Original scientific paper

On the importance of nuclear spin for dark matter detection

V. A. Bednyakov ; Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980 Dubna, Russia; Moscow State Institute of Radioengineering, Electronics and Automation (Technical University), 78, Vernadski Avenue, 119454 Moscow, Russia
M. A. Nazarenko ; Moscow State Institute of Radioengineering, Electronics and Automation (Technical University), 78, Vernadski Avenue, 119454 Moscow, Russia
F. Simkovic ; Department of Nuclear Physics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina F1, SK-842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia

Abstract

Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are among the main candidates for the relic dark matter (DM). The idea of the direct DM detection relies on elastic spin-dependent (SD) and spin-independent (SI) interaction of WIMPs with target nuclei. In this paper, the importance of the SD WIMP-nucleus interaction for reliable DM detection is argued. The effective low-energy minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) is used for the calculation of the DM cross sections, provided the lightest neutralino is a WIMP. It is shown that the absolute lower bound for the rate of direct DM detection is due to the SD WIMP-nucleon interaction and a new-generation experiment aimed at detecting DM with sensitivity higher than 10-5 event/day/kg should have a non-zero-spin target to avoid missing of the DM signal.

Keywords

dark matter; weakly interacting massive particle; supersymmetry; neutralino; nuclear spin matrix element

Hrčak ID:

304781

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/304781

Publication date:

2.3.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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