Abstract
Neutrino and dark matter experiments with large-volume ( underset{sim }{>} ,2 1 ton) detectors can provide excellent sensitivity to signals induced by energetic light dark matter coming from the present universe. Taking boosted dark matter as a concrete example of energetic light dark matter, we scrutinize two representative search channels, electron scattering and proton scattering including deep inelastic scattering processes, in the context of elastic and inelastic boosted dark matter, in a completely detector-independent manner. In this work, a dark gauge boson is adopted as the particle to mediate the interactions between the Standard Model particles and boosted dark matter. We find that the signal sensitivity of the two channels highly depends on the (mass-)parameter region to probe, so search strategies and channels should be designed sensibly especially at the earlier stage of experiments. In particular, the contribution from the boosted-dark-matter-initiated deep inelastic scattering can be subleading (important) compared to the quasi-elastic proton scattering, if the mass of the mediator is below (above) mathcal{O} (GeV). We demonstrate how to practically perform searches and relevant analyses, employing example detectors such as DarkSide-20k, DUNE, Hyper-Kamiokande, and DeepCore, with their respective detector specifications taken into consideration. For other potential detectors we provide a summary table, collecting relevant information, from which similar studies can be fulfilled readily.
Highlights
By construction, the excited state may be de-excited back to the dark matter state as previously expected in [4], potentially leaving visible signals at the detector: for example, X-ray photon in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments [5]
Several dark matter model frameworks have been proposed in order to give rise to boosted dark matter in the universe today: for example, two-component dark matter scenario [25, 26, 47, 48], Z3stabilized dark matter models carrying semi-annihilation processes [49], models involving dark matter-induced nucleon decays [50], models with decaying super-heavy particles [29, 30, 51], or cosmic-ray induced energetic dark matter scenarios [52,53,54]
Deep inelastic scattering cross sections were included in association with the proton scattering
Summary
We begin with setting up benchmark models and detectors with which our detailed analysis will be demonstrated. The method can be straightforwardly extended to other models and detectors, but the case studies that we are performing in this paper will provide a baseline for other applications
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