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Published September 2008 | Published + Submitted
Journal Article Open

DAMA and WIMP dark matter

Abstract

We study whether spin-independent scattering of weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with nuclei can account for the annual modulation signal reported by DAMA. We consider both elastic and inelastic scattering processes. We find that there is a region of WIMP parameter space which can simultaneously accommodate DAMA and the null results of CDMS, CRESST, and XENON. This region corresponds to an ordinary, elastically-scattering WIMP with a standard Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, a mass 3 GeV ≾ m_(DM) ≾ 8 GeV, and a spin-independent cross section with nucleons 3 × 10^(−41) cm^2 ≾ σ_p^(SI) ≾ 5 × 10^(−39) cm^2. This new region of parameter space depends crucially on the effect of channeling on the energy threshold for WIMP detection in the DAMA experiment; without the inclusion of this effect, the DAMA allowed region is essentially closed by null experiments. Such low-mass WIMPs arise in many theories of Beyond the Standard Model physics, from minimal extensions of the MSSM to solutions of the baryon-dark matter coincidence problem. We find that inelastic scattering channels do not open up a significant parameter region consistent with all experimental results. Future experiments with low energy thresholds for detecting nuclear recoils, such as CDMSII-Si and those utilizing ultra-low energy germanium detectors, will be able to probe the DAMA region of parameter space.

Additional Information

© SISSA/ISAS 2008. Received: July 15, 2008. Accepted: September 4, 2008. Published: September 9, 2008. We thank H. T. Wong for helpful correspondence regarding the TEXONO experiment, and J. Collar for comments and helpful communication regarding ultra-low energy germanium detectors. The authors are supported by the DOE grant DE-FG02-95ER40896, Outstanding Junior Investigator Award, by the University of Wisconsin Research Committee with funds provided by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Attached Files

Published - Frank_J._Petriello_2008_J._High_Energy_Phys._2008_047.pdf

Submitted - 0806.3989.pdf

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