Prospects for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in orbifold scenarios

We analyse the phenomenology of orbifold scenarios from the heterotic superstring, and the resulting theoretical predictions for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter. In particular, we study the parameter space of these constructions, computing the low-energy spectrum and taking into account the most recent experimental and astrophysical constraints, as well as imposing the absence of dangerous charge and colour breaking minima. In the remaining allowed regions the spin-independent part of the neutralino-proton cross section is calculated and compared with the sensitivity of dark matter detectors. In addition to the usual non universalities of the soft terms in orbifold scenarios due to the modular weight dependence, we also consider D-term contributions to scalar masses. These are generated by the presence of an anomalous U(1), providing more flexibility in the resulting soft terms, and are crucial in order to avoid charge and colour breaking minima. Thanks to the D-term contribution, large neutralino detection cross sections can be found, within the reach of projected dark matter detectors.Comment: 51 pages, 25 figure

Predicted modulated differential rates for direct WIMP searches at low energy transfers

The differential event rate for direct detection of dark matter, both the time averaged and the modulated one due to the motion of the Earth, are discussed. The calculations focus on relatively light cold dark matter candidates (WIMP) and low energy transfers. It is shown that for sufficiently light WIMPs the extraction of relatively large nucleon cross sections is possible. Furthermore for some WIMP masses the modulation amplitude may change sign, meaning that, in such a case, the maximum rate may occur six months later than naively expected. This effect can be exploited to yield information about the mass of the dark matter candidate, if and when the observation of the modulation of the event rate is established.Comment: 16 pages, 22 figures; references adde

First measurement of nuclear recoil head-tail sense in a fiducialised WIMP dark matter detector

Recent computational results suggest that directional dark matter detectors have potential to probe for WIMP dark matter particles below the neutrino floor. The DRIFT-IId detector used in this work is a leading directional WIMP search time projection chamber detector. We report the first measurements of the detection of the directional nuclear recoils in a fully fiducialised low-pressure time projection chamber. In this new operational mode, the distance between each event vertex and the readout plane is determined by the measurement of minority carriers produced by adding a small amount of oxygen to the nominal CS$_{2}$ + CF$_{4}$ target gas mixture. The CS$_2$ + CF$_4$ + O$_2$ mixture has been shown to enable background-free operation at current sensitivities. Sulfur, fluorine, and carbon recoils were generated using neutrons emitted from a $^{252}$Cf source positioned at different locations around the detector. Measurement of the relative energy loss along the recoil tracks allowed the track vector sense, or the so-called head-tail asymmetry parameter, to be deduced. Results show that the previously reported observation of head-tail sensitivity in pure CS$_{2}$ is well retained after the addition of oxygen to the gas mixture

Can annihilating Dark Matter be lighter than a few GeVs?

We estimate the gamma ray fluxes from the residual annihilations of Dark Matter particles having a mass mdm \in [MeV, O(GeV)] and compare them to observations. We find that particles lighter than O(100 MeV) are excluded unless their cross section is S-wave suppressed.Comment: 4 pages. No figure. Values corrected (last column Table.1). Text clarified. Conclusions unchange

Lower limit on the neutralino mass in the general MSSM

We discuss constraints on SUSY models with non-unified gaugino masses and R_P conservation. We derive a lower bound on the neutralino mass combining the direct limits from LEP, the indirect limits from gmuon, bsgamma, Bsmumu and the relic density constraint from WMAP. The lightest neutralino (mneutralino=6GeV) is found in models with a light pseudoscalar with MA<200GeV and a large value for $tan\beta$. Models with heavy pseudoscalars lead to mneutralino>18(29)GeV for $\tan\beta=50(10)$. We show that even a very conservative bound from the muon anomalous magnetic moment can increase the lower bound on the neutralino mass in models with mu<0 and/or large values of $\tan\beta$. We then examine the potential of the Tevatron and the direct detection experiments to probe the SUSY models with the lightest neutralinos allowed in the context of light pseudoscalars with high $\tan\beta$. We also examine the potential of an e+e- collider of 500GeV to produce SUSY particles in all models with neutralinos lighter than the W. In contrast to the mSUGRA models, observation of at least one sparticle is not always guaranteed.Comment: 37 pages, LateX, 16 figures, paper with higher resolution figures available at http://wwwlapp.in2p3.fr/~boudjema/papers/bound-lsp/bound-lsp.htm

