Conveners
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Carla Macolino (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Paolo Agnes (GSSI)
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Aldo Ianni (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Carla Macolino (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
Parallel 1: Light Dark Matter
- Paolo Agnes (GSSI)
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Elisabetta Baracchini (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
Parallel 1: Direct detection
- Paolo Agnes (GSSI)
PandaX-4T is a several-tonne-scale dark matter direct searching experiment, utilizing 4 tonne liquid xenon as target material in sensitive volume. The experiment is located at China Jinping Underground Laboratory, with overburden of 2400 meter water equivalent. In 2021, the PandaX-4T experiment has released its first data and obtained various search result at the time. In this talk, I will...
The XENONnT experiment is aiming for the direct detection of dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) using a liquid xenon (LXe) time projection chamber. The detector, operated at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy, features a total LXe mass of 8.5 tonnes of which 5.9 tonnes are active. XENONnT has already completed its first science run and is...
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is actively collecting physics data in the search for WIMP dark matter and other novel physics interactions nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. LZ achieves an unprecedented sensitivity for discovering WIMP-nucleon interactions by employing a low-background, 7-tonne liquid xenon time-projection chamber surrounded by a...
Solar neutrinos can interact with liquid xenon (LXe) dark matter detectors through coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS), producing signals similar to DM-nucleus interactions. Known as the 'neutrino fog,' this phenomenon significantly challenges direct dark matter detection efforts. The XENONnT detector, noted for its substantial exposure and low background, provides a prime...
The CDEX program pursues the direct detection of light dark matter candidates with an array of germanium detectors since 2009 at the deepest operating underground site, China Jinping underground laboratory (CJPL) located in Sichuan, China, with a rock overburden of about 2400m. Searches of modulation effect of light WIMPs, WIMPs-nucleus interaction via Midgal effect, dark photon model, solar...
Constraining the spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross-section using Earth-based direct detection experiments is a critical component of the ongoing effort to discover the nature of dark matter. PICO-40L is a bubble chamber detector with a target material of superheated C3F8, located at the SNOLAB underground research facility outside Sudbury, Canada. In bubble chambers,...
DEAP-3600 operates as a dark matter direct detection experiment situated at the SNOLAB facility in Sudbury, Canada. The spherical detector, positioned 2 km beneath the earth's surface, operates within a low cosmic muon background environment. It comprises 3.3 tonnes of liquid argon target encircled by an array of 255 photomultiplier tubes. DEAP-3600 encounters significant background sources...
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a direct dark matter detection experiment primarily designed to search for WIMPs with a dual-phase Xenon Time Projection Chamber (TPC). It stands at the forefront of dark matter research after obtaining world-leading WIMP-nucleon cross-section constraints with an exposure of 60 days and a fiducial mass of 5.5 t. Located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), LZ...
The Neutron Veto of the XENONnT experiment is a Gd-loaded water Cherenkov detector designed to tag the radiogenic neutrons from the detector materials, in order to reduce the most important Nuclear Recoil backgrounds for the WIMP search in the XENONnT TPC.
The Neutron Veto is instrumented with 120 (8" Hamamatsu R5912) photomultiplier tubes, featuring high-QE and low-radioactivity, installed...
The DarkSide-20k detector is currently under construction at the LNGS laboratory in Italy and is a crucial part of the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration’s (GADMC) plan to probe the dark-matter parameter space down and into the neutrino fog. DarkSide-20k is a two-phase Time Projection Chamber with low-radioactivity acrylic walls and optical readout using Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs)....
The DarkSide-20k experiment seeks to detect dark matter by observing interactions of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) within a 50-ton target of liquid argon, utilizing double-phase time projection chamber technology. A pivotal element of the experiment is the utilization of low-radioactivity argon depleted in the isotope 39.
The argon's supply chain originates at the Urania...
DarkSide-20k is under construction at LNGS and is designed to lead the search for heavy WIMPs in the coming years. Measuring the Ar-39 content in underground argon (UAr) is crucial for the successful operation of the detector and, to achieve this goal, the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration (GADMC) is building the DArTinArDM experiment at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in Spain. The...
The DAMA/LIBRA experiment (about 250 kg of highly radio-pure NaI(Tl)), is running deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of the I.N.F.N.; its main aim is the investigation of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the Galactic halo by pursuing the model independent DM annual modulation signature. The results released so far have been obtained with the data of the first phase of...
The SABRE experiment aims to deploy arrays of ultra-low-background NaI(Tl) crystals to carry out a model-independent search for dark matter through the annual modulation signature. SABRE will be a double-site experiment, consisting of two separate detectors reliant on a joint crystal R&D activity, located in the Northern (LNGS) and Southern hemispheres (SUPL). For over 10 years, SABRE has...
The ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment is intended to search for dark matter annual modulation with ultrapure NaI(Tl) scintillators in order to provide a model independent confirmation or refutation of the long-standing DAMA/LIBRA positive annual modulation signal in the low energy detection rate, using the same target and technique. Other experiments exclude the...
The event rate from dark matter interactions is expected to exhibit annual modulation due to their halo-shaped galactic distribution. However, this signature has only been conclusively observed in the reports by DAMA, which utilized NaI(Tl) scintillators. Although their claim could be interpreted as dark matter scattering, other experiments have yet to replicate it using different...
The evidence for the existence of dark matter from astrophysical observations is strong. However, there has not been a conclusive direct detection of dark matter that does not rely on gravitational interaction with visible matter. One experiment, DAMA, claims to have observed an annual modulation signal in a sodium-iodide-based detector consistent with that expected from dark matter....
Today, direct dark matter detection results are contradicting: the DAMA/LIBRA experiment observes an annual modulation signal at high confidence. Furthermore, this signal is perfectly compatible in terms of period and phase with the expectation for a galactic halo of dark matter particles interacting in their NaI target crystals. However, in the so-called standard scenario on dark matter halo...
The SABRE experiment aims to detect an annual rate modulation from dark matter interactions in ultra-high purity NaI(Tl) crystals in order to provide a model independent test of the signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. It is made up of two separate detectors that rely on joint crystal R&D activity; SABRE South located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL), in regional Victoria,...
Understanding nuclear recoil quenching factors, the ratio of the scintillation light yield produced by nuclear and electron recoils of the same energy, is critical for rare event searches, such as dark matter and neutrino experiments. Because NaI(Tl) crystals are widely used for dark matter direct detection and neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering measurements, the low-energy quenching factor...
Although there exist multiple and strong evidences of the presence of dark matter in our universe, its nature is still unknown. Only one experiment, DAMA/LIBRA, has provided a hint on the detection of the galactic dark matter by observing an annual modulation in the detection rate. Although this signal is very difficult to reconcile with the negative results from other experiments, it is also...
In the long standing search for dark matter’s annual modulation with NaI(Tl) detectors, all current generation experiments are plagued with noise from the PMTs which is about an order of magnitude higher than the signal at the keV recoil energies of interest.
ASTAROTH is an R&D project aiming to replace PMTs with SiPM matrices in order to highly enhance the signal-to-noise in the region of...
The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) has been operating for 17 years as an international facility dedicated to advancing compelling multidisciplinary underground scientific research in rare-process physics, as well as offering research opportunities in other disciplines. SURF laboratory facilities include a Surface Campus as well as campuses at the 4850-foot level (1490 m, 4300...
At 1100m beneath the earth on the north-east coast of England, the STFC Boulby Underground Laboratory has been involved in the search for dark matter for the past 30 years. However, this only scratches the surface of the science that has been performed at Boulby. Multidisciplinary projects at Boulby include particle and astroparticle physics, geology and geophysics, climate studies,...
The Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory (PAUL) feasibility study has been launched in 2024. It will be the first dedicated and permanent underground laboratory in Africa, and only the second one in the southern hemisphere. Under 800 metres of rock forming the Du Toitskloof mountain in the western Cape region, it would not be the world’s deepest or biggest underground lab, but would offer...
CRESST-III (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers) is an experiment at the LNGS underground laboratories looking for direct detection of dark matter particles via their scattering off target nuclei in cryogenic detectors. Reaching energy thresholds of less than 100 eV, CRESST-III is among the leading experiments in probing sub-GeV DM masses. However, an unexplained rise...
The sub-electron resolution of Skipper-CCDs enables the detection of energy transfers as low as a few eV, such as what is expected from sub-GeV dark matter interacting with electrons in a silicon target. SENSEI pioneered implementing these sensors in rare-event searches, producing several world-leading results with this technology and setting a new benchmark with the lowest reported dark...
The NEWS-G collaboration is searching for light dark matter candidates using spherical proportional counters. Access to the mass range from 0.05 to 10 GeV is enabled by the combination of low energy detection threshold, light gaseous targets (H, He, Ne), and highly radio-pure detector construction.
Initial NEWS-G results obtained with SEDINE, a 60 cm in diameter spherical proportional...
The DAMIC-M (DArk Matter In CCDs at Modane) experiment employs a novel technique to search for the elusive particles which make up most of the matter in the universe, called dark matter. The aim is direct detection of light dark matter (WIMPs, Hidden Sector Particles) via interaction with silicon in the bulk of the CCDs (Charged Coupled Devised). These CCDs use skipper amplifiers to...
