Search for dark matter in the form of axion-like particles and hidden photons in the XMASS detector

Abstract

Axion-like Particles (ALPs) and Hidden Photons (HPs) are candidates of cold dark matter. These bosons are experimentally interesting because they are absorbed by materials through an interaction analogous to a photoelectric effect, transferring the energy equivalent to their rest mass to recoil electrons. XMASS is an experiment aiming at direct detection of dark matter, using single-phase liquid-xenon scintillator at the Kamioka Observatory in Japan. With its low background environment, the XMASS detector has a good sensitivity to the electron recoil signals from ALPs and HPs. Analyzing 800 live-days of XMASS data with 327 kg liquid xenon in the fiducial volume, we set the most stringent upper limits on the coupling constant gAe of ALPs and the parameter for kinetic mixing α′/α of HPs in the mass range from 40 to 120 keV/c2.