Reconstructing WIMP Properties in Direct Detection Experiments Including Galactic Dark Matter Distribution Uncertainties

Abstract

We present a new method for determining Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) properties in future tonne scale direct detection experiments which accounts for uncertainties in the Milky Way (MW) smooth dark matter distribution. Using synthetic data on the kinematics of MW halo stars matching present samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, complemented by local escape velocity constraints, we demonstrate that the local dark matter density can be constrained to approximately 20% accuracy. For low mass WIMPs, we find that a factor of two error in the assumed local dark matter density leads to a severely biased reconstruction of the WIMP spin-independent cross section that is incorrect at the 15-sigma level. We show that this bias may be overcome by marginalizing over parameters that describe the MW potential, and use this formalism to project the accuracy attainable on WIMP properties in future 1 tonne Xenon detectors. Our method can be readily applied to different detector technologies and extended to more detailed MW halo models.

Matches JCAP published version

References in corpus (13)

• The Milky Way's Circular Velocity Curve to 60 kpc and an Estimate of the Dark Matter Halo Mass from Kinematics of ~2400 SDSS Blue Horizontal Branch Stars
• The RAVE Survey: Constraining the Local Galactic Escape Speed
• The accretion origin of the Milky Way's stellar halo
• Phase-space structure in the local dark matter distribution and its signature in direct detection experiments
• Results from the First Science Run of the ZEPLIN-III Dark Matter Search Experiment
• Neutrino Backgrounds to Dark Matter Searches
• The velocity dispersion and mass profile of the Milky Way
• Implications for the Constrained MSSM from a new prediction for b to s gamma
• Galactic Substructure and Direct Detection of Dark Matter
• Dark matter in the solar system I: The distribution function of WIMPs at the Earth from solar capture
• Determining the WIMP mass from a single direct detection experiment, a more detailed study
• Determining the WIMP mass using the complementarity between direct and indirect searches and the ILC
• Probing the Galactic Potential with Next-Generation Observations of Disk Stars

Cited by in corpus (72)

• A novel determination of the local dark matter density
• DARWIN: towards the ultimate dark matter detector
• Galactic Searches for Dark Matter
• A review of the discovery reach of directional Dark Matter detection
• Dark Matter distribution in the Milky Way: microlensing and dynamical constraints
• Implications of High-Resolution Simulations on Indirect Dark Matter Searches
• The Dark Matter at the End of the Galaxy
• Resolving astrophysical uncertainties in dark matter direct detection
• Dielectric Haloscopes to Search for Axion Dark Matter: Theoretical Foundations
• Halo-to-Halo Similarity and Scatter in the Velocity Distribution of Dark Matter
• Systematic uncertainties in the determination of the local dark matter density
• The Mass Distribution and Assembly of the Milky Way from the Properties of the Magellanic Clouds
• Complementarity of Dark Matter Direct Detection Targets
• Updated global fits of the cMSSM including the latest LHC SUSY and Higgs searches and XENON100 data
• Challenges of Profile Likelihood Evaluation in Multi-Dimensional SUSY Scans
• Assessing the discovery potential of directional detection of Dark Matter
• Dependence of direct detection signals on the WIMP velocity distribution
• Global fits of the cMSSM including the first LHC and XENON100 data
• Axion astronomy with microwave cavity experiments
• Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to constrain Dark Matter properties with directional detection
• A new halo-independent approach to dark matter direct detection analysis
• Identification of Dark Matter particles with LHC and direct detection data
• WIMP astronomy and particle physics with liquid-noble and cryogenic direct-detection experiments
• Dark Matter Direct Search Rates in Simulations of the Milky Way and Sagittarius Stream
• A Bayesian view of the current status of dark matter direct searches
• Shining LUX on Isospin-Violating Dark Matter Beyond Leading Order
• Fundamental statistical limitations of future dark matter direct detection experiments
• Model independent determination of the dark matter mass from direct detection experiments
• Impact of Dark Matter Velocity Distributions on Capture Rates in the Sun
• Connecting Direct Dark Matter Detection Experiments to Cosmologically Motivated Halo Models
• Quantifying (dis)agreement between direct detection experiments in a halo-independent way
• The impact of the phase-space density on the indirect detection of dark matter
• A self-consistent phase-space distribution function for the anisotropic Dark Matter halo of the Milky Way
• Very light right-handed sneutrino dark matter in the NMSSM
• How well will ton-scale dark matter direct detection experiments constrain minimal supersymmetry?
• Taming astrophysical bias in direct dark matter searches
• Statistical Issues in Astrophysical Searches for Particle Dark Matter
• Improved determination of the WIMP mass from direct detection data
• Getting the astrophysics and particle physics of dark matter out of next-generation direct detection experiments
• Spin-dependent exotic interactions
• Complementarity of direct and indirect Dark Matter detection experiments
• The Effective J-Factor of the Galactic Center for Velocity-Dependent Dark Matter Annihilation
• Exploring light mediators with low-threshold direct detection experiments
• Studying generalised dark matter interactions with extended halo-independent methods
• Global fits of the Minimal Universal Extra Dimensions scenario
• Digging for Dark Matter: Spectral Analysis and Discovery Potential of Paleo-Detectors
• What can(not) be measured with ton-scale dark matter direct detection experiments
• Probing WIMP particle physics and astrophysics with direct detection and neutrino telescope data
• Dielectric haloscopes: sensitivity to the axion dark matter velocity
• The Dark Matter Inverse Problem: Extracting Particle Physics from Scattering Events
• Probing neutralino dark matter in the MSSM & the NMSSM with directional detection
• The Scientific Reach of Multi-Ton Scale Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments
• Parametrizing the local dark matter speed distribution: a detailed analysis
• Statistical coverage for supersymmetric parameter estimation: a case study with direct detection of dark matter
• Astrophysical limitations to the identification of dark matter: indirect neutrino signals vis-a-vis direct detection recoil rates
• Systematic uncertainties from halo asphericity in dark matter searches
• Peaked Signals from Dark Matter Velocity Structures in Direct Detection Experiments
• Impact of cosmological and astrophysical constraints on dark matter simplified models
• Dark Matter Searches: The Nightmare Scenario
• Constraining Dark Matter Properties with Gamma-Rays from the Galactic Center with Fermi-LAT
• Chasing a consistent picture for dark matter direct searches
• Reconstructing WIMP properties through an interplay of signal measurements in direct detection, Fermi-LAT, and CTA searches for dark matter
• Constraining the Milky Way Dark Matter Density Profile with Gamma-Rays with Fermi-LAT
• Discretising the velocity distribution for directional dark matter experiments
• LUX Constraints on Magnetic Dark Matter in the $S\bar{E}\chi$y Model with(out) Naturality
• Integrating In Dark Matter Astrophysics at Direct Detection Experiments
• Exploring SUSY light Higgs boson scenarios via dark matter experiments
• The Morphology of Exciting Dark Matter and the Galactic 511 keV Signal
• On the importance of direct detection combined limits for spin independent and spin dependent dark matter interactions
• Derivation of the anisotropy profile, constraints on the local velocity dispersion, and implications for direct detection
• The Velocity-Dependent $J$-factor of the Milky Way Halo: Does What Happens in the Galactic Bulge Stay in the Galactic Bulge?
• Effects of Threshold Energy on Reconstructions of Properties of Low-Mass WIMPs in Direct Dark Matter Detection Experiments