Solar and atmospheric neutrinos: Background sources for the direct dark matter searches

Gütlein, A.; Ciemniak, C.; Feilitzsch, F. von; Haag, N.; Hofmann, M.; Isaila, C.; Lachenmaier, T.; Lanfranchi, J.‐C.; Oberauer, L.; Pfister, S.; Potzel, W.; Roth, Stephan V.; Sivers, M. v.; Strauß, R.; Zöller, A.

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2010.06.002

Cited by 94 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…[8]). As anticipated in early work on direct de- * Electronic address: ciaran.ohare@nottingham.ac.uk tection [9], these large detectors will also be able to detect coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering of astrophysical neutrinos [10][11][12][13]. Neutrinos are therefore the ultimate background for WIMP direct detection searches as they cannot be shielded against and produce recoils with similar rates and energy spectra [11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Readout strategies for directional dark matter detection beyond the neutrino background

et al. 2015

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The search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by direct detection faces an encroaching background due to coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering. As the sensitivity of these experiments improves, the question of how to best distinguish a dark matter signal from neutrinos will become increasingly important. A proposed method of overcoming this so-called "neutrino floor" is to utilize the directional signature that both neutrino and dark matter induced recoils possess. We show that directional experiments can indeed probe WIMP-nucleon cross-sections below the neutrino floor with little loss in sensitivity due to the neutrino background. In particular we find at low WIMP masses (around 6 GeV) the discovery limits for directional detectors penetrate below the non-directional limit by several orders of magnitude. For high WIMP masses (around 100 GeV), the non-directional limit is overcome by a factor of a few. Furthermore we show that even for directional detectors which can only measure 1-or 2-dimensional projections of the 3-dimensional recoil track, the discovery potential is only reduced by a factor of 3 at most. We also demonstrate that while the experimental limitations of directional detectors, such as sense recognition and finite angular resolution, have a detrimental effect on the discovery limits, it is still possible to overcome the ultimate neutrino background faced by non-directional detectors.PACS numbers: 95.35.+d; 95.85.Pw

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Readout strategies for directional dark matter detection beyond the neutrino background

et al. 2015

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“…Inferring from a recent analysis on solar and atmospheric neutrinos [59], a germanium detector with 0.33 kg active mass and a ∼2 keV nuclear recoil threshold (as in the present CoGeNT detector) would observe a rate of just ∼0.012 counts / year from coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering from 8 B and 3 He-proton fusion (HEP) solar neutrinos, the only solar sources able to produce a signal above threshold. Diffuse supernova background neutrinos and atmospheric neutrinos might also contribute, however their rate is reduced by factors of > 10 4 [60] and > 10 5 [59], respectively. Geoneutrinos, having energies less than 4.5 MeV [61], cannot produce nuclear recoil energies above the CoGeNT threshold.…”

Section: E Backgrounds From Neutrino Scatteringmentioning

confidence: 99%

CoGeNT: A search for low-mass dark matter usingp-type point contact germanium detectors

Aalseth

Barbeau

Colaresi³

et al. 2013

Phys. Rev. D

399

466

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CoGeNT employs p-type point-contact (PPC) germanium detectors to search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). By virtue of its low energy threshold and ability to reject surface backgrounds, this type of device allows an emphasis on low-mass dark matter candidates (mχ ∼ 10 GeV/c 2 ). We report on the characteristics of the PPC detector presently taking data at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, elaborating on aspects of shielding, data acquisition, instrumental stability, data analysis, and background estimation. A detailed background model is used to investigate the low energy excess of events previously reported, and to assess the possibility of temporal modulations in the low-energy event rate. Extensive simulations of all presently known backgrounds do not provide a viable background explanation for the excess of low-energy events in the CoGeNT data, or the previously observed temporal variation in the event rate. Also reported on for the first time is a determination of the surface (slow pulse rise time) event contamination in the data as a function of energy. We conclude that the CoGeNT detector technology is well suited to search for the annual modulation signature expected from dark matter particle interactions in the region of WIMP mass and coupling favored by the DAMA/LIBRA results.PACS numbers: 85.30.-z, 95.35.+d

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“…Direct detection experiments are now probing well-motivated extensions to the standard model which naturally predict dark matter candidates [4][5][6]. However, as dark matter detectors are rapidly improving in sensitivity [7], they will encounter the neutrino background, at which point Solar, atmospheric, and diffuse supernova neutrinos will interfere with a potential dark matter signal [8][9][10][11][12]. Moreover, the recent controversy in the low-mass WIMP region ∼ O(10 GeV/c 2 ), where several dark matter hints are inconsistent with null results [13], highlights the need for additional discrimination power between WIMP events and backgrounds in order to clearly authenticate a genuine WIMP signal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing readout strategies to directly detect dark matter

Billard

2015

Phys. Rev. D

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Over the past decades, several ideas and technologies have been developed to directly detect weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) from the galactic halo. All these detection strategies share the common goal of discriminating a WIMP signal from the residual backgrounds. By directly detecting WIMPs, one can measure some or all of the observables associated to each nuclear recoil candidates, such as their energy and direction. In this study, we compare and examine the discovery potentials of each readout strategies from counting only (bubble chambers) to directional detectors (Time Projection Chambers) with 1d-, 2d-, and 3d-sensitivity. Using a profile likelihood analysis, we show that, in the case of a large and irreducible background contamination characterized by an energy distribution similar to the expected WIMP signal, directional information can improve the sensitivity of the experiment by several orders of magnitude. We also found that 1d directional detection is only less effective than a full 3d directional sensitivity by about a factor of 3, or 10 if we assume no sense recognition, still improving by a factor of 2 or more if only the energy of the events is being measured.

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Solar and atmospheric neutrinos: Background sources for the direct dark matter searches

Cited by 94 publications

References 39 publications

Readout strategies for directional dark matter detection beyond the neutrino background

Readout strategies for directional dark matter detection beyond the neutrino background

CoGeNT: A search for low-mass dark matter usingp-type point contact germanium detectors

Comparing readout strategies to directly detect dark matter

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