The unbearable lightness of being: CDMS versus XENON

Abstract

The CDMS-II collaboration has reported 3 events in a Si detector, which are consistent with being nuclear recoils due to scattering of Galactic dark matter particles with a mass of about 8.6 GeV and a cross-section on neutrons of about 2 x 10^-41 cm^2. While a previous result from the XENON10 experiment has supposedly ruled out such particles as dark matter, we find by reanalysing the XENON10 data that this is not the case. Some tension remains however with the upper limit placed by the XENON100 experiment, independently of astrophysical uncertainties concerning the Galactic dark matter distribution. We explore possible ways of ameliorating this tension by altering the properties of dark matter interactions. Nevertheless, even with standard couplings, light dark matter is consistent with both CDMS and XENON10/100.

15 pages, 7 figures. v2: minor changes, references added - accepted for publication in JCAP

References in corpus (53)

• A Unified Approach to the Classical Statistical Analysis of Small Signals
• Local Kinematics and the Local Standard of Rest
• Dark Matter Results from 225 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• Inelastic Dark Matter
• New results from DAMA/LIBRA
• Results from the Final Exposure of the CDMS II Experiment
• Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search
• Search for an Annual Modulation in a P-type Point Contact Germanium Dark Matter Detector
• A search for light dark matter in XENON10 data
• Results from a Low-Energy Analysis of the CDMS II Germanium Data
• Compatibility of DAMA/LIBRA dark matter detection with other searches
• Finding an Upper Limit in the Presence of Unknown Background
• Final Analysis and Results of the Phase II SIMPLE Dark Matter Search
• Isospin-Violating Dark Matter
• CoGeNT Interpretations
• The Astrophysical Uncertainties Of Dark Matter Direct Detection Experiments
• Generalized Analysis of Weakly-Interacting Massive Particle Searches
• Integrating Out Astrophysical Uncertainties
• Compatibility of DAMA Dark Matter Detection with Other Searches
• Electromagnetic properties of dark matter: dipole moments and charge form factor
• Anapole Dark Matter
• Resolving astrophysical uncertainties in dark matter direct detection
• Momentum Dependent Dark Matter Scattering
• WIMP-nucleus scattering in chiral effective theory
• WIMP Annual Modulation with Opposite Phase in Late-Infall Halo Models
• Exothermic Dark Matter
• Low-threshold analysis of CDMS shallow-site data
• Astrophysical uncertainties on direct detection experiments
• Interpreting Dark Matter Direct Detection Independently of the Local Velocity and Density Distribution
• Direct detection of dark matter in models with a light Z'
• XENON10/100 dark matter constraints in comparison with CoGeNT and DAMA: examining the Leff dependence
• Long-Range Forces in Direct Dark Matter Searches
• Dark Moments and the DAMA-CoGeNT Puzzle
• Toward A Consistent Picture For CRESST, CoGeNT and DAMA
• Halo independent comparison of direct dark matter detection data
• Direct Detection of Dark Matter Debris Flows
• On the DAMA and CoGeNT Modulations
• Light Magnetic Dark Matter in Direct Detection Searches
• Are direct search experiments sensitive to all spin-independent WIMP candidates?
• Form Factor Dark Matter
• Response of the XENON100 Dark Matter Detector to Nuclear Recoils
• DAMA and CoGeNT without astrophysical uncertainties
• Can CoGeNT and DAMA Modulations Be Due to Dark Matter?
• Extending the CRESST-II commissioning run limits to lower masses
• Silicon detector results from the first five-tower run of CDMS II
• Direct Detection of Dark Matter Electromagnetic Dipole Moments
• Observational constraints on a holographic, interacting dark energy model
• Quantifying Astrophysical Uncertainties on Dark Matter Direct Detection Results
• A CoGeNT Modulation Analysis
• Light Dark Matter in the light of CRESST-II
• On the Origin of Light Dark Matter Species
• An optimistic CoGeNT analysis
• Calculating exclusion limits for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle direct detection experiments without background subtraction

Cited by in corpus (91)

• QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories: challenges and perspectives
• New limits on dark matter annihilation from AMS cosmic ray positron data
• Beyond Effective Field Theory for Dark Matter Searches at the LHC
• Constraints on light mediators: confronting dark matter searches with B physics
• Supernova neutrino physics with xenon dark matter detectors: A timely perspective
• Simulated Milky Way analogues: implications for dark matter direct searches
• Constraining Inert Dark Matter by R_{γγ} and WMAP data
• Extending two-Higgs-doublet models by a singlet scalar field - the Case for Dark Matter
• Simulated Milky Way analogues: implications for dark matter indirect searches
• Exothermic Double-Disk Dark Matter
• Global fits of the dark matter-nucleon effective interactions
• Generalized Halo Independent Comparison of Direct Dark Matter Detection Data
• Direct detection of Light Anapole and Magnetic Dipole DM
• Halo-independent methods for inelastic dark matter scattering
• The Earth's velocity for direct detection experiments
• Xenophobic Dark Matter
• A possible indication of momentum-dependent asymmetric dark matter in the Sun
• Anisotropic dark matter distribution functions and impact on WIMP direct detection
• Strongly interacting dark sectors in the early Universe and at the LHC through a simplified portal
• Halo-independent analysis of direct detection data for light WIMPs
• Dark Matter from Hidden Forces
• Cornering light Neutralino Dark Matter at the LHC
• Taking Halo-Independent Dark Matter Methods Out of the Bin
• Light Dark Matter Anomalies After LUX
• Shining LUX on Isospin-Violating Dark Matter Beyond Leading Order
• Update on Light WIMP Limits: LUX, lite and Light
• 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
• On the Direct Detection of Dark Matter Annihilation
• Light NMSSM Neutralino Dark Matter in the Wake of CDMS II and a 126 GeV Higgs
• Halo Independent Direct Detection of Momentum-Dependent Dark Matter
• Quantifying the evidence for Dark Matter in CoGeNT data
• Exploring light mediators with low-threshold direct detection experiments
• Isospin-violating dark matter from a double portal
• Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections
• Reevaluation of spin-dependent WIMP-proton interactions as an explanation of the DAMA data
• Nonabelian Dark Matter with Resonant Annihilation
• A systematic halo-independent analysis of direct detection data within the framework of Inelastic Dark Matter
• Search for neutrinos from annihilation of captured low-mass dark matter particles in the Sun by Super-Kamiokande
• Casting a Wide Signal Net with Future Direct Dark Matter Detection Experiments
• Generalised form factor dark matter in the Sun
• Studying generalised dark matter interactions with extended halo-independent methods
• What is the probability that direct detection experiments have observed Dark Matter?
• The Past and Future of Light Dark Matter Direct Detection
• Direct detection and solar capture of spin-dependent dark matter
• Light mediators in dark matter direct detections
• Halo-Independent Direct Detection Analyses Without Mass Assumptions
• Halo-independent determination of the unmodulated WIMP signal in DAMA: the isotropic case
• Isospin-Violating Dark Matter with Colored Mediators
• Direct Detection of Light "Ge-phobic" Exothermic Dark Matter
• Light dark matter for Fermi-LAT and CDMS observations
• Using Effective Operators to Understand CoGeNT and CDMS-Silicon
• Assessing Compatibility of Direct Detection Data: Halo-Independent Global Likelihood Analyses
• Light Dirac right-handed sneutrino dark matter
• Light weakly interacting massive particles
• Halo-independent comparison of direct detection experiments in the effective theory of dark matter-nucleon interactions
• Collider Detection of Dark Matter Electromagnetic Anapole Moments
• Spin-independent interferences and spin-dependent interactions with scalar dark matter
• Form Factor Effects in the Direct Detection of Isospin-Violating Dark Matter
• Extended Maximum Likelihood Halo-independent Analysis of Dark Matter Direct Detection Data
• Prospects for detection of target-dependent annual modulation in direct dark matter searches
• On the sbottom resonance in dark matter scattering
• Isospin violating dark matter being asymmetric
• Higher Dimensional Effective Operators for Direct Dark Matter Detection
• Target dependence of the annual modulation in direct dark matter searches
• The Up-Shot of Inelastic Down-Scattering at CDMS-Si
• Weinberg's Higgs portal confronting recent LUX and LHC results together with upper limits on B^+ and K^+ decay into invisibles
• LUX Constraints on Magnetic Dark Matter in the $S\bar{E}\chi$y Model with(out) Naturality
• Anapole Dark Matter after DAMA/LIBRA-phase2
• The Dynamical Response of Dark Matter to Galaxy Evolution Affects Direct-Detection Experiments
• Halo-independent comparison of direct dark matter detection data: a review
• Exothermic isospin-violating dark matter after SuperCDMS and CDEX
• Revisiting XENON100's Constraints (and Signals?) For Low-Mass Dark Matter
• Halo-Independent Analysis of Direct Dark Matter Detection Through Electron Scattering
• Updated Constraints on the Dark Matter Interpretation of CDMS-II-Si Data
• Asymmetric Dark Matter
• Halo-Independent Dark Matter Electron Scattering Analysis with In-Medium Effects
• Dark Matter 2013
• Hidden Photons in connection to Dark Matter
• A New Method for Analysing Dark Matter Direct Detection Data
• Update on the Halo-Independent Comparison of Direct Dark Matter Detection Data
• Extracting constraints from direct detection searches of supersymmetric dark matter in the light of null results from the LHC in the squark sector
• Polarized gamma rays from dark matter annihilations
• Effective scalar four-fermion interaction for Ge-phobic exothermic dark matter and the CDMS-II Silicon excess
• Bayesian analysis of multiple direct detection experiments
• Information divergences to parametrize astrophysical uncertainties in dark matter direct detection
• New Directions in Direct Dark Matter Searches
• Halo-Independent analysis of direct dark matter detection data for any WIMP interaction
• Have we found conclusive evidence for dark matter through direct detection experiments?
• Information-theoretic astrophysical uncertainties in the effective theory of dark matter direct detection