Testing spin-dependent dark matter interactions with lithium aluminate targets in CRESST-III

• Main Authors: Angloher, G, Banik, S, Benato, G, Bento, A, Bertolini, A, Breier, R, Bucci, C, Burkhart, J, Canonica, L, D'Addabbo, A, Di Lorenzo, S, Einfalt, L, Erb, A, Feilitzsch, F. v, Iachellini, N. Ferreiro, Fichtinger, S, Fuchs, D, Fuss, A, Garai, A, Ghete, V. M, Gerster, S, Gorla, P, Guillaumon, P. V, Gupta, S, Hauff, D, Ješkovský, M, Jochum, J, Kaznacheeva, M, Kinast, A, Kluck, H, Kraus, H, Langenkämper, A, Mancuso, M, Marini, L, Meyer, L, Mokina, V, Nilima, A, Olmi, M, Ortmann, T, Pagliarone, C, Pattavina, L, Petricca, F, Potzel, W, Povinec, P, Pröbst, F, Pucci, F, Reindl, F, Rothe, J, Schäffner, K, Schieck, J, Schmiedmayer, D, Schönert, S, Schwertner, C, Stahlberg, M, Stodolsky, L, Strandhagen, C, Strauss, R, Usherov, I, Wagner, F, Willers, M, Zema, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15-07-2022
• Subjects: Physics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2207.07640

In the past decades, numerous experiments have emerged to unveil the nature
of dark matter, one of the most discussed open questions in modern particle
physics. Among them, the CRESST experiment, located at the Laboratori Nazionali
del Gran Sasso, operates scintillating crystals as cryogenic phonon detectors.
In this work, we present first results from the operation of two detector
modules which both have 10.46 g LiAlO$_2$ targets in CRESST-III. The lithium
contents in the crystal are $^6$Li, with an odd number of protons and neutrons,
and $^7$Li, with an odd number of protons. By considering both isotopes of
lithium and $^{27}$Al, we set the currently strongest cross section upper
limits on spin-dependent interaction of dark matter with protons and neutrons
for the mass region between 0.25 and 1.5 GeV/c$^2$.