Background

Jingke Xu received his PhD for research on solar neutrinos and dark matter. After graduation, he worked on testing a longstanding dark matter claim before joining the Rare Event Detection Group at LLNL. Currently he leads the noble liquid research group on dark matter searches with LUX, LZ and XLZD, and on the development and characterization of new detector technologies.

Research Interests

As an experimental particle physicist, Dr. Xu studies the interactions of exotic particles, which are essential for understanding the fundamental building blocks of the universe and the underlying physical laws that govern their interactions. He strives to apply advanced radiation detection technologies to enhance national security.

Ph.D. Physics, Princeton University, 2013

B.S. Physics, USTC, 2008

Selected publications

1. Jingke Xu, et al, “Search for the Migdal effect with keV-level nuclear recoils in liquid xenon”, Phys. Rev. D 109, L051101 (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.L051101
2. O. A. Akindele, et al, " Particle physics using reactor antineutrinos", J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 51 080501 (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6471/ad3a84
3. Jingke Xu, et al, “Detection and Calibration of Low-Energy Nuclear Recoils for Dark Matter and Neutrino Scattering Experiments”, Annu. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 73:95-121 (2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nucl-111722-025122
4. LZ Collaboration, “First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 041002 (2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.041002
5. E. Bernard, et al, “Thermodynamic Stability of Xenon-Doped Liquid Argon Detectors”, Phys. Rev. C 108, 045503 (2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.108.045503
6. T. Pershing, et al, “Performance of Hamamatsu VUV4 SiPMs for detecting liquid argon scintillation”, JINST 17 P04017 (2022), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/17/04/P04017
7. LUX Collaboration, “Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector”, Phys. Rev. D 102, 092004 (2020), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.092004
8. LBECA Collaboration, “LBECA: A Low Background Electron Counting Apparatus for Sub-GeV Dark Matter Detection”, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1468 012035 (2020), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1468/1/012035
9. B. G. Lenardo, et al, “Low-Energy Physics Reach of Xenon Detectors for Nuclear-Recoil-Based Dark Matter and Neutrino Experiments”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 231106 (2019), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.231106
10. Jingke Xu, et al, “First measurement of surface nuclear recoil background for argon dark matter searches”, Phys. Rev. D 96, 061101 (2017), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.96.061101
11. Jingke Xu, et al, “A study of the residual ³⁹Ar content in argon from underground sources”, Astropart. Phys. 66, 53 (2015), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2015.01.002
12. Jingke Xu, et al, “SABRE – A test of DAMA with high-purity NaI(Tl) crystals”, AIP Conf. Proc. 1672, 040001 (2015), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4927983
13. DarkSide Collaboration, “First Results from the DarkSide-50 Dark Matter Experiment at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso”, Phys. Lett. B, 743, 456 (2015), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4927983
14. Borexino Collaboration, “Precision measurement of the ⁷Be solar neutrino interaction rate in Borexino”, Phys. Rev. Lett., 107, 141302 (2011), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.141302

For a full list, see: Google Scholar | ORCID

• DOE, Office of Science, Early Career Award, 2019—2024
• LLNL, Directorate Award, Publication, 2024
• LLNL, Directorate Award, Scientific and Technical, 2023
• LLNL, Outstanding Mentor, 2021
• LLNL, Outstanding Mentor, 2018

Dr. Xu holds an Adjunct faculty position at UC Davis with the Physics Department.