Spin-dependent Cross Section Research Articles

Reanalysis of nuclear spin matrix elements for dark matter spin-dependent scattering

We show how to include in the existing calculations for nuclei other than $^{129}$Xe, $^{131}$Xe, the corrections to the isovector coupling arising in chiral effective field theory recently found in Ref. \cite{Menendez1}. The dominant, momentum independent, 2-body currents effect can be taken into account by formally redefining the static spin matrix elements $< \mathbf{S}_{p,n} >$. By further using the normalized form factor at $q\neq 0$ built with the 1-body level structure functions, we show that the WIMP-nucleus cross section and the upper limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross sections coincide with the ones derived using the exact functions at the 2-body level. We explicitly show it in the case of XENON100 limits on the WIMP-neutron cross section and we recalculate the limits on the WIMP-proton spin dependent cross section set by COUPP. We also give practical formulas to obtain $< \mathbf{S}_{p,n} >$ given the structure functions in the various formalisms/notations existing in literature. We argue that the standard treatment of the spin-dependent cross section in terms of three independent isospin functions, $S_{00}(q)$, $S_{11}(q)$, $S_{01}(q)$, is redundant in the sense that the interference function $S_{01}(q)$ is the double product $|S_{01}(q)|=2\sqrt{S_{00}(q)}\sqrt{S_{11}(q)}$ even when including the new effective field theory corrections.

Search for Dark Matter Annihilations in the Sun with the 79-String IceCube Detector

We have performed a search for muon neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the center of the Sun with the 79-string configuration of the IceCube neutrino telescope. For the first time, the DeepCore subarray is included in the analysis, lowering the energy threshold and extending the search to the austral summer. The 317 days of data collected between June 2010 and May 2011 are consistent with the expected background from atmospheric muons and neutrinos. Upper limits are set on the dark matter annihilation rate, with conversions to limits on spin-dependent and spin-independent scattering cross sections of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) on protons, for WIMP masses in the range 20-5000 GeV/c2. These are the most stringent spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section limits to date above 35 GeV/c2 for most WIMP models.

On the spin-dependent sensitivity of XENON100

The latest XENON100 data severely constrain dark matter elastic scattering off nuclei, leading to impressive upper limits on the spin-independent cross section. The main goal of this paper is to stress that the same data set has also an excellent spin-dependent sensitivity, which is of utmost importance in probing dark matter models. We show in particular that the constraints set by XENON100 on the spin-dependent neutron cross section are by far the best at present, whereas the corresponding spin-dependent proton limits lag behind other direct detection results. The effect of nuclear uncertainties on the structure functions of xenon isotopes is analyzed in detail and found to lessen the robustness of the constraints, especially for spin-dependent proton couplings. Notwithstanding, the spin-dependent neutron prospects for XENON1T and DARWIN are very encouraging. We apply our constraints to well-motivated dark matter models and demonstrate that in both mass-degenerate scenarios and the minimal supersymmetric standard model the spin-dependent neutron limits can actually override the spin-independent limits. This opens the possibility of probing additional unexplored regions of the dark matter parameter space with the next generation of ton-scale direct detection experiments.

Majorana dark matter cross sections with nucleons at high energies

Nonrelativistic dark matter scattering with nucleons is constrained by direct detection experiments. We use the XENON constraints on the spin-independent and spin-dependent cross section for dark matter scattering with nucleons to constrain a hypothetical Majorana fermionic dark matter particle's couplings to the Higgs boson and $Z$ boson. In this paper, we illustrate the change in the dark matter nucleon cross section as one goes from nonrelativistic, coherent scattering to relativistic, incoherent scattering. While the $Z$ invisible decay width excludes directly couplings of dark matter to ordinary matter, by introducing a light ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ portal to the dark sector, a relatively large dark matter nucleon cross section can be preserved even with accelerator experiment constraints for dark matter with a mass of $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$.

Earthly probes of the smallest dark matter halos

Dark matter kinetic decoupling involves elastic scattering of dark matter off of leptons and quarks in the early universe, the same process relevant for direct detection and for the capture rate of dark matter in celestial bodies; the resulting size of the smallest dark matter collapsed structures should thus correlate with quantities connected with direct detection rates and with the flux of high-energy neutrinos from dark matter annihilation in the Sun or in the Earth. In this paper we address this general question in the context of two widely studied and paradigmatic weakly-interacting particle dark matter models: the lightest neutralino of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, and the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle of Universal Extra Dimensions (UED). We argue and show that while the scalar neutralino-nucleon cross section correlates poorly with the kinetic decoupling temperature, the spin-dependent cross section exhibits a strong correlation in a wide range of models. In UED models the correlation is present for both cross sections, and is extraordinarily tight for the spin-dependent case. A strong correlation is also found, for both models, for the flux of neutrinos from the Sun, especially for fluxes large enough to be at potentially detectable levels. We provide analytic guidance and formulae that illustrate our findings.

