Author
I. Wolfe
Bio: I. Wolfe is an academic researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Dark matter & Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 7 publications receiving 374 citations.
Papers
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Boston University1, University of Waterloo2, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics3, Massachusetts Institute of Technology4, Joseph Fourier University5, University of California, Los Angeles6, Occidental College7, University of Pennsylvania8, University of Zaragoza9, University of Sheffield10, Brandeis University11, Harvard University12, Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science13, University of Edinburgh14, University of New Mexico15, University of Huelva16, University of Utah17, University of Nottingham18, Kyoto University19, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory20, Temple University21, University of Warwick22, New York University23, Nagoya University24, University of Tokyo25, Saga University26, University of Ioannina27
TL;DR: The case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity was presented at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: We present the case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity. This document was developed at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contains contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field. We describe the need for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity; each directional dark matter experiment presents their project's status; and we close with a feasibility study for scaling up to a one ton directional detector, which would cost around $150M.
224 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the first dark matter limit from DMTPC from a surface run at MIT, in an analysis window of 80-200 keV recoil energy, based on a 35.7 g-day exposure, they set a 90% C.L. upper limit on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section of 2.0 × 10 − 33 cm 2 for 115 GeV/c2 dark matter particle mass.
80 citations
01 Nov 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the first dark matter limit from DMTPC from a surface run at MIT, in an analysis window of 80-200 keV recoil energy, based on a 35.7 g-day exposure, they set a 90% C.L. upper limit on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section of 2.0 × 10 − 33 cm 2 for 115 GeV/c2.
Abstract: Abstract The Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber (DMTPC) is a low pressure (75 Torr CF4) 10 liter detector capable of measuring the vector direction of nuclear recoils with the goal of directional dark matter detection. In this Letter we present the first dark matter limit from DMTPC from a surface run at MIT. In an analysis window of 80–200 keV recoil energy, based on a 35.7 g-day exposure, we set a 90% C.L. upper limit on the spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross section of 2.0 × 10 − 33 cm 2 for 115 GeV/c2 dark matter particle mass.
66 citations
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Boston University1, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics2, University of Waterloo3, Massachusetts Institute of Technology4, Joseph Fourier University5, University of California, Los Angeles6, Occidental College7, University of Pennsylvania8, University of Zaragoza9, University of Sheffield10, Brandeis University11, Harvard University12, Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science13, University of Edinburgh14, University of New Mexico15, University of Huelva16, University of Utah17, University of Nottingham18, Kyoto University19, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory20, Temple University21, University of Warwick22, New York University23, Nagoya University24, University of Tokyo25, Saga University26, University of Ioannina27
TL;DR: The case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity was presented at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: We present the case for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity. This document was developed at the 2009 CYGNUS workshop on directional dark matter detection, and contains contributions from theorists and experimental groups in the field. We describe the need for a dark matter detector with directional sensitivity; each directional dark matter experiment presents their project's status; and we close with a feasibility study for scaling up to a one ton directional detector, which would cost around $150M.
6 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of several charge readout channels has been developed to obtain additional information about ionization events in the detector and a preliminary statistics-limited 90% C.L. upper limit on the γ and e − rejection factor of 5.6 × 10 −6 is obtained for energies between 40 keVee and 200 kVee.
6 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the status of direct dark matter searches is summarized, focusing on the detector technologies used to directly detect a dark matter particle producing recoil energies in the keV energy scale.
Abstract: In recent decades, several detector technologies have been developed with the quest to directly detect dark matter interactions and to test one of the most important unsolved questions in modern physics. The sensitivity of these experiments has improved with a tremendous speed due to a constant development of the detectors and analysis methods, proving uniquely suited devices to solve the dark matter puzzle, as all other discovery strategies can only indirectly infer its existence. Despite the overwhelming evidence for dark matter from cosmological indications at small and large scales, clear evidence for a particle explaining these observations remains absent. This review summarises the status of direct dark matter searches, focusing on the detector technologies used to directly detect a dark matter particle producing recoil energies in the keV energy scale. The phenomenological signal expectations, main background sources, statistical treatment of data and calibration strategies are discussed.