Improved Constraints on Inelastic Dark Matter

We perform an extensive study of the DAMA annual modulation data in the context of inelastic dark matter. We find that inelastic dark matter with mass m > 15 GeV is excluded at the 95% confidence level by the combination of DAMA spectral information and results from other direct detection experiments. However, at smaller m, inelastic dark matter constitutes a possible solution to the DAMA puzzle.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, Reference added, matches published versio

Fitting the Gamma-Ray Spectrum from Dark Matter with DMFIT: GLAST and the Galactic Center Region

We study the potential of GLAST to unveil particle dark matter properties with gamma-ray observations of the Galactic center region. We present full GLAST simulations including all gamma-ray sources known to date in a region of 4 degrees around the Galactic center, in addition to the diffuse gamma-ray background and to the dark matter signal. We introduce DMFIT, a tool that allows one to fit gamma-ray emission from pair-annihilation of generic particle dark matter models and to extract information on the mass, normalization and annihilation branching ratios into Standard Model final states. We assess the impact and systematic effects of background modeling and theoretical priors on the reconstruction of dark matter particle properties. Our detailed simulations demonstrate that for some well motivated supersymmetric dark matter setups with one year of GLAST data it will be possible not only to significantly detect a dark matter signal over background, but also to estimate the dark matter mass and its dominant pair-annihilation mode.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figures, submitted to JCA

Inelastic Dark Matter, Non-Standard Halos and the DAMA/LIBRA Results

The DAMA collaboration have claimed to detect particle dark matter (DM) via an annual modulation in their observed recoil event rate. This appears to be in strong disagreement with the null results of other experiments if interpreted in terms of elastic DM scattering, while agreement for a small region of parameter space is possible for inelastic DM (iDM) due to the altered kinematics of the collision. To date most analyses assume a simple galactic halo DM velocity distribution, the Standard Halo Model, but direct experimental support for the SHM is severely lacking and theoretical studies indicate possible significant differences. We investigate the dependence of DAMA and the other direct detection experiments on the local DM velocity distribution, utilizing the results of the Via Lactea and Dark Disc numerical simulations. We also investigate effects of varying the solar circular velocity, the DM escape velocity, and the DAMA quenching factor within experimental limits. Our data set includes the latest ZEPLIN-III results, as well as full publicly available data sets. Due to the more sensitive dependence of the inelastic cross section on the velocity distribution, we find that with Via Lactea the DAMA results can be consistent with all other experiments over an enlarged region of iDM parameter space, with higher mass particles being preferred, while Dark Disc does not lead to an improvement. A definitive test of DAMA for iDM requires heavy element detectors.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures, PDFLaTex Additional analysis of Via Lactea simulation include

Direct versus indirect detection in mSUGRA with self-consistent halo models

We perform a detailed analysis of the detection prospects of neutralino dark matter in the mSUGRA framework. We focus on models with a thermal relic density, estimated with high accuracy using the DarkSUSY package, in the range favored by current precision cosmological measurements. Direct and indirect detection rates are computed implementing two models for the dark matter halo, tracing opposite regimes for the phase of baryon infall, with fully consistent density profiles and velocity distribution functions. This has allowed, for the first time, a fully consistent comparison between direct and indirect detection prospects. We discuss all relevant regimes in the mSUGRA parameter space, underlining relevant effects, and providing the basis for extending the discussion to alternative frameworks. In general, we find that direct detection and searches for antideuterons in the cosmic rays seems to be the most promising ways to search for neutralinos in these scenarios.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure

WIMP dark matter, Higgs exchange and DAMA

In the WIMP scenario, there is a one-to-one relation between the dark matter (DM) relic density and spin independent direct detection rate if both the annihilation of DM and its elastic scattering on nuclei go dominantly through Higgs exchange. In particular, for DM masses much smaller than the Higgs boson mass, the ratio of the relevant cross sections depends only on the DM mass. Assuming DM mass and direct detection rate within the ranges allowed by the recent DAMA collaboration results -taking account of the channelling effect on energy threshold and the null results of the other direct detection experiments- gives a definite range for the relic density. For scalar DM models, like the Higgs portal models or the inert doublet model, the relic density range turns out to be in agreement with WMAP. This scenario implies that the Higgs boson has a large branching ratio to pairs of DM particles, a prediction which might challenge its search at the LHC.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Matches the published version. One figure modified. Conclusions unchange