Global constraints on effective dark matter interactions: relic density, direct detection, indirect detection, and collider

An effective interaction approach is used to describe the interactions between the spin 0 or spin 1/2 dark matter particle and the degrees of freedom of the standard model. This approach is applicable to those models in which the dark matterparticles do not experience the standard-model interactions, e.g., hidden-sector models. We explore the effects of these effective interaction operators on (i) dark matter relic density, (ii) spin-independent and spin-dependent dark matter-nucleon scattering cross sections, (iii) cosmic antiproton and gamma ray fluxes from the galactic halo due to dark matter annihilation, and (iv) monojet and monophoton production plus missing energy at the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We combine the experimental data of relic density from WMAP7, spin-independent cross section from XENON100, spin-dependent cross section from XENON10, ZEPLIN-III, and SIMPLE, cosmic antiproton flux from PAMELA, cosmic gamma-ray flux from Fermi-LAT, and the monojet and monophoton data from the Tevatron and the LHC, to put the most comprehensive limits on each effective operator.

Probing the local velocity distribution of WIMP dark matter with directional detectors

We explore the ability of directional nuclear-recoil detectors to constrain the local velocity distribution of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter by performing Bayesian parameter estimation on simulated recoil-event data sets. We discuss in detail how directional information, when combined with measurements of the recoil-energy spectrum, helps break degeneracies in the velocity-distribution parameters. We also consider the possibility that velocity structures such as cold tidal streams or a dark disk may also be present in addition to the Galactic halo. Assuming a CF4 detector with a 30-kg-yr exposure, a 50-GeV WIMP mass, and a WIMP-nucleon spin-dependent cross-section of 10−3pb, we show that the properties of a cold tidal stream may be well constrained. However, measurement of the parameters of a dark-disk component with a low lag speed of ∼ 50km/s may be challenging unless energy thresholds are improved.

Stop-neutralino coannihilation in the light of the LHC

We employ the ATLAS search results for events containing jets and large missing transverse momentum, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $1\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, to investigate the constrained minimal supersymmetric model with $b\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\tau}$ Yukawa coupling unification. In this scenario, one of the stops is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP), which coannihilates with the lightest (LSP) neutralino to yield the desired dark matter relic abundance. The NLSP stop, here taken to be lighter than the top quark, is slightly ($\ensuremath{\lesssim}20%--30%$) heavier than the LSP neutralino, and it primarily decays into the LSP and a charm quark. We find that the multijets and monojet ATLAS searches are sensitive to this scenario if the stop pair production is accompanied by a hard QCD jet. The excluded limit for the NLSP stop mass from the ATLAS data can reach 160 GeV in the coannihilation region, with mass below 140 GeV essentially excluded. A significant region of the parameter space corresponding to large ${m}_{0}$ values, $8\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}\ensuremath{\lesssim}{m}_{0}\ensuremath{\lesssim}16\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$, is excluded by our analysis. For LSP neutralino mass $\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$, the LHC constraints in some cases on the spin-dependent (spin-independent) neutralino-nucleon cross section are significantly more stringent than the current and expected bounds from Xenon, CDMS, and IceCube.

Probing the fourth generation Majorana neutrino dark matter

Heavy fourth generation Majorana neutrino can be stable and contribute to a small fraction of the relic density of dark matter (DM) in the Universe. Due to its strong coupling to the standard model particles, it can be probed by the current direct detection experiments even it is a subdominant component of the whole halo DM. Assuming that it contributes to the same fraction of the local halo DM density as that of the DM relic density, we show that the current Xenon100 data constrain the mass of the stable Majorana neutrino to be greater than the mass of the top quark. In the mass range between 200 GeV and a few hundred GeV, the effective spin-independent cross section for the neutrino elastic scattering off nucleon is insensitive to the neutrino mass and is predicted to be $\sim 1.5\times 10^{-44} cm^2$, which can be reached by the direct DM search experiments soon. In the same mass region the predicted effective spin-dependent cross section for the heavy neutrino scattering off proton is in the range $2\times 10^{-40} cm^2\sim 2\times 10^{-39} cm^2$, which is within the reach of the ongoing IceCube experiment. We demonstrate such properties in a fourth generation model with the stability of the fourth Majorana neutrino protected by an additional generation-dependent U(1) gauge symmetry.

