DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation and axion quark nugget dark matter model

Abstract

The DAMA/LIBRA experiment shows 9.5σ evidence for an annual modulation in the (1 − 6) keV energy range, strongly suggesting that the observed modulation has the dark matter origin. However, the conventional interpretation in terms of WIMP-nucleon interaction is excluded by other experiments. We propose an alternative source of modulation in the form of neutrons, which have been liberated from surrounding material. Our computations are based on the so-called Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model, which was originally invented long ago to explain the similarity between the dark and visible cosmological matter densities, i.e. Ω dark ∼ Ω visible . In our proposal the annual modulation is shown to be generated in keV energy range which is consistent with DL observation in (1 − 6) keV range. This keV energy scale in our proposal is mostly determined by spectral properties of the neutrinos emitted by the AQN dark matter particles, while the absence of the modulation with energies above 6 keV is explained by a sharp cutoff in the neutrino's energy spectrum at ∼ 15 MeV. This proposal can be directly tested by COSINE-100, ANAIS-112 and CYGNO experiments. It can be also tested by studying the correlations between the signals from these experiments and nearby axion search detectors.

Rare Events Detected with a Bulk Acoustic Wave High Frequency Gravitational Wave Antenna

“…(8) dark matter. Other types of dark matter including composite candidates capable of producing single events in mechanical oscillators or phonons in crystals; (9) axion quark nuggets [47] are claimed to be able to produce seismic and acoustic waves in planet's atmosphere [48] as well as explain sum other anomalies such as Sun's corona anomaly [49] and DAMA/LIBRA results [50] as well as others. The axion quark nugget events described in the work with the alleged detection [48] can be ruled out based on the same points as for atmospheric meteor events.…”

Telescope Array Bursts, Radio Pulses and Axion Quark Nuggets

“…The AQNs may also offer a resolution of the "Primordial Lithium Puzzle" [44] and the longstanding puzzle with the DAMA/LIBRA observation of the annual modulation at 9.5σ confidence level [45]. Furthermore, it may resolve the observed (by XMM-Newton at 11σ confidence level [46]) puzzling seasonal variation of the X-ray background in the near-Earth environment in the 2-6 keV energy range as suggested in [47].…”

Strong constraints from COSINE-100 on the DAMA dark matter results using the same sodium iodide target

“…An analysis of the initial 59.5 days of COSINE-100 data showed that the annual modulation signal reported by DAMA is inconsistent with the explanation using SI interaction between WIMPs and sodium or iodine nuclei in the context of the standard halo model (SHM) ( 21 ). However, this first result left open interpretations using certain alternative dark matter models ( 23 , 24 ), dark matter halo distributions ( 25 ), and detector responses ( 25 , 26 ) that could allow room for consistency between DAMA and COSINE-100. Model-independent searches of an annual modulation signal using 1.7-years data were also reported but were still not sensitive enough to conclusively challenge the DAMA observation ( 22 ).…”