The Past and Future of Light Dark Matter Direct Detection

Abstract

We review the status and future of direct searches for light dark matter. We start by answering the question: `Whatever happened to the light dark matter anomalies?' i.e. the fate of the potential dark matter signals observed by the CoGeNT, CRESST-II, CDMS-Si and DAMA/LIBRA experiments. We discuss how the excess events in the first two of these experiments have been explained by previously underestimated backgrounds. For DAMA we summarise the progress and future of mundane explanations for the annual modulation reported in its event rate. Concerning the future of direct detection we focus on the irreducible background from solar neutrinos. We explain broadly how it will affect future searches and summarise efforts to mitigate its effects.

Invited review article for the International Journal of Modern Physics A. 20 pages, 3 figures

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• Revisiting the Fermionic Dark Matter Absorption on Electron Target
• Neutron Stars in f(R)-Gravity and Its Extension with a Scalar Axion Field
• Mass-varying Dark Matter from a Phase Transition
• Calculated WIMP signals at the ANDES laboratory: comparison with northern and southern located dark matter detectors
• MSSM WIMPs-nucleon cross section for E${}_{\chi }<$ 500 GeV