Direct dark matter searches with CDMS and XENON

• Published in: Advances in space research Vol. 41; no. 12; pp. 2019 - 2023
• Main Authors: Ni, Kaixuan, Baudis, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2008
• Subjects: CDMS; Dark matter; XENON; Dark matter; CDMS; XENON
• ISSN: 0273-1177; 1879-1948
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2007.02.071

The cryogenic dark matter search (CDMS) and XENON experiments aim to directly detect dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via their elastic scattering on the target nuclei. The experiments use different techniques to suppress background event rates to the minimum, and at the same time, to achieve a high WIMP detection rate. The operation of cryogenic Ge and Si crystals of the CDMS-II experiment in the Soudan mine reported spectrum-weighted exposures of 34 (12) kg-d for the Ge (Si) targets after cuts, over the recoil energies 10–100
keV for a WIMP mass of 60
GeV/
c
2. It gives an upper limit (90% C.L.) of spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section at 1.6
×
10
−43
cm
2 for a WIMP mass of 60
GeV/
c
2, starting to constrain predications in supersymmetry models. The two-phase xenon detector of the XENON10 experiment is currently taking data in the Gran Sasso underground lab and promising preliminary results were recently reported. Both experiments are expected to increase their WIMP sensitivity by a one order of magnitude in the scheduled science runs for 2007.