947 research outputs found
Comments on "Limits on Dark Matter Using Ancient Mica"
To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. together with the author's Reply.Comment: Compressed PostScript (filename.ps.Z), 3 pages, no figure
Superheated Droplet Detectors as CDM Detectors: The SIMPLE Experiment
Superheated Droplet Detectors (SDDs) are becoming commonplace in neutron
personnel dosimetry. Their total insensitivity to minimum ionizing radiation
(while responsive to nuclear recoils of energies ~ few keV), together with
their low cost, ease of production, and operation at room temperature and 1 atm
makes them ideal for Cold Dark Matter (CDM) searches. SDD's are optimal for the
exploration of the spin-dependent neutralino coupling due to their high
fluorine content. The status of SIMPLE (Superheated Instrument for Massive
ParticLe Experiments) is presented. Under realistic background considerations,
we expect an improvement in the present Cold Dark Matter sensitivity of 2-3
orders of magnitude after ~1 kg-y of data acquisition.Comment: 6 pages, including 4 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the
Intl. Workshop on the Identification of Dark Matter (Sheffield, Sept. 96
Prospects for SIMPLE 2000: A large-mass, low-background Superheated Droplet Detector for WIMP searches
SIMPLE 2000 (Superheated Instrument for Massive ParticLE searches) will
consist of an array of eight to sixteen large active mass ( g)
Superheated Droplet Detectors(SDDs) to be installed in the new underground
laboratory of Rustrel-Pays d'Apt. Several factors make of SDDs an attractive
approach for the detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs),
namely their intrinsic insensitivity to minimum ionizing particles, high
fluorine content, low cost and operation near ambient pressure and temperature.
We comment here on the fabrication, calibration and already-competitive first
limits from SIMPLE prototype SDDs, as well as on the expected immediate
increase in sensitivity of the program, which aims at an exposure of 25
kg-day during the year 2000. The ability of modest-mass fluorine-rich detectors
to explore regions of neutralino parameter space beyond the reach of the most
ambitious cryogenic projects is pointed out.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures included. New Journal of Physics, in pres
The kinetic dark-mixing in the light of CoGENT and XENON100
Several string or GUT constructions motivate the existence of a dark U(1)_D
gauge boson which interacts with the Standard Model only through its kinetic
mixing. We compute the dark matter abundance in such scenario and the
constraints in the light of the recent data from CoGENT, CDMSII and XENON100.
We show in particular that a region with relatively light WIMPS, M_{Z_D}< 40
GeV and a kinetic mixing 10^-4 < delta < 10^-3 is not yet excluded by the last
experimental data and seems to give promising signals in a near future. We also
compute the value of the kinetic mixing needed to explain the
DAMA/CoGENT/CRESST excesses and find that for M_{Z_D}< 30 GeV, delta ~ 10^-3 is
sufficient to fit with the data.Comment: 6 pages, 5figure
Superheated Microdrops as Cold Dark Matter Detectors
It is shown that under realistic background considerations, an improvement in
Cold Dark Matter sensitivity of several orders of magnitude is expected from a
detector based on superheated liquid droplets. Such devices are totally
insensitive to minimum ionizing radiation while responsive to nuclear recoils
of energies ~ few keV. They operate on the same principle as the bubble
chamber, but offer unattended, continuous, and safe operation at room
temperature and atmospheric pressure.Comment: 15 pgs, 4 figures include
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