Update on the direct detection of supersymmetric dark matter

Abstract

We compare updated predictions for the elastic scattering of supersymmetric neutralino dark matter with the improved experimental upper limit recently published by Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) II. We take into account the possibility that the -nucleon term may be somewhat larger than was previously considered plausible, as may be supported by the masses of exotic baryons reported recently. We also incorporate the new central value of m t , which affects indirectly constraints on the supersymmetric parameter space, for example, via calculations of the relic density. Even if a large value of is assumed, the CDMS II data currently exclude only small parts of the parameter space in the constrained minimal standard model (CMSSM) with universal soft supersymmetry-breaking Higgs, squark, and slepton masses. None of the previously proposed CMSSM benchmark scenarios is excluded for any value of , and the CDMS II data do not impinge on the domains of the CMSSM parameter space favored at the 90% confidence level in a recent likelihood analysis. However, some models with nonuniversal Higgs, squark, and slepton masses and neutralino masses & 700 GeV are excluded by the CDMS II data.

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“…Right-handed sneutrinos as a CDM candidate have also been revived lately [25,26]. Predictions for signals in direct [19,27,28,29,30,31], indirect [32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44] or collider experiments have been made within each of these models [45,46,7,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57]. Furthermore in specific case studies, in particular within supersymmetric models, the prospects of determining the properties of the new particles and from there infer a "collider" prediction for the relic density or for the detection rates were analyzed [58,59,46,60].…”

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“…The presently favored model for galaxies, including the Milky Way, posit the existence of a galactic halo composed of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) [1] which could be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) suggested by extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics [2]. Confirmation of this model requires the direct observation of WIMP-induced nuclear recoils and to this end several experiments have been developed using various technologies.…”

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“…This would serve to infer a more reliable value of the primordial 7 Li abundance independently of stellar depletion effects that confront the identification of the primordial value from the Spite plateau in population II stars. A primordial 7 Li abundance that is totally free from the stellar depletion process should directly test the cosmological models for the BBN (Coc et al 2004;Spergel et al 2003;Kajino & Boyd 1990) and the particle theory of weak interactions and dark matter (Mathews et al 2005;Ellis et al 2005;Kusakabe et al 2006Kusakabe et al , 2007Kusakabe et al , 2008.…”