Interpreting data from WIMP direct detection experiments

Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) direct detection experiments are closing in on the region of parameter space where relic neutralinos may constitute the galactic halo dark matter. We discuss two issues in the interpretation of data, in particular the calculation of exclusion limits, from these experiments. Firstly we show that the technique that has been used for calculating exclusion limits from binned data without background subtraction produces erroneously tight limits, and discuss alternative methods which avoid this problem. We then argue that the standard maxwellian halo model is likely to be a poor approximation to the dark matter distribution and examine how halo models with triaxiality, velocity anisotropy and small scale clumping affect exclusion limits.