Size of the neutralino–nucleon cross-section in the light of a new determination of the pion–nucleon sigma term

Abstract

We discuss the implications of a new determination of the pion–nucleon sigma term for the evaluation of the neutralino–nucleon cross-section, and, in turn, for detection rates for relic neutralinos in WIMP direct experiments and in some of the indirect searches. It is shown that the new range for the pion–nucleon sigma term, taken at its face value, favours values of the neutralino–nucleon cross-sections which are sizeably larger than some of the current estimates. Implications for neutralino cosmological properties are derived.