HEP - ASTRO SEMINAR | First Results of the PandaX-I Dark Matter Detector

Much evidence has amassed for the existence of a large nonbaryonic component of matter in the universe, termed dark matter (DM). The dark matter content of our own Milky Way galaxy allows for the possibility of direct detection of DM particles using sensitive earthbound detectors. In search of DM, the PandaX collaboration has operated a low background, high sensitivity liquid xenon detector at China JinPing Laboratory in the Sichuan province of south-west China. The location of PandaX-I in the world's deepest underground lab protects the detector from cosmic radiation while the target of scintillating liquid xenon probes the existence of a large class of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates. I will discuss the first dark matter search results from the PandaX-I detector, achieved during 17.4 live days operation with a target of 37 kg fiducial mass, and compare them with existing world-data.