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Abstract:
The quest to directly detect dark matter, in particular weakly interactive massive particles
(WIMP), lead to a development of a plethora of detector technologies. Since
2007 dual-phase time-projection chambers exploiting liquid xenon performed superior
to all other technologies at WIMP masses above a few GeV/c2. Among them, the
XENON100 experiment shows the longest measurement with a combined live time of
477 days. An analysis to probe spin independent and spin dependent WIMP interactions
is presented in this thesis, setting an upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon spin
independent cross section at 1:1 x 10-45 cm2 for a 50 GeV/ c2 WIMP mass. Furthermore,
potential improvements are identified in the conventional XENON100 analysis and the
outlined solution allows to consider shape uncertainties of non-parametric probability
density functions by means of a profile likelihood analysis. The applicability of
the method is shown by constraining the WIMP model in an astrophysical independent
approach with XENON100 data. Finally, performance tests of the Hamamatsu
R11410-21 3" photomultiplier tubes (PMT) are presented which are employed in the
next generation experiment XENON1T. First results from the commissioning of the
XENON1T detector with respect to the PMT performance are shown with a special
focus on the impact of light emitting tubes.
