Relativistic mean-field corrections for interactions of dark matter particles with nucleons

X G Wang,A W Thomas

doi:10.1103/physrevc.103.034606

Abstract

We investigate the interactions of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPS) with nucleons in nuclear medium by taking into account the effect of nuclear dynamics. We derive the nonrelativistic effective operators starting from the relativistic mean-field approximation. Certain interactions receive non-negligible corrections, which may significantly change the sensitivities of WIMP-nucleus scattering cross section to these effective operators.

Highlights

Understanding the nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the most important challenges facing modern physics and astronomy
While the most familiar treatments of nuclear structure are nonrelativistic, the underlying theory must, be relativistic. This may become important when we consider interactions of a WIMP with a nucleon bound in a nucleus, because the nuclear dynamics, notably the relativistic mean fields, may modify the effective operators which are to be sandwiched between appropriate nonrelativistic wave functions [32]
The explicit form of the effective operators are listed in the third column of Table I, with the corrections being separated from the free nucleon results

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Understanding the nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the most important challenges facing modern physics and astronomy. Whether or not their origin lies in SUSY, WIMPs remain one of the most promising dark matter candidates and it is crucial to pursue any avenue that might provide a significant constraint on the nature of these particles Such tests range all the way from the effect of captured WIMPs on the properties of neutron stars [13,14,15,16] to remarkable experiments designed to directly observe their interactions with matter [8,17]. While the most familiar treatments of nuclear structure are nonrelativistic, the underlying theory must, be relativistic This may become important when we consider interactions of a WIMP with a nucleon bound in a nucleus, because the nuclear dynamics, notably the relativistic mean fields, may modify the effective operators which are to be sandwiched between appropriate nonrelativistic wave functions [32].

NUCLEON WAVE FUNCTION IN MEDIUM

NONRELATIVISTIC WIMP-NUCLEON OPERATORS IN MEDIUM

CONCLUSION