Multiyear search for dark matter annihilations in the Sun with the AMANDA-II and IceCube detectors

A search for an excess of muon-neutrinos from dark matter annihilations in the Sun has been performed with the AMANDA-II neutrino telescope using data collected in 812 days of livetime between 2001 and 2006 and 149 days of livetime collected with the AMANDA-II and the 40-string configuration of IceCube during 2008 and early 2009. No excess over the expected atmospheric neutrino background has been observed. We combine these results with the previously published IceCube limits obtained with data taken during 2007 to obtain a total livetime of 1065 days. We provide an upper limit at 90% confidence level on the annihilation rate of captured neutralinos in the Sun, as well as the corresponding muon flux limit at the Earth, both as functions of the neutralino mass in the range 50 GeV-5000 GeV. We also derive a limit on the neutralino-proton spin-dependent and spin-independent cross section. The limits presented here improve the previous results obtained by the collaboration between a factor of two and five, as well as extending the neutralino masses probed down to 50 GeV. The spin-dependent cross section limits are the most stringent so far for neutralino masses above 200 GeV, and well below direct search results in the mass range from 50 GeV to 5 TeV.

WIMP-nucleon cross-section results from the second science run of ZEPLIN-III

We report experimental upper limits on WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering cross sections from the second science run of ZEPLIN-III at the Boulby Underground Laboratory. A raw fiducial exposure of 1344 kg⋅days was accrued over 319 days of continuous operation between June 2010 and May 2011. A total of eight events was observed in the signal acceptance region in the nuclear recoil energy range 7–29 keV, which is compatible with background expectations. This allows the exclusion of the scalar cross-section above 4.8×10−8 pb near 50 GeV/c2 WIMP mass with 90% confidence. Combined with data from the first run, this result improves to 3.9×10−8 pb. The corresponding WIMP-neutron spin-dependent cross-section limit is 8.0×10−3 pb. The ZEPLIN programme reaches thus its conclusion at Boulby, having deployed and exploited successfully three liquid xenon experiments of increasing reach.

FIRST STUDY OF DARK MATTER PROPERTIES WITH DETECTED SOLAR GRAVITY MODES AND NEUTRINOS

We derive new limits on the cold dark matter properties for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), potentially trapped in the solar core by using for the first time the central temperature constrained by boron neutrinos and the central density constrained by the dipolar gravity modes detected with the Global Oscillations at Low Frequency/Solar Helioseismic Observatory instrument. These detections disfavor the presence of non-annihilating WIMPs for masses ≤10 GeV and spin dependent cross-sections >5 × 10–36 cm2 in the solar core but cannot constrain WIMP annihilation models. We suggest that in the coming years helio- and asteroseismology will provide complementary probes of dark matter.

The DRIFT Directional Dark Matter Experiments

The current status of the DRIFT (Directional Recoil Identification From Tracks) experiment at Boulby Mine is presented, including the latest limits on the WIMP spin-dependent cross-section from 1.5 kg days of running with a mixture of CS2 and CF4 . Planned upgrades to DRIFT IId are detailed, along with ongoing work towards DRIFT III, which aims to be the world’s first 10 m3 -scale directional Dark Matter detector.

Formalism and upper limits for spin-dependent cross sections in dark matter elastic scattering with nuclei

We revise the spin-dependent neutralino-nucleus elastic scattering comparing the formalisms and approximations found in literature for the momentum transfer dependent structure functions. We argue that one of the normalized structure functions of Divari, Kosmas, Vergados and Skouras is all that one needs to correctly take into account the detailed nuclear physics information provided by shell-model calculations. The factorization of the particle physics degrees of freedom from the nuclear physics momentum dependent structure functions implied by this formalism allows for a better understanding of the so-called model independent method for setting upper limits. We further discuss the possibility of experiments with spin-dependent sensitivity like COUPP to test or set limits on the proton spin-dependent cross section in the framework of the stau co-annihilation region of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model. For this model with $A_0 =0$, we provide a fitting formula by which it is possible to convert an upper limit on the spin-independent cross section as a function of the neutralino mass directly into an exclusion plot in the ($m_{1/2}$, $\tan\beta$) plane.

LHC constraints on NLSP gluino and dark matter neutralino in Yukawa unified models

The ATLAS experiment has recently presented its search results for final states containing jets and/or b-jet(s) and missing transverse momentum, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 165 pb−1. We employ this data to constrain a class of supersymmetric SU(4)c×SU(2)L×SU(2)R models with t−b−τ Yukawa unification, in which the gluino is the next to lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP). The NLSP gluino is slightly (∼10–30%) heavier than the LSP dark matter neutralino, and it primarily decays into the latter and a quark–antiquark pair or gluon. We find that NLSP gluino masses below ∼300 GeV are excluded by the ATLAS data. For LSP neutralino mass ∼200–300 GeV and μ>0, where μ is the coefficient of the MSSM Higgs bilinear term, the LHC constraints in some cases on the spin-dependent (spin-independent) neutralino–nucleon cross section are significantly more stringent than the expected bounds from IceCube DeepCore (Xenon 1T/SuperCDMS). For μ<0, this also holds for the spin-dependent cross sections.

