F. Mayet

Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to constrain Dark Matter properties with directional detection

Directional detection is a promising dark matter search strategy. Indeed, weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-induced recoils would present a direction dependence toward the Cygnus constellation, while background-induced recoils exhibit an isotropic distribution in the Galactic rest frame. Taking advantage of these characteristic features, and even in the presence of a sizeable background, it has recently been shown that data from forthcoming directional detectors could lead either to a competitive exclusion or to a conclusive discovery, depending on the value of the WIMP-nucleon cross section. However, it is possible to further exploit these upcoming data by using the strong dependence of the WIMP signal with: the WIMP mass and the local WIMP velocity distribution. Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis of recoil events, we show for the first time the possibility to constrain the unknown WIMP parameters, both from particle physics (mass and cross section) and Galactic halo (velocity dispersion along the three axis), leading to an identification of non-baryonic dark matter.

Assessing the discovery potential of directional detection of Dark Matter

There is a worldwide effort toward the development of a large TPC (Time Projection Chamber) devoted to directional Dark Matter detection. All current projects are being designed to fulfill a unique goal : identifying weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) as such by taking advantage of the expected direction dependence of WIMP-induced events toward the constellation Cygnus. However such proof of discovery requires a careful statistical data treatment. In this paper, the discovery potential of forthcoming directional detectors is adressed by using a frequentist approach based on the profile likelihood ratio test statistic. This allows us to estimate the expected significance of a Dark Matter detection. Moreover, using this powerful test statistic, it is possible to propagate astrophysical and experimental uncertainties in the determination of the discovery potential of a given directional detection experiment. This way, we found that a 30 kg.year CF

Three-dimensional track reconstruction for directional Dark Matter detection

_4

Low energy electron/recoil discrimination for directional Dark Matter detection

directional experiment could reach a 3

Directional detection of Dark Matter with MIMAC: WIMP identification and track reconstruction

sigma

Directional Detection of Dark Matter

sensitivity at 90% C.L. down to

μ-TPC: A future standard instrument for low energy neutron field characterization

10^{-5}

Directional Detection of Dark Matter with MIMAC

pb and

Dark matter directional detection with MIMAC

3.10^{-4}

Directional detection of non-baryonic dark matter with MIMAC

pb for the WIMP-proton axial cross section in the most optimistic and pessimistic scenario respectively.