The existence of dark matter is strongly indicated by various astronomical observations. However, its exact nature and properties are yet to be discovered. The SuperCDMS experiment, currently being built 2 km underground at SNOLAB in Canada, is a collaborative scientific effort to search for dark matter via direct detection. It will employ an array of silicon and germanium crystals...
The ionization-signal-only can lower the energy threshold of the liquid xenon time projection chamber. In this talk, we will report the results of light dark matter searching with ionization-signal-only in the PandaX-4T experiment. In addition, we investigated the source of the dominant backgrounds, including cathode and micro-discharging backgrounds, in ionization-signal-only events with...
The first direct detection limits on sub-GeV dark matter utilized electron counting data from the XENON10 liquid xenon TPC. For over a decade, progress in the sensitivity of these instruments to sub-GeV dark matter has been hampered by delayed electron noise. In this talk, we will show new data indicating the origin of the delayed electron noise and the path to its mitigation. We will conclude...
The nature of dark matter is one of the most relevant open problems both in cosmology and particle physics. Many different experimental techniques have been designed and built to detect Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs) as dark matter candidates via their scattering with detector atoms. The NEWSdm experiment, located in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy, is based on a...
Directional Dark Matter (DM) detection, with low pressure gaseous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs), is seen as a viable means for confidently probing below the neutrino fog, for instance in searches planned by CYGNO and the CYGNUS collaboration. Negative Ion Drift (NID) gases like SF6 are essential for reducing drift phase charge diffusion. However, it is notoriously difficult to produce...
The sensitivity of the direct dark matter search is being improved by various energy-sensitive experiments such as XENONnT, LZ, Panda-X and so on. In parallel, direction-sensitive dark matter searches are designed and taken place to reveal properties of the dark matter particle after its discovery or to explore beyond the neutrino fog. NEWAGE is one of the direction-sensitive WIMP search...
CYGNO/INITIUM is an innovative experiment for Dark Matter searches with the purpose of detecting low mass (0.5-50 GeV) WIMPs and performing solar neutrino spectroscopy. This project establishes itself with its strong directionality capabilities, and the use of a gaseous TPC filled with He:CF$_4$, a low density gas mixture sensitive to both spin dependent and independent interactions, at...
Searching for dark matter typically requires a large amount of material to capture extremely rare interactions. However, natural mineral crystals like mica have been around for geological time scales, offering plenty of exposure even in small samples. These crystals can hold onto nuclear recoil tracks—evidence of dark matter interactions—for periods longer than the Earth's age. When etched,...
The LEGEND (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless Double beta decay) is a phased approach for the detection of neutrinoless double beta decay (0vBB) in the Ge-76 candidate isotope for this rare decay. The experimental concept is to deploy high-purity germanium detectors enriched in Ge-76 underground, operated in a bath of liquid argon, which acts as both a shield and a veto...
Adding a light element such as hydrogen to xenon dark matter detectors is projected to expand experimental sensitivity to sub-GeV dark matter. The HydroX effort is exploring this technology for future dark matter experiments. As part of this effort, we have built a test stand at SLAC to study the signal properties of hydrogen-doped xenon dark matter detectors. I will discuss the design of the...
Liquid xenon time projection chambers are nowadays recognized as the leading technology for dark matter direct detection. The XENON and LUX/LZ projects have been exploring the parameter space for WIMPs and other rare events for decades.
In this talk, we will present the forthcoming phase of the project: XLZD, which from the merging of the two currently leading experiments XENONnT and LZ,...
Experiments using dual-phase liquid xenon time projection chambers (TPCs) are among the most sensitive in looking for weak interactive massive particle (WIMP) dark matter in the GeV to TeV energy range. Current generation of detectors use ~10 tonnes of liquid xenon to reach sensitivities of 10$^{-47}$ cm$^2$. The ultimate goal of these experiments is to explore the allowed parameter space for...
The DarkSide-20k experiment will search for dark matter in the form of WIMPs and has the potential to establish the most stringent limits for the spin-independent interaction of heavy WIMPs with nucleons. The background requirement of this experiment is less than 0.1 events in 200 tonne years, which ranks among the most rigorous ever set in the field of rare event searches and establishes...
The Recoil Directionality project (ReD) within the Global Argon Dark
Matter Collaboration characterized the response of a liquid argon (LAr) dual-phase Time Projection Chamber (TPC) to neutron-induced nuclear recoils, to measure the charge yield at low-energy. The charge yield is a critical parameter for the experiments searching for dark matter in the form of low-mass WIMPs and measurements...
Work on directional (nuclear and electron) recoil detection in the U.S. includes gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) efforts focused on increasing imaging performance in the low-energy regime, applicable for directional dark matter searches. Both high-defintion charge and optical readouts coupled with gas electron multiplier (GEM) amplification stages have the ability to directionally...
