Related papers: Opening the energy window on direct dark matter de…
Most experiments that search for direct interactions of WIMP dark matter with a target can distinguish the dominant electronrecoil background from the nuclear recoil signal, based on some discrimination parameter. An acceptance region is…
The mathematical expression for the dark matter nuclear recoil event rate in a detector consists of a six dimensional integral over the velocity distribution of dark matter in the detector frame, and over the recoil momentum of the nucleus.…
Effective field theory (EFT) provides a model-independent framework for interpreting the results of dark matter (DM) direct detection experiments. In this study, we demonstrate that the two fermionic DM-quark tensor operators, $(\bar{\chi}…
We estimate the maximum direct detection cross section for sub-GeV dark matter (DM) scattering off nucleons. For DM masses in the range $10 \text{ keV }- 100 \text{ MeV}$, cross sections greater than $10^{-36}$- $10^{-30} \,\text{cm}^2$…
Direct detection experiments for light dark matter are making enormous leaps in reaching previously unexplored model space. Several recent proposals rely on collective excitations, where the experimental sensitivity is highly dependent on…
We study in detail sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon, including the expected electron recoil spectra and annual modulation spectra. We derive improved constraints using low-energy XENON10 and XENON100 ionization-only…
In the Dark Matter (DM) direct detection community, the absence of convincing signals has become a "new normal" for decades. Among other possibilities, the "new normal" might indicate that DM-matter interactions could generate not only the…
In the recent years, many low-threshold dark matter (DM) direct detection experiments have reported the observation of unexplained excesses of events at low energies. Exemplary for these, the experiment CRESST has detected unidentified…
The Migdal effect predicts that a nuclear recoil interaction can be accompanied by atomic ionization, allowing many dark matter direct detection experiments to gain sensitivity to sub-GeV masses. We report the first direct search for the…
We search for energetic electron recoil signals induced by boosted dark matter (BDM) from the galactic center using the COSINE-100 array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory. The signal would be an excess of…
Direct dark matter detection focuses on elastic scattering of dark matter particles off nuclei. In this study, we explore inelastic scattering where the nucleus is excited to a low-lying state of 10-100 keV, with subsequent prompt…
We present updated constraints on dark matter models with momentum-dependent or velocity-dependent interactions with nuclei, based on direct detection and solar physics. We improve our previous treatment of energy transport in the solar…
The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS II) experiment aims to detect dark matter particles that elastically scatter from nuclei in semiconductor detectors. The resulting nuclear-recoil energy depositions are detected by ionization and…
Inelastic dark matter (IDM) models feature an energy threshold for scattering with Standard Model particles, which enables their consistency with the increasingly stringent limits placed by direct detection experiments. In a typical…
It is usually assumed that dark matter direct detection is sensitive to a large fraction of the dark matter (DM) velocity distribution. We propose an alternative form of dark matter-nucleus scattering which only probes a narrow range of DM…
We examine the consequences of the effective field theory (EFT) of dark matter-nucleon scattering for current and proposed direct detection experiments. Exclusion limits on EFT coupling constants computed using the optimum interval method…
Next-generation dark matter direct detection experiments will explore several orders of magnitude in the dark matter--nucleus scattering cross section below current upper limits. In case a signal is discovered the immediate task will be to…
We study the sensitivity of multi ton-scale time projection chambers using a liquid xenon target, e.g., the proposed DARWIN instrument, to spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon scattering interactions. Taking into account…
It has been suggested that the density of dark matter (DM) halo can be highly enhanced around supermassive black holes at the centers of massive galaxies. If real, these DM \emph{spikes} would offer new opportunities to probe the properties…
Dual-phase xenon detectors are widely used in dark matter direct detection experiments, and have demonstrated the highest sensitivities to a variety of dark matter interactions. However, a key component of the dual-phase detector…