English

Testing the Dark Matter Interpretation of the DAMA/LIBRA Result with Super-Kamiokande

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2010-01-08 v3 Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Experiment

Abstract

We consider the prospects for testing the dark matter interpretation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal with the Super-Kamiokande experiment. The DAMA/LIBRA signal favors dark matter with low mass and high scattering cross section. We show that these characteristics imply that the scattering cross section that enters the DAMA/LIBRA event rate determines the annihilation rate probed by Super-Kamiokande. Current limits from Super-Kamiokande through-going events do not test the DAMA/LIBRA favored region. We show, however, that upcoming analyses including fully-contained events with sensitivity to dark matter masses from 5 to 10 GeV may corroborate the DAMA/LIBRA signal. We conclude by considering three specific dark matter candidates, neutralinos, WIMPless dark matter, and mirror dark matter, which illustrate the various model-dependent assumptions entering our analysis.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0808.4151,
  title  = {Testing the Dark Matter Interpretation of the DAMA/LIBRA Result with Super-Kamiokande},
  author = {Jonathan L. Feng and Jason Kumar and John Learned and Louis E. Strigari},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0808.4151},
  year   = {2010}
}

Comments

10 pages, 1 figure; v2: projected super-K sensitivity corrected and strengthened, references added; v3: published version