Extracting Particle Physics Information from Direct Detection of Dark Matter with Minimal Assumptions

Abstract

In the absence of direct accelerator data to constrain particle models, and given existing astrophysical uncertainties associated with the phase space distribution of WIMP dark matter in our galactic halo, extracting information on fundamental particle microphysics from possible signals in underground direct detectors will be challenging. Given these challenges we explore the requirements for direct detection of dark matter experiments to extract information on fundamental particle physics interactions. In particular, using Bayesian methods, we explore the quantitative distinctions that allow differentiation between different non-relativistic effective operators, as a function of the number of detected events, for a variety of possible operators that might generate the detected distribution. Without a spinless target one cannot distinguish between spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions. In general, of order 50 events would be required to definitively determine that the fundamental dark matter scattering amplitude is momentum independent, even in the optimistic case of minimal detector backgrounds and no inelastic scattering contributions. This bound can be improved with reduced uncertainties in the dark matter velocity distribution.

arXiv comment11 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PRL

References in corpus (11)

• The Effective Field Theory of Dark Matter Direct Detection
• Dark matter direct-detection experiments
• Model-independent WIMP Scattering Responses and Event Rates: A Mathematica Package for Experimental Analysis
• Integrating Out Astrophysical Uncertainties
• Nuclear structure aspects of spin-independent WIMP scattering off xenon
• Halo independent comparison of direct dark matter detection data
• A General Analysis of Direct Dark Matter Detection: From Microphysics to Observational Signatures
• Global fits of the dark matter-nucleon effective interactions
• Model independent determination of the dark matter mass from direct detection experiments
• Ab initio nuclear response functions for dark matter searches
• Parametrizing the local dark matter speed distribution: a detailed analysis

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Discriminating WIMP-nucleus response functions in present and future XENON-like direct detection experiments
• Recommended conventions for reporting results from direct dark matter searches