM.

  • PandaX-4T published the first result in Physics Review Letters, giving the strongest WIMP-nucleon interaction constraint!

    On December 24, 2021, the first dark matter search result from PandaX-4T, a liquid xenon detection experiment, was published in Physical Review Letters as the "Editor's Suggestion" [1]. The American Physical Society 《Physics》 reported this PandaX-4T latest result together with another result from the Axion Dark Matter Experiment with a title of "Tightening the Net on Two Kinds of Dark Matter"

  • PandaX collaboration published a new result of light dark matter searching in Physics Review Letters

    A new result on searching of light dark matter (DM) with PandaX-II experimental data was published online in Physical Review Letters on May 28, 2021 with a title of "Search for Light Dark Matter–Electron Scattering in the PandaX-II Experiment "[1]. This is the 6th PRL paper published with PandaX-II data.

Events