Generalized spin-dependent WIMP-nucleus interactions and the DAMA modulation effect

Guided by non-relativistic Effective Field Theory (EFT) we classify the most general spin-dependent interactions between a fermionic Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) and nuclei, and within this class of models we discuss the viability of an interpretation of the DAMA modulation result in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cosmology and astroparticle physics 2015-07, Vol.2015 (7), p.41-41
Main Authors: Scopel, Stefano, Yoon, Kook-Hyun, Yoon, Jong-Hyun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BUBBLE CHAMBERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COUPLING
CROSS SECTIONS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
FIELD THEORIES
FLUORINE
GALAXIES
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
GEV RANGE
IODINE
MASS
MODULATION
NEUTRONS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SODIUM
SPIN
WIMPS
XENON
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Summary:Guided by non-relativistic Effective Field Theory (EFT) we classify the most general spin-dependent interactions between a fermionic Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) and nuclei, and within this class of models we discuss the viability of an interpretation of the DAMA modulation result in terms of a signal from WIMP elastic scatterings using a halo-independent approach. We find that, although several relativistic EFT's can lead to a spin-dependent cross section, in some cases with an explicit, non-negligible dependence on the WIMP incoming velocity, three main scenarios can be singled out in the non-relativistic limit which approximately encompass them all, and that only differ by their dependence on the transferred momentum. For two of them compatibility between DAMA and other constraints is possible for a WIMP mass below 30 GeV, but only for a WIMP velocity distribution in the halo of our Galaxy which departs from a Maxwellian. This is achieved by combining a suppression of the WIMP effective coupling to neutrons (to evade constraints from xenon and germanium detectors) to an explicit quadratic or quartic dependence of the cross section on the transferred momentum (that leads to a relative enhancement of the expected rate off sodium in DAMA compared to that off fluorine in droplet detectors and bubble chambers). For larger WIMP masses the same scenarios are excluded by scatterings off iodine in COUPP.
ISSN:1475-7516
1475-7516
DOI:10.1088/1475-7516/2015/07/041