Detecting meV-scale dark matter via coherent scattering with an asymmetric torsion balance

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Dark matter with mass in the crossover range between wave dark matter and particle dark matter, around ( 10 − 3 , 10 3 ) eV , remains relatively unexplored by terrestrial experiments. In this mass regime, dark matter scatters coherently with macroscopic objects. The effect of the coherent scattering greatly enhances the accelerations of the targets caused from dark matter collisions by a factor of ∼ 10 23 . We propose a novel torsion balance experiment with test bodies of different geometric sizes to detect such dark-matter-induced acceleration. This method could provide the strongest sensitivity on the scattering cross section between the dark matter and a nucleon in the mass range of ( 10 − 3 , 1 ) eV .

Source: Physical review. D/Physical review. D.

DOI: 10.1103/nhcn-9p3j

Authors: Pengshun Luo, Shigeki Matsumoto, Jie Sheng, Chuan-Yang Xing, Lin Zhu, Zhi-Jie Zhuge

Institutions: Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China University of Petroleum, East China

Language: English

Topic: Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

OpenAlex ID: W4415166237