Christopher Savage

Compatibility of DAMA/LIBRA dark matter detection with other searches

The DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation data, which may be interpreted as a signal for the existence of weakly interacting dark matter (WIMPs) in our galactic halo, are examined in light of null results from other experiments: CDMS, XENON10, CRESST I, CoGeNT, TEXONO, and Super-Kamiokande (SuperK). We use the energy spectrum of the combined DAMA modulation data given in 36 bins, and include the effect of channeling. Several statistical tools are implemented in our study: likelihood ratio with a global fit and with raster scans in the WIMP mass and goodness-of-fit (g.o.f.). These approaches allow us to differentiate between the preferred (global best fit) and allowed (g.o.f.) parameter regions. It is hard to find WIMP masses and couplings consistent with all existing data sets; the surviving regions of parameter space are found here. For spin-independent (SI) interactions, the best fit DAMA regions are ruled out to the 3σ C.L., even with channeling taken into account. However, for WIMP masses of ~ 8 GeV some parameters outside these regions still yield a moderately reasonable fit to the DAMA data and are compatible with all 90% C.L. upper limits from negative searches, when channeling is included. For spin-dependent (SD) interactions with proton-only couplings, a range of masses below 10 GeV is compatible with DAMA and other experiments, with and without channeling, when SuperK indirect detection constraints are included; without the SuperK constraints, masses as high as ~ 20 GeV are compatible. For SD neutron-only couplings we find no parameters compatible with all the experiments. Mixed SD couplings are examined: e.g. ~ 8 GeV mass WIMPs with an = ±ap are found to be consistent with all experiments. In short, there are surviving regions at low mass for both SI and SD interactions; if indirect detection limits are relaxed, some SD proton-only couplings at high masses also survive.

Hadronic Uncertainties in the Elastic Scattering of Supersymmetric Dark Matter

We review the uncertainties in the spin-independent and spin-dependent elastic scattering cross sections of supersymmetric dark matter particles on protons and neutrons. We propagate the uncertainties in quark masses and hadronic matrix elements that are related to the

Colloquium: Annual modulation of dark matter

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XENON10/100 dark matter constraints in comparison with CoGeNT and DAMA: examining the Leff dependence

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Natural inflation: Status after WMAP 3-year data

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Can WIMP spin dependent couplings explain DAMA data, in light of null results from other experiments?

term and the spin content of the nucleon. By far the largest single uncertainty is that in spin-independent scattering induced by our ignorance of the

LUX likelihood and limits on spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP couplings with LUXCalc

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How well will ton-scale dark matter direct detection experiments constrain minimal supersymmetry?

matrix elements linked to the

Combined analysis of effective Higgs portal dark matter models

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DarkBit: a GAMBIT module for computing dark matter observables and likelihoods

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