395 citations
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TL;DR: A review of the physics of direct detection of dark matter, discussing the roles of both the particle physics and astrophysics in the expected signals, is given in this article, where the authors discuss the practical formulas needed to interpret a modulating signal.
Abstract: Direct detection experiments, which are designed to detect the scattering of dark matter off nuclei in detectors, are a critical component in the search for the Universe’s missing matter. This Colloquium begins with a review of the physics of direct detection of dark matter, discussing the roles of both the particle physics and astrophysics in the expected signals. The count rate in these experiments should experience an annual modulation due to the relative motion of the Earth around the Sun. This modulation, not present for most known background sources, is critical for solidifying the origin of a potential signal as dark matter. The focus is on the physics of annual modulation, discussing the practical formulas needed to interpret a modulating signal. The dependence of the modulation spectrum on the particle and astrophysics models for the dark matter is illustrated. For standard assumptions, the count rate has a cosine dependence with time, with a maximum in June and a minimum in December. Well-motivated generalizations of these models, however, can affect both the phase and amplitude of the modulation. Shown is how a measurement of an annually modulating signal could teach us about the presence of substructure in the galactic halo or about the interactions between dark and baryonic matter. Although primarily a theoretical review, the current experimental situation for annual modulation and future experimental directions is briefly discussed.
366 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the status of direct dark matter searches is summarized, focusing on the detector technologies used to directly detect a dark matter particle producing recoil energies in the keV energy scale.
Abstract: In the past decades, several detector technologies have been developed with the quest to directly detect dark matter interactions and to test one of the most important unsolved questions in modern physics. The sensitivity of these experiments has improved with a tremendous speed due to a constant development of the detectors and analysis methods, proving uniquely suited devices to solve the dark matter puzzle, as all other discovery strategies can only indirectly infer its existence. Despite the overwhelming evidence for dark matter from cosmological indications at small and large scales, a clear evidence for a particle explaining these observations remains absent. This review summarises the status of direct dark matter searches, focussing on the detector technologies used to directly detect a dark matter particle producing recoil energies in the keV energy scale. The phenomenological signal expectations, main background sources, statistical treatment of data and calibration strategies are discussed.
270 citations
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TL;DR: For nearly a century, more mass has been measured in galaxies than is contained in the luminous stars and gas as discussed by the authors, and it has become clear that the dark matter in galaxies is not comprised of known astronomical objects or baryonic matter.
265 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the effect of neutrino interactions on the detection performance in direct dark-matter detection experiments and find that neutrinos can be enhanced by new light force carriers (for instance a ''dark photon'') or neutrini magnetic moments.
Abstract: We investigate standard and non-standard solar neutrino signals in direct dark matter detection experiments. It is well known that even without new physics, scattering of solar neutrinos on nuclei or electrons is an irreducible background for direct dark matter searches, once these experiments reach the ton scale. Here, we entertain the possibility that neutrino interactions are enhanced by new physics, such as new light force carriers (for instance a ``dark photon'') or neutrino magnetic moments. We consider models with only the three standard neutrino flavors, as well as scenarios with extra sterile neutrinos. We find that low-energy neutrino-electron and neutrino-nucleus scattering rates can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude, potentially enough to explain the event excesses observed in CoGeNT and CRESST. We also investigate temporal modulation in these neutrino signals, which can arise from geometric effects, oscillation physics, non-standard neutrino energy loss, and direction-dependent detection efficiencies. We emphasize that, in addition to providing potential explanations for existing signals, models featuring new physics in the neutrino sector can also be very relevant to future dark matter searches, where, on the one hand, they can be probed and constrained, but on the other hand, their signatures could also be confused with dark matter signals.
234 citations