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Title: Directional detection of dark matter with two-dimensional targets

Abstract

We propose two-dimensional materials as targets for direct detection of dark matter. Using graphene as an example, we focus on the case where dark matter scattering deposits sufficient energy on a valence-band electron to eject it from the target. Here, we show that the sensitivity of graphene to dark matter of MeV to GeV mass can be comparable, for similar exposure and background levels, to that of semiconductor targets such as silicon and germanium. Moreover, a two-dimensional target is an excellent directional detector, as the ejected electron retains information about the angular dependence of the incident dark matter particle. Our proposal can be implemented by the PTOLEMY experiment, presenting for the first time an opportunity for directional detection of sub-GeV dark matter.

Authors:
; ORCiD logo; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1365594
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1417615
Grant/Contract Number:  
DESC0007968; AC02-05CH11231; PHY-1002399; PHY-1419008
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Physics Letters B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Physics Letters B Journal Volume: 772 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0370-2693
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; dark matter; direct detection; directional detection

Citation Formats

Hochberg, Yonit, Kahn, Yonatan, Lisanti, Mariangela, Tully, Christopher G., and Zurek, Kathryn M. Directional detection of dark matter with two-dimensional targets. Netherlands: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2017.06.051.
Hochberg, Yonit, Kahn, Yonatan, Lisanti, Mariangela, Tully, Christopher G., & Zurek, Kathryn M. Directional detection of dark matter with two-dimensional targets. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2017.06.051
Hochberg, Yonit, Kahn, Yonatan, Lisanti, Mariangela, Tully, Christopher G., and Zurek, Kathryn M. Fri . "Directional detection of dark matter with two-dimensional targets". Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2017.06.051.
@article{osti_1365594,
title = {Directional detection of dark matter with two-dimensional targets},
author = {Hochberg, Yonit and Kahn, Yonatan and Lisanti, Mariangela and Tully, Christopher G. and Zurek, Kathryn M.},
abstractNote = {We propose two-dimensional materials as targets for direct detection of dark matter. Using graphene as an example, we focus on the case where dark matter scattering deposits sufficient energy on a valence-band electron to eject it from the target. Here, we show that the sensitivity of graphene to dark matter of MeV to GeV mass can be comparable, for similar exposure and background levels, to that of semiconductor targets such as silicon and germanium. Moreover, a two-dimensional target is an excellent directional detector, as the ejected electron retains information about the angular dependence of the incident dark matter particle. Our proposal can be implemented by the PTOLEMY experiment, presenting for the first time an opportunity for directional detection of sub-GeV dark matter.},
doi = {10.1016/j.physletb.2017.06.051},
journal = {Physics Letters B},
number = C,
volume = 772,
place = {Netherlands},
year = {Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2017.06.051

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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