Dark Matter implications of DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 results

• Recently, the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration released updated results from their search for the annual modulation signal from Dark Matter (DM) scattering in the detector. Besides approximately doubling the exposure of the DAMA/LIBRA data set, the updated photomultiplier tubes of the experiment allow a lower recoil energy threshold of I keV electron equivalent compared to the previous threshold of 2 keV electron equivalent. We study the compatibility of the observed modulation signal with DM scattering. Due to a conspiracy of multiple effects, the new data at low recoil energies is very powerful for testing the DM hypothesis. We find that canonical (isospin conserving) spin-independent DM-nucleon interactions are no longer a good fit to the observed modulation signal in the standard halo model. The canonical spin independent case is disfavored by the new data, with best fit points of a DM mass of similar to 8 GeV, disfavored by 5.2 sigma, or a mass of similar to 54GeV, disfavored by 2.5 sigma. Allowing for isospin violating spin independent interactions, we find a region with a good fit to the data with suppressed effective couplings to iodine for DM masses of similar to 10 GeV. We also consider spin-dependent DM-nucleon interactions, which yield good fits for similar DM masses of similar to 10 GeV or similar to 45 GeV.

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NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

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teoretisk fysik

Theoretical Physics

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