DAMA/LIBRA results and perspectives

The DAMA/LIBRA experiment, running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. in Italy, has a sensitive mass of about 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl). It is mainly devoted to the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the Galactic halo by exploiting the model independent DM annual modulation signature. The present DAMA/LIBRA experiment and the former DAMA/NaI one (the first generation experiment having an exposed mass of about 100 kg) have released so far results corresponding to a total exposure of 1.17 ton yr over 13 annual cycles. They provide a model independent evidence of the presence of DM particles in the galactic halo at 8.9 sigma C.L.. A short summary of the obtained results is presented and future perspectives of the experiment mentioned.Comment: 12 pages, Proceed. of the 15th Bled Workshop "What Comes Beyond Standard Models" (December 2012), Vol. 13, No.

DAMA/NaI results

The DAMA/NaI set-up of the DAMA experiment has been operative during seven annual cycles and has investigated several rare processes. In particular, it has been realised in order to investigate the model independent annual modulation signature for Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo. With the total exposure collected in the seven annual cycles (107731 kg day) a model independent evidence for the presence of a Dark Matter particle component in the galactic halo has been pointed out at 6.3 sigma C.L.. Some of the many possible corollary model dependent quests for the candidate particle have been presented as well.Comment: Contributed paper to the Rencontres de Moriond "Electroweak Interactions and Unified Theories", La Thuile, Aosta Valley, Italy, March 200

A few final comments to arXiv:1210.7548[hep-ph]

A few final comments on arXiv:1210.7548 are given to confute incorrect arguments claimed there

No role for muons in the DAMA annual modulation results

This paper gathers arguments and reasons why muons surviving the Gran Sasso mountain cannot mimic the Dark Matter annual modulation signature exploited by the DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments. A number of these items have already been presented in individual papers. Further arguments have been addressed here in order to present a comprehensive collection and to enable a wider community to correctly approach this point.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures. Few arguments added; version accepted for publication on Eur. Phys. J.

No role for neutrons, muons and solar neutrinos in the DAMA annual modulation results

This paper summarizes in a simple and intuitive way why the neutrons, the muons and the solar neutrinos cannot give any significant contribution to the DAMA annual modulation results. A number of these elements have already been presented in individual papers; they are recalled here. Afterwards, few simple considerations are summarized which already demonstrate the incorrectness of the claim reported in PRL 113 (2014) 081302.Comment: 11 pages, 1 tabl

The DAMA/LIBRA apparatus

The $\simeq$ 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl) DAMA/LIBRA apparatus, running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of the I.N.F.N., is described.Comment: 37 pages, 27 figure

Investigating Earth shadowing effect with DAMA/LIBRA-phase1

In the present paper the results obtained in the investigation of possible diurnal effects for low-energy single-hit scintillation events of DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 (1.04 ton $\times$ yr exposure) have been analysed in terms of an effect expected in case of Dark Matter (DM) candidates inducing nuclear recoils and having high cross-section with ordinary matter, which implies low DM local density in order to fulfill the DAMA/LIBRA DM annual modulation results. This effect is due to the different Earth depths crossed by those DM candidates during the sidereal day.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; in publication on Eur. Phys. J.