Abstract
We examine the recently-reported low-energy electron recoil spectrum observed at the XENON1T underground dark matter direct detection experiment, in the context of new interactions with solar neutrinos. In particular we show that scalar and vector mediators with masses $\lesssim 50$ keV coupled to leptons could already leave a visible signature in the XENON1T experiment, similar to the observed peak below 7 keV. This signals that dark matter detectors are already competing with neutrino scattering experiments such as GEMMA, CHARM-II and Borexino. If these results from XENON1T are interpreted as a new signal of such physics, the parameters which fit the excess face challenges from astrophysics which seem very difficult to overcome. If they are rather viewed as a constraint on new couplings, they herald the start of an era of novel precise probes of physics beyond the standard model with dark matter detectors.
Highlights
Underground direct detection experiments were proposed and developed to probe the existence of weakly interacting dark matter particles
We examine the recently reported low-energy electron recoil spectrum observed at the XENON1T underground dark matter direct detection experiment, in the context of new interactions with solar neutrinos
In Ref. [25], expanding on the results of [26,27,28], we demonstrated that the generation of liquid xenon experiments could detect new physics in the neutrino sector, a milestone considering that direct detection (DD) detectors were originally built to probe the nature of dark matter
Summary
Underground direct detection experiments were proposed and developed to probe the existence of weakly interacting dark matter particles. We showed in particular that such light particles would enhance the electron recoil rates at low energy, allowing the generation of dark matter direct detection experiments to probe their existence. We repeat this analysis in light of the new XENON1T measurements and determine the value of the couplings that would best fit the signal. Our hypothesis is that the signal originates from the interaction of solar neutrinos with electrons in the xenon target via some new light mediator beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.
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