The Case for a Directional Dark Matter Detector and the Status of Current Experimental Efforts

Abstract

We present the case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity. This document was developed at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contains contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field. We describe the need for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity; each directional dark matter experiment presents their project's status; and we close with a feasibility study for scaling up to a one ton directional detector, which would cost around $150M.

Ultra Low Energy Results and Their Impact to Dark Matter and Low Energy Neutrino Physics

“…New generation of directional detection of dark matter is under development to perhaps allow for an unambiguous observation even in the presence of backgrounds by observing directional anisotropy of the recoils [6][7][8][9].…”

Dark matter in 3D

“…Over the past decade, the first experiments capable of detecting the directionality of nuclear recoils have been built and commissioned [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. More recently, the first prototypes have started to release results that are approaching 0.1 kg-day exposures [20][21][22][23].…”

Direct dark matter searches review

“…The measurement of the directions of the individual nuclear recoils would open the interesting possibility of correlating them with the velocity vector of the sun relative to the Galaxy. However, the length of typical recoil tracks is 20 nm in solids and 30 μm in low-pressure gas, and no detector has -yet-achieved the required spatial resolution with a sufficient mass and radiopurity [7]. A more subtle effect is provided by the contribution of the Earth orbital motion around the Sun to its radial velocity relative to the galactic center, resulting in a annual modulation of the WIMP flux of the order of a few % [2].…”