http://arxiv.org/abs/1711.09906
Dark matter (DM) particles with mass in the MeV to GeV range are an attractive alternative to heavier weakly-interacting massive particles. Direct detection of such light particles is challenging because the energy transfer in DM-nucleus interactions is small. If the recoiling atom is ionised, however, the resulting electron may be detected even if the nuclear recoil is unobservable. Considering the case of dual-phase xenon detectors, we demonstrate that including electron emission from nuclear recoils significantly enhances their sensitivity to sub-GeV DM particles. Existing experiments like LUX set world-leading limits on the DM-nucleon scattering cross section, and future experiments like LZ may probe the cross section relevant for thermal freeze-out. The proposed strategy is complementary to experiments looking for DM-electron scattering in scenarios where the DM particles couple with similar strength to protons and electrons.
M. Dolan, F. Kahlhoefer and C. McCabe
Wed, 29 Nov 17
40/69
Comments: 6 pages, 2 figures
You must be logged in to post a comment.