Limits on the Spin-Dependent WIMP-Nucleon Cross Sections from the First Science Run of the ZEPLIN-III Experiment
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: We present new experimental constraints on the WIMP-nucleon spin-dependent elastic cross sections using data from the first science run of ZEPLIN-III, a two-phase xenon experiment searching for galactic dark matter weakly interacting massive particles based at the Boulby mine. Analysis of $\ensuremath{\sim}450\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kg}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathrm{days}$ fiducial exposure allow us to place a 90%-confidence upper limit on the pure WIMP-neutron cross section of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{n}=1.9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{pb}$ at $55\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}/{c}^{2}$ WIMP mass. Recent calculations of the nuclear spin structure based on the Bonn charge-dependent nucleon-nucleon potential were used for the odd-neutron isotopes $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ and $^{131}\mathrm{Xe}$. These indicate that the sensitivity of xenon targets to the spin-dependent WIMP-proton interaction could be much lower than implied by previous calculations, whereas the WIMP-neutron sensitivity is impaired only by a factor of $\ensuremath{\sim}2$.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: V. N. Lebedenko, H. M. Araújo, E. J. Barnes, A. Bewick, R. Cashmore, V. Chepel, A. Currie, D. Davidge, J. Dawson, T. Durkin, B. Edwards, C. Ghag, M. Horn, A. S. Howard, A. J. Hughes, W. G. Jones, M. Joshi, G. E. Kalmus, A. G. Kovalenko, A. Lindote, I. Liubarsky, M. I. Lopes, R. Lüscher, K. Lyons, P. Majewski, A. StJ. Murphy, F. Neves, J. Pinto da Cunha, R. Preece, J. J. Quenby, P. R. Scovell, C. Silva, V. N. Solovov, N. J. T. Smith, P. F. Smith, V. N. Stekhanov, T. J. Sumner, C. Thorne, R. J. Walker
Institutions: Imperial College London, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2005248184