We present the first limits on inelastic electron-scattering dark matter and dark photon absorption using a prototype SuperCDMS detector having a charge resolution of 0.1 electron-hole pairs (CDMS HVeV, a 0.93 gram CDMS HV device). These electron-recoil limits significantly improve experimental constraints on dark matter particles with masses as low as 1 MeV/$mathrm{c^2}$. We demonstrate a sensitivity to dark photons competitive with other leading approaches but using substantially less exposure (0.49 gram days). These results demonstrate the scientific potential of phonon-mediated semiconductor detectors that are sensitive to single electronic excitations.
This article presents an analysis and the resulting limits on light dark matter inelastically scattering off of electrons, and on dark photon and axion-like particle absorption, using a second-generation SuperCDMS high-voltage eV-resolution detector. The 0.93 gram Si detector achieved a 3 eV phonon energy resolution; for a detector bias of 100 V, this corresponds to a charge resolution of 3% of a single electron-hole pair. The energy spectrum is reported from a blind analysis with 1.2 gram-days of exposure acquired in an above-ground laboratory. With charge carrier trapping and impact ionization effects incorporated into the dark matter signal models, the dark matter-electron cross section $bar{sigma}_{e}$ is constrained for dark matter masses from 0.5--$10^{4} $MeV$/c^{2}$; in the mass range from 1.2--50 eV$/c^{2}$ the dark photon kinetic mixing parameter $varepsilon$ and the axioelectric coupling constant $g_{ae}$ are constrained. The minimum 90% confidence-level upper limits within the above mentioned mass ranges are $bar{sigma}_{e},=,8.7times10^{-34}$ cm$^{2}$, $varepsilon,=,3.3times10^{-14}$, and $g_{ae},=,1.0times10^{-9}$.
The addition of O2 to gas mixtures in time projection chambers containing CS2 has recently been shown to produce multiple negative ions that travel at slightly different velocities. This allows a measurement of the absolute position of ionising events in the z (drift) direction. In this work, we apply the z-fiducialisation technique to a directional dark matter search. In particular, we present results from a 46.3 live-day source-free exposure of the DRIFT-IId detector run in this completely new mode. With full-volume fiducialisation, we have achieved the first background-free operation of a directional detector. The resulting exclusion curve for spin-dependent WIMP-proton interactions reaches 1.1 pb at 100 GeV/c2, a factor of 2 better than our previous work. We describe the automated analysis used here, and argue that detector upgrades, implemented after the acquisition of these data, will bring an additional factor of >3 improvement in the near future.
We present limits on spin-independent dark matter-nucleon interactions using a $10.6$ $mathrm{g}$ Si athermal phonon detector with a baseline energy resolution of $sigma_E=3.86 pm 0.04$ $(mathrm{stat.})^{+0.19}_{-0.00}$ $(mathrm{syst.})$ $mathrm{eV}$. This exclusion analysis sets the most stringent dark matter-nucleon scattering cross-section limits achieved by a cryogenic detector for dark matter particle masses from $93$ to $140$ $mathrm{MeV}/c^2$, with a raw exposure of $9.9$ $mathrm{g}cdotmathrm{d}$ acquired at an above-ground facility. This work illustrates the scientific potential of detectors with athermal phonon sensors with eV-scale energy resolution for future dark matter searches.
We report on the first dark-matter (DM) search results from PandaX-I, a low threshold dual-phase xenon experiment operating at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. In the 37-kg liquid xenon target with 17.4 live-days of exposure, no DM particle candidate event was found. This result sets a stringent limit for low-mass DM particles and disfavors the interpretation of previously-reported positive experimental results. The minimum upper limit, $3.7times10^{-44}$,cm$^2$, for the spin-independent isoscalar DM-particle-nucleon scattering cross section is obtained at a DM-particle mass of 49,GeV/c$^2$ at 90% confidence level.
We report new limits on spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interaction cross-section using 39.5 kg-days of data taken with a p-type point-contact germanium detector of 840 g fiducial mass at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory. Crucial to this study is the understanding of the selection procedures and, in particular, the bulk-surface events differentiation at the sub-keV range. The signal-retaining and background-rejecting efficiencies were measured with calibration gamma sources and a novel n-type point-contact germanium detector. Part of the parameter space in cross-section versus WIMP-mass implied by various experiments is probed and excluded.