Search for dark matter in the form of hidden photons and axion-like particles in the XMASS detector

Abstract

Hidden photons and axion-like particles are candidates for cold dark matter if they were produced non-thermally in the early universe. We conducted a search for both of these bosons using 800 live-days of data from the XMASS detector with 327 kg of liquid xenon in the fiducial volume. No significant signal was observed, and thus we set constraints on the α ′ /α parameter related to kinetic mixing of hidden photons and the coupling constant g Ae of axion-like particles in the mass range from 40 to 120 keV/c 2 , resulting in α ′ /α < 6 × 10 −26 and g Ae < 4 × 10 −13 . These limits are the most stringent over this mass range derived from both direct and indirect searches to date.

Inverse Primakoff Scattering as a Probe of Solar Axions at Liquid Xenon Direct Detection Experiments

“…Dark matter direct detection experiments, initially designed to search for WIMP-like dark matter, have been adapted more broadly as detectors of beyond standard model physics. Notable among the wide class of beyond standard model physics searches at direct detection facilities is the extraordinary sensitivity to possible axion or axionlike particles [we will use the generic "axion" (and symbol a) to encompass both cases, with the modifier QCD added when dealing with specific models developed to address the strong CP problem of QCD] coupling to standard model particles (SM) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. By examining electronic recoils produced by a solar axion flux through the detector, these searches have probed a variety of a-SM couplings including axion-electron, axion-photon, and axion-nucleon interactions.…”

Constraints on dark photons and axionlike particles from the SuperCDMS Soudan experiment

“…SuperCDMS Soudan upper limit (solid black) with uncertainty band (shaded grey) on the axioelectric coupling. Also shown are limits set by other direct-detection experiments including: CDMS II [56], CoGeNT [57], EDELWEISS-III [25], LUX [58], PandaX-II [32], XENON100 [59], XENON1T [60], and XMASS [26]. The shaded regions are excluded by the observed cooling of red giant (RG) [61,62] and white dwarf (WD) stars [11,62].…”

“…SuperCDMS Soudan upper limit (solid black) with uncertainty band (shaded grey) on the dark photon's kinetic mixing. Also shown are limits set by other direct-detection experiments including: DAMIC [63], EDELWEISS-III [25], SENSEI [64], the SuperCDMS HVeV device [65], An et al's analysis of XENON10 and XENON100 [24], Hochberg et al's analysis of XENON100 [3], XENON1T [60], and XMASS [26]. The shaded regions show limits set from anomalous energy loss mechanisms in the Sun, horizontal branch stars (HB), and red giants (RG) from [24].…”

“…It should be noted that the predicted dark matter signal rates are an approximation under the assumption that the dark matter Compton wavelength is much larger than the size of the atom [24]. This is a common assumption in present literature for the calculation of sensitivity limits [24][25][26][27][28] and limit projections [3,11]. This assumption requires corrections at dark matter masses above ∼10-100 keV=c 2 [24,29].…”

Latest Result from XMASS

“…Expected peak in number of photo electron distribution is searched for in 590-1760 PE region corresponding to 40-120 keV. No significant signal was observed, and thus we set constraints on the strength of the kinetic mixing of hidden photons [5], α /α, and the coupling constant g Ae of axion-like particles in the mass range from 40 to 120 keV/c 2 , resulting in α /α < 6×10 26 and g Ae < 4×10 13 . These limits are the most stringent derived from both direct and indirect searches to date.…”