Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We demonstrate that the prompt-delayed signals induced by knockout neutrons from quasi-elastic scattering in liquid scintillator neutrino experiments provide a new avenue for detecting light dark matter. As an illustration, we consider the detection of atmospheric dark matter, showing that the constraint on the DM-nucleon interaction from KamLAND is approximately one order of magnitude more stringent than those derived from elastic nuclear recoil signals in dark matter direct detection experiments. Furthermore, larger-volume neutrino detectors such as JUNO are expected to further enhance the sensitivity to light dark matter through quasi-elastic scattering.
Authors: Yuanlin Gong, Feiran Lin, Ning Liu, Liangliang Su, Lei Wu
Institution: Nanjing Normal University
Language: English
Topic: Neutrino Physics Research
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G4535974609, G5521981088
OpenAlex ID: W4417091687
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