SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run
Abstract
The Sub-Electron-Noise Skipper CCD Experimental Instrument (SENSEI) uses the recently developed Skipper-CCD technology to search for electron recoils from the interaction of sub-GeV dark matter particles with electrons in silicon. We report first results from a prototype SENSEI detector, which collected 0.019 gram-days of commissioning data above ground at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. These commissioning data are sufficient to set new direct-detection constraints for dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and 4 MeV. Moreover, since these data were taken on the surface, they disfavor previously allowed strongly interacting dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and a few hundred MeV. We discuss the implications of these data for several dark matter candidates, including one model proposed to explain the anomalously large 21-cm signal observed by the EDGES Collaboration. Furthermore, SENSEI is the first experiment dedicated to the search for electron recoils from dark matter, and these results demonstrate the power of the Skipper-CCD technology for dark matter searches.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
- Contributing Org.:
- SENSEI Collaboration
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1463388
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1436707
- Report Number(s):
- arXiv:1804.00088; FERMILAB-PUB-18-116-AE-PPD
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO; 061803
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0017938; AC02-07CH11359
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Volume: 121 Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
Citation Formats
Crisler, Michael, Essig, Rouven, Estrada, Juan, Fernandez, Guillermo, Tiffenberg, Javier, Haro, Miguel Sofo, Volansky, Tomer, Yu, Tien-Tien, and SENSEI Collaboration. SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803.
Crisler, Michael, Essig, Rouven, Estrada, Juan, Fernandez, Guillermo, Tiffenberg, Javier, Haro, Miguel Sofo, Volansky, Tomer, Yu, Tien-Tien, & SENSEI Collaboration. SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803
Crisler, Michael, Essig, Rouven, Estrada, Juan, Fernandez, Guillermo, Tiffenberg, Javier, Haro, Miguel Sofo, Volansky, Tomer, Yu, Tien-Tien, and SENSEI Collaboration. Wed .
"SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803.
@article{osti_1463388,
title = {SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run},
author = {Crisler, Michael and Essig, Rouven and Estrada, Juan and Fernandez, Guillermo and Tiffenberg, Javier and Haro, Miguel Sofo and Volansky, Tomer and Yu, Tien-Tien and SENSEI Collaboration},
abstractNote = {The Sub-Electron-Noise Skipper CCD Experimental Instrument (SENSEI) uses the recently developed Skipper-CCD technology to search for electron recoils from the interaction of sub-GeV dark matter particles with electrons in silicon. We report first results from a prototype SENSEI detector, which collected 0.019 gram-days of commissioning data above ground at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. These commissioning data are sufficient to set new direct-detection constraints for dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and 4 MeV. Moreover, since these data were taken on the surface, they disfavor previously allowed strongly interacting dark matter particles with masses between ~500 keV and a few hundred MeV. We discuss the implications of these data for several dark matter candidates, including one model proposed to explain the anomalously large 21-cm signal observed by the EDGES Collaboration. Furthermore, SENSEI is the first experiment dedicated to the search for electron recoils from dark matter, and these results demonstrate the power of the Skipper-CCD technology for dark matter searches.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 6,
volume = 121,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.061803
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Cited by: 123 works
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Figures / Tables:
TABLE 1: Efficiencies for the data selection cuts for events with 1 to 5 electrons. The bottom row lists the number of observed events after cuts.
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