Prospects For Identifying Dark Matter With CoGeNT

It has previously been shown that the excess of events reported by the CoGeNT collaboration could be generated by elastically scattering dark matter particles with a mass of approximately 5-15 GeV. This mass range is very similar to that required to generate the annual modulation observed by DAMA/LIBRA and the gamma rays from the region surrounding the Galactic Center identified within the data of the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope. To confidently conclude that CoGeNT's excess is the result of dark matter, however, further data will likely be needed. In this paper, we make projections for the first full year of CoGeNT data, and for its planned upgrade. Not only will this body of data more accurately constrain the spectrum of nuclear recoil events, and corresponding dark matter parameter space, but will also make it possible to identify seasonal variations in the rate. In particular, if the CoGeNT excess is the product of dark matter, then one year of CoGeNT data will likely reveal an annual modulation with a significance of 2-3$\sigma$. The planned CoGeNT upgrade will not only detect such an annual modulation with high significance, but will be capable of measuring the energy spectrum of the modulation amplitude. These measurements will be essential to irrefutably confirming a dark matter origin of these events.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

CoGeNT Interpretations

Recently, the CoGeNT experiment has reported events in excess of expected background. We analyze dark matter scenarios which can potentially explain this signal. Under the standard case of spin independent scattering with equal couplings to protons and neutrons, we find significant tensions with existing constraints. Consistency with these limits is possible if a large fraction of the putative signal events is coming from an additional source of experimental background. In this case, dark matter recoils cannot be said to explain the excess, but are consistent with it. We also investigate modifications to dark matter scattering that can evade the null experiments. In particular, we explore generalized spin independent couplings to protons and neutrons, spin dependent couplings, momentum dependent scattering, and inelastic interactions. We find that some of these generalizations can explain most of the CoGeNT events without violation of other constraints. Generalized couplings with some momentum dependence, allows further consistency with the DAMA modulation signal, realizing a scenario where both CoGeNT and DAMA signals are coming from dark matter. A model with dark matter interacting and annihilating into a new light boson can realize most of the scenarios considered.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figs, v2: published version, some discussions clarifie

Dark Matter attempts for CoGeNT and DAMA

Recently, the CoGeNT collaboration presented a positive signal for an annual modulation in their data set. In light of the long standing annual modulation signal in DAMA/LIBRA, we analyze the compatibility of both of these signal within the hypothesis of dark matter (DM) scattering on nuclei, taking into account existing experimental constraints. We consider the cases of elastic and inelastic scattering with either spin-dependent or spin-independent coupling to nucleons. We allow for isospin violating interactions as well as for light mediators. We find that there is some tension between the size of the modulation signal and the time-integrated event excess in CoGeNT, making it difficult to explain both simultaneously. Moreover, within the wide range of DM interaction models considered, we do not find a simultaneous explanation of CoGeNT and DAMA/LIBRA compatible with constraints from other experiments. However, in certain cases part of the data can be made consistent. For example, the modulation signal from CoGeNT becomes consistent with the total rate and with limits from other DM searches at 90% CL (but not with the DAMA/LIBRA signal) if DM scattering is inelastic spin-independent with just the right couplings to protons and neutrons to reduce the scattering rate on xenon. Conversely the DAMA/LIBRA signal (but not CoGeNT) can be explained by spin-dependent inelastic DM scattering.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

Astroparticle Physics with a Customized Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector

The MAJORANA Collaboration is building the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 60 kg array of high purity germanium detectors housed in an ultra-low background shield at the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge while demonstrating the feasibility of a tonne-scale experiment. It may also carry out a dark matter search in the 1-10 GeV/c^2 mass range. We have found that customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors produced by Canberra have several desirable features for a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment, including low electronic noise, excellent pulse shape analysis capabilities, and simple fabrication. We have deployed a customized BEGe, the MAJORANA Low-Background BEGe at Kimballton (MALBEK), in a low-background cryostat and shield at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Virginia. This paper will focus on the detector characteristics and measurements that can be performed with such a radiation detector in a low-background environment.Comment: Submitted to NIMA Proceedings, SORMA XII. 9 pages, 4 figure

A collaborative VR Murder Mystery using Photorealistic User Representations

The VRTogether project has developed a Social VR platform for remote communication and collaboration. The hyper-realistic representation of users, as volumetric video, allows for natural interaction in a virtual environment with others. This video shows one of the use cases, an escape room style, where remote users need to collaboratively resolve a murder mystery. The experience takes place in the victim’s apartment where the police team (avatars) together with up to four real-time captured users (point clouds), work as a team to find clues and come up with a conclusion about what happened to the victim and who was the criminal. This experience includes a layer of interaction, enabling the users to interact with the environment, by touching objects, and to talk to the characters. It also allows for navigating between the rooms of the apartment. The experience provides immersion and social connectedness, where users are protagonists of the story, sharing the virtual environment and following the narrative. The combination of virtual reality environments (space and characters) with novel technologies for real-time volumetric video conferencing enables unique new experiences in a number of areas such as healthcare, broadcasting, and gaming. The video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/Hsj1YWo55k

Search for Neutrinoless Double- β Decay with the Complete EXO-200 Dataset

A search for neutrinoless double-β decay (0νββ) in Xe136 is performed with the full EXO-200 dataset using a deep neural network to discriminate between 0νββ and background events. Relative to previous analyses, the signal detection efficiency has been raised from 80.8% to 96.4±3.0%, and the energy resolution of the detector at the Q value of Xe136 0νββ has been improved from σ/E=1.23% to 1.15±0.02% with the upgraded detector. Accounting for the new data, the median 90% confidence level 0νββ half-life sensitivity for this analysis is 5.0×1025 yr with a total Xe136 exposure of 234.1 kg yr. No statistically significant evidence for 0νββ is observed, leading to a lower limit on the 0νββ half-life of 3.5×1025 yr at the 90% confidence level

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with the Upgraded EXO-200 Detector

Results from a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) of Xe136 are presented using the first year of data taken with the upgraded EXO-200 detector. Relative to previous searches by EXO-200, the energy resolution of the

Search for Neutrinoless Double- β Decay in Ge 76 with the Majorana Demonstrator

The Majorana Collaboration is operating an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-β decay in Ge76. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in Ge76) split between two modules contained in a low background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. Here we present results from data taken during construction, commissioning, and the start of full operations. We achieve unprecedented energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Qββ and a very low background with no observed candidate events in 9.95 kg yr of enriched Ge exposure, resulting in a lower limit on the half-life of 1.9×1025 yr (90% C.L.). This result constrains the effective Majorana neutrino mass to below 240-520 meV, depending on the matrix elements used. In our experimental configuration with the lowest background, the background is 4.0-2.5+3.1 counts/(FWHM t yr)

Search for nucleon decays with EXO-200

A search for instability of nucleons bound in Xe136 nuclei is reported with 223 kg·yr exposure of Xe136 in the EXO-200 experiment. Lifetime limits of 3.3×1023 and 1.9×1023 yr are established for nucleon decay to Sb133 and Te133, respectively. These are the most stringent to date, exceeding the prior decay limits by a factor of 9 and 7, respectively

Prospects for barium tagging in gaseous xenon

Tagging events with the coincident detection of a barium ion would greatly reduce the background for a neutrino-less double beta decay search in xenon. This paper describes progress towards realizing this goal. It outlines a source that can produce large quantities of Ba++ in gas, shows that this can be extracted to vacuum, and demonstrates a mechanism by which the Ba ++ can be efficiently converted to Ba+ as required for laser identification