Towards a Robust Model-Independent Test of the DAMA/LIBRA Dark Matter Signal: ANAIS-112 Results with Six Years of Data

Abstract

The nature of dark matter, which constitutes 27% of the Universe's matter-energy content, remains one of the most challenging open questions in physics. Over the past two decades, the DAMA/LIBRA experiment has reported an annual modulation in the detection rate of $\approx$250 kg of NaI(Tl) detectors operated at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, which the collaboration interprets as evidence of the galactic dark matter detection. However, this claim has not been independently confirmed and is refuted under certain dark matter particle and halo model scenarios. Therefore, it is crucial to perform an experiment with the same target material. The ANAIS experiment uses 112.5 kg of NaI(Tl) detectors at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory and it has been collecting data since August 2017 to model-independently test the DAMA/LIBRA result. This article presents the results of the annual modulation analysis corresponding to six years of ANAIS-112 data. Our results, the most sensitive to date with the same target material, NaI(Tl), are incompatible with the DAMA/LIBRA modulation signal at a 4$\sigma$ confidence level. Such a discrepancy strongly challenges the DAMA/LIBRA dark matter interpretation and highlights the need to address systematic uncertainties affecting the comparison, particularly those related to the response of detectors to nuclear recoils, which may require further characterization of the DAMA crystals.

arXiv comment18 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Search for Annual Modulation in Combined ANAIS 112 and COSINE 100 Data using Bayesian Model Comparison
• A nonlinear multiphysics model for the design validation of the ASTAROTH copper-steel cryogenic chamber
• ASTAROTH: A Novel Detector for Dark Matter Direct Detection Using Cryogenic SiPMs
• State of the Art in Direct Dark Matter Detectors: Technologies, Performance, and Future Directions