No Arabic abstract
Identifying the nature and origin of dark matter is one of the major challenges for modern astro and particle physics. Direct dark-matter searches aim at an observation of dark-matter particles interacting within detectors. The focus of several such searches is on interactions with nuclei as provided e.g. by Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. However, there is a variety of dark-matter candidates favoring interactions with electrons rather than with nuclei. One example are dark photons, i.e., long-lived vector particles with a kinetic mixing to standard-model photons. In this work we present constraints on this kinetic mixing based on data from CRESST-II Phase 2 corresponding to an exposure before cuts of 52,kg-days. These constraints improve the existing ones for dark-photon masses between 0.3 and 0.7,keV/c$^2$.
Phase II of SIMPLE (Superheated Instrument for Massive ParticLe Experiments) searched for astroparticle dark matter using superheated liquid C$_{2}$ClF$_{5}$ droplet detectors. Each droplet generally requires an energy deposition with linear energy transfer (LET) $gtrsim$ 150 keV/$mu$m for a liquid-to-gas phase transition, providing an intrinsic rejection against minimum ionizing particles of order 10$^{-10}$, and reducing the backgrounds to primarily $alpha$ and neutron-induced recoil events. The droplet phase transition generates a millimetric-sized gas bubble which is recorded by acoustic means. We describe the SIMPLE detectors, their acoustic instrumentation, and the characterizations, signal analysis and data selection which yield a particle-induced, true nucleation event detection efficiency of better than 97% at a 95% C.L. The recoil-$alpha$ event discrimination, determined using detectors first irradiated with neutrons and then doped with alpha emitters, provides a recoil identification of better than 99%; it differs from those of COUPP and PICASSO primarily as a result of their different liquids with lower critical LETs. The science measurements, comprising two shielded arrays of fifteen detectors each and a total exposure of 27.77 kgd, are detailed. Removal of the 1.94 kgd Stage 1 installation period data, which had previously been mistakenly included in the data, reduces the science exposure from 20.18 to 18.24 kgd and provides new contour minima of $sigma_{p}$ = 4.3 $times$ 10$^{-3}$ pb at 35 GeV/c$^{2}$ in the spin-dependent sector of WIMP-proton interactions and $sigma_{N}$ = 3.6 $times$ 10$^{-6}$ pb at 35 GeV/c$^{2}$ in the spin-independent sector. These results are examined with respect to the fluorine spin and halo parameters used in the previous data analysis.
We present the results of a search for WIMPs from the commissioning run of the PandaX-II experiment located at the China Jinping underground Laboratory. A WIMP search data set with an exposure of 306$times$19.1 kg-day was taken, while its dominant $^{85}$Kr background was used as the electron recoil calibration. No WIMP candidates are identified, and a 90% upper limit is set on the spin-independent elastic WIMP-nucleon cross section with a lowest excluded cross section of 2.97$times$10$^{-45}$~cm$^2$ at a WIMP mass of 44.7~GeV/c$^2$.
It has been proposed that an additional U(1) sector of hidden photons could account for the Dark Matter observed in the Universe. When passing through an interface of materials with different dielectric properties, hidden photons can give rise to photons whose wavelengths are related to the mass of the hidden photons. In this contribution we report on measurements covering the visible and near-UV spectrum that were done with a large, 14 m2 spherical metallic mirror and discuss future dark-matter searches in the eV and sub-eV range by application of different electromagnetic radiation detectors.
Many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics predict a parallel sector of a new U(1) symmetry, giving rise to hidden photons. These hidden photons are candidate particles for cold dark matter. They are expected to kinetically mix with regular photons, which leads to a tiny oscillating electric-field component accompanying dark matter particles. A conducting surface can convert such dark matter particles into photons which are emitted almost perpendicularly to the surface. The corresponding photon frequency follows from the mass of the hidden photons. In this contribution we present a preliminary result on a hidden photon search in the visible and near-UV wavelength range that was done with a large, 14 m2 spherical metallic mirror and discuss future dark matter searches in the eV and sub-eV range by application of different detectors for electromagnetic radiation.
Direct Dark Matter detection with cryodetectors is briefly discussed, with particular mention of the possibility of the identification of the recoil nucleus. Preliminary results from the CREEST II Dark Matter search, with 730 kg-days of data, are presented. Major backgrounds and methods of identifying and dealing with them are indicated.