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Searching for dark absorption with direct detection experiments

Journal Article · · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online)
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2]
  1. Tel Aviv Univ., Tel Aviv (Israel). Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy; Tel Aviv University
  2. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
  3. Tel Aviv Univ., Tel Aviv (Israel). Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy ; Weizmann Inst. of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics
  4. Tel Aviv Univ., Tel Aviv (Israel). Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy

We consider the absorption by bound electrons of dark matter in the form of dark photons and axion-like particles, as well as of dark photons from the Sun, in current and next-generation direct detection experiments. Experiments sensitive to electron recoils can detect such particles with masses between a few eV to more than 10 keV. For dark photon dark matter, we update a previous bound based on XENON10 data and derive new bounds based on data from XENON100 and CDMSlite. We find these experiments to disfavor previously allowed parameter space. Moreover, we derive sensitivity projections for SuperCDMS at SNOLAB for silicon and germanium targets, as well as for various possible experiments with scintillating targets (cesium iodide, sodium iodide, and gallium arsenide). The projected sensitivity can probe large new regions of parameter space. For axion-like particles, the same current direction detection data improves on previously known direct-detection constraints but does not bound new parameter space beyond known stellar cooling bounds. However, projected sensitivities of the upcoming SuperCDMS SNOLAB using germanium can go beyond these and even probe parameter space consistent with possible hints from the white dwarf luminosity function. We find similar results for dark photons from the sun. For all cases, direct-detection experiments can have unprecedented sensitivity to dark-sector particles.

Research Organization:
New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0008061
OSTI ID:
1426146
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 22699495
Journal Information:
Journal of High Energy Physics (Online), Journal Name: Journal of High Energy Physics (Online) Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 2017; ISSN 1029-8479
Publisher:
Springer BerlinCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (32)

Axion-like relics: new constraints from old comagnetometer data journal January 2020
Unitary inflaton as decaying dark matter journal May 2019
The cosmology of sub-MeV dark matter journal October 2017
Lightish but clumpy: scalar dark matter from inflationary fluctuations journal October 2018
Direct detection of strongly interacting sub-GeV dark matter via electron recoils journal September 2019
Searching for a solar relaxion or scalar particle with XENON1T and LUX journal November 2019
New constraints and discovery potential of sub-GeV dark matter with xenon detectors journal August 2017
New constraints and prospects for sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon journal August 2017
Light dark matter: Models and constraints journal December 2017
Detection of sub-MeV dark matter with three-dimensional Dirac materials journal January 2018
Solar neutrinos as a signal and background in direct-detection experiments searching for sub-GeV dark matter with electron recoils journal May 2018
Signatures of dark radiation in neutrino and dark matter detectors journal May 2018
Axion and hidden photon dark matter detection with multilayer optical haloscopes journal August 2018
Strong constraints on light dark matter interpretation of the EDGES signal journal November 2018
Directional detection of light dark matter with polar materials journal December 2018
Parametric resonance production of ultralight vector dark matter journal February 2019
Dark photon dark matter produced by axion oscillations journal April 2019
Single-Electron and Single-Photon Sensitivity with a Silicon Skipper CCD journal September 2017
SENSEI: First Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Surface Run journal August 2018
SENSEI: Direct-Detection Constraints on Sub-GeV Dark Matter from a Shallow Underground Run Using a Prototype Skipper CCD journal April 2019
Constraints on Light Dark Matter Particles Interacting with Electrons from DAMIC at SNOLAB journal October 2019
Relation between the Migdal Effect and Dark Matter-Electron Scattering in Isolated Atoms and Semiconductors journal January 2020
Direct detection of nuclear scattering of sub-Gev dark matter using molecular excitations journal November 2019
Direct detection of axion-like particles in Bismuth-based topological insulators journal August 2018
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Parametric Resonance Production of Ultralight Vector Dark Matter text January 2018
Direct Detection of Strongly Interacting Sub-GeV Dark Matter via Electron Recoils text January 2019
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