Neutrino probes of the nature of light dark matter

Dark matter particles gravitationally trapped inside the Sun may annihilate into Standard Model particles, producing a flux of neutrinos. The prospects of detecting these neutrinos in future multi-kt neutrino detectors designed for other physics searches are explored here. We study the capabilities of a 34/100 kt liquid argon detector and a 100 kt magnetized iron calorimeter detector. These detectors are expected to determine the energy and the direction of the incoming neutrino with unprecedented precision allowing for tests of the dark matter nature at very low dark matter masses, in the range of 10–25 GeV. By suppressing the atmospheric background with angular cuts, these techniques would be sensitive to dark matter-nucleon spin-dependent cross sections at the fb level, reaching down to a few ab for the most favorable annihilation channels and detector technology.

Direct detection of dark matter in models with a light Z′

We discuss the direct detection signatures of dark matter interacting with nuclei via a new neutral gauge boson Z′, focussing on the case where both the dark matter and the Z′ have mass of a few GeV. Isospin violation (i.e. different couplings to protons and neutrons) arises naturally in this scenario. In particular it is possible to reconcile the preferred parameter regions inferred from the observed DAMA and CoGeNT modulations with the bounds from XENON100, which requires f n /f p ≃ − 0.7. Moreover, the Z′ mediator can also yield a large spin-dependent cross-section which could contribute to the DAMA signal, while the spin-independent cross-section is adequate to explain the CoGeNT signal.

LEP shines light on dark matter

Dark matter pair production at high energy colliders may leave observable signatures in the energy and momentum spectra of the objects recoiling against the dark matter. We use LEP data on mono-photon events with large missing energy to constrain the coupling of dark matter to electrons. Within a large class of models, our limits are complementary to and competitive with limits on dark matter annihilation and on WIMP-nucleon scattering from indirect and direct searches. Our limits, however, do not suffer from systematic and astrophysical uncertainties associated with direct and indirect limits. For example, we are able to rule out light (< 10 GeV) thermal relic dark matter with universal couplings exclusively to charged leptons. In addition, for dark matter mass below about 80 GeV, LEP limits are stronger than Fermi constraints on annihilation into charged leptons in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Within its kinematic reach, LEP also provides the strongest constraints on the spin-dependent direct detection cross section in models with universal couplings to both quarks and leptons. In such models the strongest limit is also set on spin independent scattering for dark matter masses below ~4 GeV. Throughout our discussion, we consider both low energy effective theories of dark matter, as well as several motivated renormalizable scenarios involving light mediators.

Long lived fourth generation and the Higgs

A chiral fourth generation is a simple and well motivated extension of the standard model, and has important consequences for Higgs phenomenology. Here we consider a scenario where the fourth generation neutrinos are long lived and have both a Dirac and Majorana mass term. Such neutrinos can be as light as 40 GeV and can be the dominant decay mode of the Higgs boson for Higgs masses below the W-boson threshold. We study the effect of the Majorana mass term on the Higgs branching fractions and reevaluate the Tevatron constraints on the Higgs mass. We discuss the prospects for the LHC to detect the semi-invisible Higgs decays into fourth generation neutrino pairs. Under the assumption that the lightest fourth generation neutrino is stable, it's thermal relic density can be up to 20% of the observed dark matter density in the universe. This is in agreement with current constraints on the spin dependent neutrino-neutron cross section, but can be probed by the next generation of dark matter direct detection experiments.

Direct and indirect detection and LHC signals of bino-Higgsino dark matter

If the lightest dark matter neutralino has a sufficiently large Higgsino component, its spin-independent and spin-dependent cross sections on nucleons can be sizable enough to be detected soon in direct and indirect surveys. We outline in this paper some characteristic features expected of mixed bino-Higgsino dark matter. If the observed relic density is saturated by the bino-Higgsino dark matter, it fixes the amount of allowable bino-Higgsino mixing and provides predictions for other observables which can be tested at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We study the correlation between the cross sections and the branching ratio of ${B}_{s}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. For a mixed bino-Higgsino dark matter, the mass differences of the neutralinos can be less than ${M}_{Z}$. This will cause an excess of lepton pairs, above the standard model predictions, from the decays of the two heavier neutralinos. We discuss implications of the dilepton invariant mass distribution, and outline a way to extract the neutralino parameters for testing gaugino mass unification and deducing the relic density from an interplay of astrophysical detection and LHC measurements.